The defending Junior Springboks will meet France in the World Rugby Junior World Championship final on Saturday after overturning an eight-point half-time deficit to beat England 53-37 in the semifinal at Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi on Tuesday evening. Winger Khuthadzo Rasivhaga scored a hat-trick and flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed contributed 23 points as South Africa ran in five second-half tries to blow England away.
The defending champions now turn to France at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi, kick-off 18h30 local time on Saturday. The win was South Africa’s 10th successive Junior World Championship victory. It also came at a cost: starting fullback Luan Giliomee, who had a hand in several second-half tries, received a yellow card for an aerial challenge late in the match that was upgraded to a 20-minute red and could rule him out of the title decider.
How the Half-Time Hole Became a 16-Point Win
The Junior Springboks arrived in Tbilisi as defending champions and with a perfect pool record, but the semifinal began in stuttering fashion. England tighthead prop Ollie Streeter crashed over from a driving maul in the fourth minute, and flyhalf Hugh Shields added the conversion and a penalty to push England into an early lead. The Junior Boks hit back when Ahmed burrowed over from close range and converted, but Shields then scored and converted England’s second try to open up a 17-7 lead after half an hour.
Then came the flashpoint. England flanker Seb Kelly was shown a permanent red card in the 32nd minute for a headbutt on Giliomee, swinging the numerical balance in South Africa’s favour. Even so, the Junior Boks went into the break 12-20 down, having coughed up handling errors, wrong options and a penalty kicked dead in a first 40 minutes that coach Kevin Foote would have wanted back. Harsh words at the break did the trick.
The second half read like a different contest. South Africa scored four tries without reply in the first 13 minutes after the restart, with Rasivhaga, Maake (twice) and Rasivhaga again crossing the whitewash inside the same window. England got one back through Jonny Weimann, but flanker Luke Cannon’s converted try pushed the Junior Boks further ahead before Ahmed’s second penalty made it a 21-point game with ten minutes to go. England captain Connor Treacey’s side grabbed a late Shields try at the death, but the Junior Boks had long since done what they had to. The full scorers’ log sits below, drawn from the Junior Boks’ semifinal fightback to reach the JWC final and the 2026 Junior World Championship brackets and pool results.
| Junior Springboks (53) | England U20 (37) |
|---|---|
| Half-time: 12 | Half-time: 20 |
| Tries: Ahmed 12′; Rasivhaga 34′, 42′, 53′; Maake 48′, 50′; Cannon 59′ | Tries: Streeter 4′; Shields 30′, 79′; Weimann 55′; Williams 65′ |
| Conversions: Ahmed 13′, 43′, 48′, 51′, 54′, 60′ (6 of 7) | Conversions: Shields 5′, 31′, 66′ (3 of 5) |
| Penalty goals: Ahmed 62′, 69′ (2 of 2) | Penalty goals: Shields 18′, 40′ (2 of 2) |
| Cards: Giliomee 64′ (yellow upgraded to 20-minute red) | Cards: Kelly 32′ (permanent red) |
Rasivhaga’s Hat-Trick and Ahmed’s 23-Point Night
Rasivhaga’s three-try haul turned the semifinal from tight to one-sided. His first try, a 34th-minute corner finish, came off a pinpoint cross-kick by Ahmed after South Africa worked the phases on the English tryline in the wake of Kelly’s red card. His second arrived within two minutes of the restart, finished off at the end of a length-of-the-field counter that Giliomee started with a half-break.
Three minutes later, openside flanker Kebotile Maake crossed twice in two minutes, both finished off by Giliomee offloads as the South Africans ran the ragged-looking English defence around. Rasivhaga completed his hat-trick in the 53rd minute with a brilliant finish in the corner, his third try opening a 20-point lead inside the first 13 minutes of the second half. Ahmed converted all three of those tries to take South Africa from 20-12 behind to 40-20 ahead. The winger’s three scores were paired with six of seven conversions and two penalty goals, giving Ahmed 23 points on the night. It was a step-change in momentum that left England’s bench scrambling to reorganise the defensive line.
Ahmed’s all-round performance caught the eye in the SARugbyMag write-up of the semifinal, which credited him with 23 points. That tally was the single biggest individual return from either side in Tbilisi on Tuesday, and it moved the flyhalf to the front of the Junior Boks’ goalkicking charts for the tournament.
Captain Siphosethu Mnebelele, speaking in the mixed zone after the semifinal, struck a note of measured pride ahead of Saturday’s final.
