U19 2007 RWC - NZ take Div A title
21 Apr 2007
New Zealand nullified the powerful South African pack with a mouth-watering display of attacking rugby to triumph 31-7 at Ravenhill to reclaim the IRB Under 19 World Championship crown they last won in 2004.
The final began at a frenetic pace with New Zealand clearly fired up after their performance of the Haka and determined to avoid a third successive IRB Under 19 World Championship runners-up medal.
New Zealand’s high intensity level was rewarded with two tries in the opening seven minutes to stun the 2005 champions, the first from Robert Fruean after good work from Zach Guildford enabled the centre to find the gap in the South African defence.
Trent Renata saw his conversion drift wide of the uprights, but the full back made no mistake with his second from in front of the posts minutes later to convert his own try after a flowing backline move with angled runs involving him, Guildford and Fruean.
Horror injury
Their momentum was halted by a sickening injury to centre Ryan Crotty, which held up play for several minutes and silenced the 11,165 crowd. Crotty fell awkwardly in the tackle, his left ankle collapsing under him as he screamed out in pain on the floor.
Crotty departed on a stretcher with a few words from captain Chris Smith and the desire to win the title for their injured teammate seemed a heavy burden at times, although a fantastic break by flanker Peter Saili saw him stopped five metres shot.
Fruean turned from try scorer to villain in the 31st minute when the centre was sin-binned by referee James Jones for a late swinging arm on full back Wilton Pietersen, but he left the field trying to encourage his teammates to remain strong while a man down.
A sublime cross-field kick by Renata bounced perfectly for Kade Poki, the wing’s chip taken into touch by South African fly half Francois Brummer.
Minutes later hooker Ash Dixon came close to scoring, but the television match official Julian Pritchard was unable to determine that the ball had been touched down.
Captain blow
However, New Zealand did not have long to wait for their third try, a perfectly timed cross-field kick from fly half Daniel Kirkpatrick being caught and touched down by the diving Poki for his sixth try of the tournament.
Renata missed the conversion, but 14-man New Zealand still went in leading 17-0 at half time and South Africa needing a dramatic turnaround in fortunes after the break if they were to reclaim the title they won on home soil in 2005.
The loss of their inspirational captain Gerrit van Velze at half time did not help South Africa’s cause, neither did a missed penalty by centre Stefan Watermeyer in the opening minutes of the second half.
Instead it was New Zealand that scored the first points of the second half, a wonderful dummied pass inside to Renata by hooker Dixon fooling the defence and allowing him to charge for the line, before slipping the pass inside to the supporting Renata to score.
Fighting to the finish
The full back converted his own score once more and the dominant Baby Blacks continued to attack at will, running the ball from deep in their own half with great potency and punching holes in the South African defence time and time again.
Their play was rewarded when Jackson Willison, the replacement for the injured Crotty, scythed through a gaping hole in the defence to score New Zealand’s fifth try after the pass from Renata, who converted to leave his side leading 31-0.
South Africa, though, refused to simply fold and finished strongly, Van Velze’s replacement Yaasir Hartzenberg using every ounce of his strength to power over the line after a break by Pietersen. Watermeyer then duly curled his conversion inside the posts.
Much of the final 10 minutes was spent in the New Zealand half with South African forwards battering the defence, but despite wave after wave of pressure, the Baby Blacks refused to allow their try line to be breached for a second time.
