In Stellenbosch the Baby Boks (South Africa’s Under-20s team) had to work hard for their 31-24 victory over the Varsity Cup Dream Team in front of an electric crowd on the weekend.
After the conclusion of the Varsity Cup, won by the University of Free State (Shimlas), a dream team was selected from the best participating students.
They came up against a South African Under-20s side that is busy preparing for the Under-20 Rugby World Cup.
The Baby Boks trailed 12-10 at half-time but an impressive second half performance saw them grind out a hard fought victory over a plucky and spirited Dream Team.
The Dream Team were dominant in the opening minutes of the game and enjoyed the majority of possession as they pinned the Baby Boks side inside their 22 thanks to some hard work from the massive pack of forwards.
The flyhalf for the Dream Team, Innocent Radebe, proved to be a handful as he controlled the game like a seasoned professional, with assistance from an excellent pack. Radebe was the only player picked for the Dream Team from the Varsity Shield competition, which is the comp below the Varsity Cup. The team that comes last in the Varsity Cup is relegated, while the winner of the Varsity Shield is promoted.
The first points of the match came in the 22nd minute when the Dream Team was awarded a penalty try after Dan du Preez collapsed a rolling maul from a five-metre lineout. Radebe duly popped over the conversion to hand the Dream Team a 7-0 lead.
It took the Baby Boks all of 37 minutes to register their first points of the match as Daniel du Plessis rounded off a well-executed backline counter-attack to score under the poles. Ernst Stapelberg added the extra points to level matters at 7-7.
Their joy was short-lived, though, as Rhyno Smith proved why he was voted the ‘Player That Rocks’ in the Varsity Cup when he showed a clean pair of heels to score in the left corner after receiving an exceptional pass from John-Roy Jenkinson.
The Baby Boks would have the last laugh of the first half, however, as Stapelberg slotted over an easy conversion after the Dream Team were caught in an offside position. The Dream Team led 12-10 at the half-time interval.
The Baby Boks came out firing in the second half and got immediate reward when a maul from a five metre lineout worked its magic to allow Jan van der Merwe to grab their second try of the match and also the lead. Stapelberg extended the advantage to 18-12 when he kicked an easy penalty after the Dream Team gave away a needless penalty in front of the uprights in the 48th minute.
Dillon Smit showed his attacking capabilities and finishing prowess when he punished the Baby Boks in the 60th minute by displaying some nifty footwork to grab the Dream Team’s third try of the match. Smith added the extra points to help the Dream Team regain the lead, only by a solitary point though.
The Baby Boks were back in the lead in the 65th minute when Abongile Nonkontwana sprinted his way to the try line, only for Dayan van der Westhuizen to stop him with the use of a high tackle as the try line beckoned. A penalty try and yellow card for van der Westhuizen was awarded with Brandon Thomson adding the extra points for a 25-19 lead.
The Dream Team went on the attack from the restart and the 14-men tasted success in the sixth minute when Elandre Hugget grabbed their fourth try of the match, benefitting from a well-executed maul from a five-metre lineout to reduce the deficit to 24-25.
The intensity of the match remained high as the Baby Boks went in search of more points and found three in the 73rd minute through the boot of Thomson, who punished the Dream Team for repeated infringements inside their 22.
Thomson closed out the game with a 75th minute penalty to hand the Baby Boks a hard fought 31-24 victory. This was a great match and great preparation for the Baby Boks for the upcoming Under-20 Rugby World Cup.
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