England gave us a tough time in the first half and it was the same in the second half, but we managed to keep calm and get the win. We know how well-coached France are and it’s a final, so we’ll work really hard on our preparations.
Two Red Cards and the Discipline Question for the Final
The win came at a cost that may matter more than the scoreline. Giliomee had been at the heart of the second-half demolition, providing the offloads that set up both of Maake’s tries and the half-break that created Rasivhaga’s second. Late in the match, with the Junior Boks in command, he received a yellow card for an aerial challenge on opposite number George Pearson. That card was upgraded to a 20-minute red after review, leaving South Africa to play the final stretch a man down. Williams scored England’s fourth try, but Ahmed made it a 21-point game with his second penalty goal, with ten minutes to go.
England, for their part, had lost flanker Seb Kelly to a permanent red card in the 32nd minute for a headbutt on Giliomee, leaving them a man short for the rest of the match. Junior Boks coach Kevin Foote’s most pressing decision for Saturday’s title decider is whether Giliomee is available to start. The SA Rugby match report noted Giliomee “will also rue a silly moment” of the kind that could rule him out of the final. England head to Saturday’s third-place play-off against New Zealand, who lost 22-26 to France in the earlier semifinal at Avchala Stadium.
France Await at Mikheil Meskhi on Saturday
France booked their place in the final with a 26-22 win over New Zealand in the first semifinal, a result settled by Adrien Drault’s 76th-minute try after Les Bleuets had trailed for long stretches. It was the sixth Junior World Championship semifinal between France and New Zealand, per a tournament write-up covering both semifinals, with France’s narrow win extending their lead in the fixture. Captain Lucas Andjisseramatchi said his side “always stayed together,” and the squad now turns its attention to Mikheil Meskhi Stadium. Both teams will kick off at 18h30 local time on Saturday evening in the first South Africa-France JWC final.
France have won the title in 2018, 2019 and 2023, according to the Wikipedia tournament record. South Africa are defending champions after their 2025 win in Italy. The Tuesday result was South Africa’s 10th successive Junior World Championship victory. The 2026 edition is the second held in Georgia, after the 2017 tournament was also hosted in Tbilisi and Kutaisi.
Mnebelele’s response on the Junior Boks’ bench after the semifinal captured the task ahead. “We know how well-coached France are and it’s a final, so we’ll work really hard on our preparations,” he said. Avchala Stadium, the 3,500-capacity venue in Tbilisi, hosted both of Tuesday’s semifinals before the title decider shifts across the city to Mikheil Meskhi, the 22,754-seat national stadium. More rugby action from Georgia’s hosting run shows the country is staging regular senior international fixtures alongside age-grade tournaments.
Key numbers from Tuesday’s semifinal
- South Africa’s 10th successive Junior World Championship victory
- Ahmed’s 23 points from one try, six conversions and two penalty goals
- Rasivhaga’s hat-trick, all three tries scored after the 34th minute
- Five South Africa tries scored between the 42nd and 59th minutes
- Avchala Stadium capacity 3,500; Mikheil Meskhi Stadium capacity 22,754
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Junior World Championship 2026 final and where?
The Junior World Championship 2026 final between South Africa and France is scheduled for Saturday at 18h30 local time at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi, per the South Africa Rugby match report. The 22,754-seat national stadium is hosting both the third-place play-off and the title decider.
What was the score in the South Africa v England semifinal?
South Africa beat England 53-37 at Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi, scoring seven tries to five. The Junior Springboks trailed 12-20 at half-time before four unanswered tries in the opening 13 minutes of the second half turned the game, with a fifth converted try pushing the lead past 20 points.
Who starred for the Junior Springboks in the semifinal?
Winger Khuthadzo Rasivhaga scored a hat-trick and flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed contributed 23 points through one try, six conversions and two penalty goals. Openside flanker Kebotile Maake added two tries and Luke Cannon one, with captain Siphosethu Mnebelele directing the second-half comeback.
What happened with the red cards in the semifinal?
England flanker Seb Kelly received a permanent red card in the 32nd minute for a headbutt on Luan Giliomee. Junior Boks fullback Giliomee was later shown a yellow card for an aerial challenge on George Pearson that was upgraded to a 20-minute red, raising doubts over his availability for the final.
Is this the Junior Boks’ first JWC final since 2025?
The Junior Springboks are defending the title they won in 2025 in Italy. The win over England was their 10th successive Junior World Championship victory, and it sets up a first Junior World Championship final between South Africa and France.
