One point was enough for New Zealand to win the World Cup at Auckland’s Eden Park in 2011 and so it was for England to retain the junior crown. They overcame a series of early mistakes to get on top of imposing and robust opponents who had twice defeated the host nation on their way to the final.
England, playing in front of the senior national management team who had made the 90-minute trip from Hamilton, which will stage the last of three Tests against the All Blacks on Saturday, took charge of the game with 18 points in 15 minutes either side of the interval, but they were hanging on in the final quarter, fortunate that for the second time in the match Handre Pollard was less than a metre wide with a drop goal attempt.
England played with the adventure and risk that the senior side have in New Zealand this month – and it nearly cost them, with South Africa’s two tries, both scored by the centre Jesse Kriel, coming from knock-ons by the prop Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi, whose powerful scrummaging at least helped offset England’s failings in the lineout.
South Africa were threatening when they went wide, where the full-back Warrick Gelant, who provided one of the moments of the match when he shaped up to pass inside only to slip the ball to Sergeal Petersen on the wing, stood out, but England also had a cutting edge through the centre Nick Tompkins and the wing Nathan Earle.
The two combined for England’s opening try on 39 minutes after an early exchange of penalties between Pollard and Billy Burns had been followed by Kriel’s first try and a penalty kicked by Aaron Morris from five metres inside his own half.
South Africa looked like taking their 10-6 lead into the interval when Tompkins made an outside break that took out three defenders and left Earle, who was playing despite sore ribs, the space to score in the corner and give his side a lead they were not to lose.
England’s second try was more traditional. They had struggled in the lineout where JD Schickerling had claimed three of Tom Woolstencroft’s throws, but two minutes after the holders had messed up an attacking lineout, they went for the drive and the replacement flanker Joel Conlon was helped over the line for a try that gave his side the cushion of an eight-point lead.
Burns, the younger brother of the England outside-half Freddie, who happened to be watching from the stands, and Pollard, who was later named the International Rugby Board’s junior player of the year, traded penalties. South Africa, despite Kriel’s second try that exploited Earle’s discomfort, made too many handling mistakes to sustain pressure and England held on to both their lead and the trophy.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said the England captain, Maro Itoje.“This has been a fantastic tournament for us. Our boys have worked so hard and we got our just deserts, thank God.”
Burns added: “It was nail-biting at the end, but we deserved the victory. It is a massive achievement for everyone in the squad and a reward for all the hard work that has been put in. To win the trophy for the second year in a row is really satisfying.”
England Morris; Packman, Tompkins, Sloan, Earle; Burns, Taylor; Hobbs-Awoyemi (Lundberg, 69), Woolstencroft (Walker, 60), Hill, Itoje (capt), Ewels, Moriarty, Jones (Conlon, ht), Chisholm.
Tries Earle, Conlon. Con Burns. Pens: Burns 2, Morris.
South Africa Gelant; D Kriel, J Kriel, Esterhuizen (van der Merwe, 52), Petersen; Pollard (capt), JP Smith; du Toit (Schoeman, 61), Els (Dweba, 48), van der Westhuizen (Louw, 46), Schickerling, van Rensburg, Vermeulen (du Preez, 46), Brink, Davis.
Tries J Kriel 2. Cons Pollard 2. Pens: Pollard 2.
Ref B O’Keefe (New Zealand)
