South Africa u18s’ set-piece mastery too much for France
“We are South Africans. We pride ourselves on strong scrums and driving mauls,” declared Man of the Match Gert Kemp after a dominant set-piece display from the South Africa u18 side in a 43-21 victory over France.
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The youngsters in green delivered a commanding performance in their International Series opener at Hoërskool Durbanville, on Friday.
Kemp, speaking after the match, was quick to credit the rest of the pack for their imposing work in the scrums and lineouts.
He produced the kind of tireless performance to which schools’ rugby supporters across South Africa have grown accustomed.
The emphatic 22-point win was, in truth, forged by the power of the forwards. From the opening minutes, when a driving-maul try made clear the hosts’ intentions, South Africa never wavered from their plan. Their lineout dominance was matched, and perhaps surpassed, by a thunderous performance in the scrums.
In the lineouts, the South African jumpers, lock AJ Meyer and flank Josh Neill, thrived on the precision of hooker Altus Rabie, whose exceptional throwing repeatedly set the platform for rolling mauls. From these, Chinedu Amadi profited handsomely, crossing twice for five-pointers.
In the backline, the powerful Ethan Adams provided good continuity and go-forward ball with his bullocking runs, which surely left some sore bodies in the French defensive line.
It was not, however, a flawless display from the home team. France was able to expose gaps in the South African defence, particularly out wide, in the early and closing stages of the match.
French lock Christian Mendes Tani’s industrious outing was rewarded with two tries, while replacement 8th-man Lilian Baret dived over for the visitors’ first points.
In the second half, the French looked far sharper, and they’ll aim to build on the progress they made in that second stanza in their two remaining fixtures of the tour.
Scorers:
South Africa u18 43 (31) – Tries: Chinedu Amadi (2), Gert Kemp, Markus Muller, Junaide Stuart, Jacobus de Villiers. Conversions: Liyema Nela (4), Ruben Groenewald. Penalty: Nela.
France u18 21 (0) – Tries: Christian Mendes Tani (2), Lilian Baret. Conversions: Valentin Bouju (2), Timeo Gillouin Lemaire.
