‘Everyone was dogs’: Junior Wallabies roll up their sleeves to beat Springboks in TRC as rising fullback scores twice

The Junior Wallabies have responded in the best possible fashion from their first-up loss to Argentina in the under-20s Rugby Championship by defeating the Junior Springboks 24-19 at Sunshine Coast Stadium.

After a demoralising 25-6 to Argentina last week, the boot of Cullen Gray proved to be the difference with his first-half penalty the only difference between the southern hemisphere rivals.

Discipline cost the Junior Boks badly, with loose-head prop Mbasa Maqubela being shown an upgraded red card for making direct contact with an opponent’s head at a ruck midway through the first half.

Then, with Nathan Grey’s side holding a narrow 17-14 lead, the Junior Wallabies were awarded a penalty try after Bathobele Hlekani was deemed to deliberately collapse the home side’s rolling maul. It also saw the second-rower sent to the sin bin.

While South African winger Litelihle Bester grabbed his second to close the margin to five-points, it was too little too late as the Junior Wallabies held on.

Junior Wallabies skipper Toby Macpherson said the turnaround was built off the back of a “mindset” shift, which came after their first-up loss to Los Pumas.

“We knew the South Africans were going to run fast and run direct,” the second-rower said.

“The messages through the game and throughout the week were if they’re going to run straight at us we’re just going to sit them on their backside and I think we achieved that.

“I thought it was a bloody awesome game, really physical, everyone was dogs out there and it was to just see a tight contest.

“We had a big week after last game and we went through a lot of adversity as a group, lots of changes, and I think that’s a testament to this group and a testament to Australian rugby that that’s the way we want to play.

“We’re sick of being in the position we’re in and I think that’s a good point for us to start off the back of last week.”

Springboks captain JF van Heerden, who scored the first try by getting under the Junior Wallabies from close range, said his side shot themselves in the foot, with errors in the wet at the back and a 13-7 penalty count against them hurting.

“It’s disappointing, losing a game like that,” he said.

“Feeling at times like we lost against ourselves.”

Earlier, a penalty to playmaker Grey and the first of two tries to fullback Shane Wilcox saw the Junior Wallabies take a 10-7 lead into half time.

After some continuity in attack from the visitors, Bester burst through a hole centre field to score his first of two second-half tries.

But the Junior Wallabies hit back minutes later as Wilcox finished off the outstanding work from the lively Angus Staniforth to score his second.

His second five-pointer came also made up for his earlier blunder as he failed to put his outside centre Frankie Goldsbrough away down the short side.

The Junior Wallabies will now take on the Junior All Blacks on Sunday, with The Rugby Championship on the line after their trans-Tasman opponents settled for a 13-13 draw first up against South Africa last week before easily putting away Argentina.

Rising Queensland Reds playmaker Harry McLaughlin-Phillips is also in line to make his return to the Junior Wallabies, having been released this week to be eligible for selection.