After thirteen long years of chasing shadows on the global stage, the Junior Springboks have finally brought the crown home — and South Africa greeted them like conquering warriors returning from battle.
Touching down on home soil on Monday, the young Boks were met not with quiet applause, but a full-throated ovation — the kind reserved for those who have weathered warzones of mud, sweat and pride. It wasn’t just fans welcoming them back; it was a nation embracing the return of a long-lost dream. At the head of the welcoming party stood SA Rugby president, Mr Mark Alexander, who spoke not just as a figurehead but as a fan — and a father of the game.
This is a very proud day for rugby in South Africa, and I would like to congratulate Kevin and the team on an outstanding performance in the tournament.
This was no fluke. No flash in the pan. The Junior Boks didn’t tiptoe their way to the title — they stormed through Italy like a well-oiled scrum machine, dismantling everything in their path with tactical brilliance, raw power, and a flair that turned pressure into poetry.
Under the calm but sharp-eyed leadership of head coach Kevin Foote, these colts were forged into a hardened pack. They arrived in Rovigo not as favourites, but as dark horses with thunder in their hooves — and they left as champions.
The group have been welded into a formidable unit over the course of this year and many of them have the potential to go on to higher honours, I am sure.
And why wouldn’t they? They weren’t just winning; they were dismantling rugby royalty. They trampled Australia 73-12 like a herd of Springboks in full flight, galloped past England 32-22, and steamrolled Scotland 73-14 with clinical ruthlessness in the pool stages. The semi-final against Argentina? Another blitz — 48-24 — as if the young Boks were scripting a rugby opera, each try a crescendo.
When the final whistle blew in Rovigo after a tense 23-15 triumph over the Junior All Blacks, it was as though the ghosts of 2012 — when South Africa last tasted Under-20 glory in Cape Town — had finally been exorcised.
From the opening whistle of the final, South Africa’s intentions were as clear as a lineout throw in a gale: dominate early, dictate always. A third minute try by Xola Nyali sounded the battle horn, and Gilermo Mentoe’s five-pointer was the dagger. Vusi Moyo’s boot, a metronome of precision, slotted 13 points and ensured the Boks were never reeled in.
Moyo didn’t just score in the final — he painted the whole tournament green and gold, finishing as top points scorer with 63. Alongside him, Haashim Pead was a try-scoring machine on fire, dotting down six times — second only to Georgia’s Mikheili Shioshvili.
Their victory is a tribute to all the hard work done at high school level by educators and coaches, and at our provincial unions from whom these players are drawn. Appointing a head coach in Kevin, who has franchise experience, was also an important part of the progress this group have shown.
Indeed, this wasn’t just a win for the scoreboard — it was a win for the South African rugby pipeline. From muddy school pitches to provincial academies, this title was a harvest reaped from years of grassroots grit and passion. The backs who sidestepped fate. The forwards who shoved history backwards. The systems that moulded this team into gold.
Alexander was also quick to acknowledge the hands behind the curtain — the analysts, medics, conditioners and dreamers who turned potential into pedigree.
I would like to commend Kevin, his backroom team, and the High Performance Department at SA Rugby for what they have achieved in such a short space of time. I’d also like to thank our sponsors who have come on board to partner the Junior Boks and with whom we are delighted to share in their success.
As the Junior Boks re-enter the South African rugby bloodstream, many of them are already knocking on the doors of senior squads. And rightly so — they’ve danced with the haka, stared down the silver fern, and emerged not as boys, but men with medals.
The U20 crown, once a distant mirage shimmering on a far horizon, now rests proudly in South African hands. It’s more than just silverware. It’s a statement. A spark. A signal to the rugby world that the Springbok future is alive, electric — and most certainly green.
In the words of any grizzled old coach: form is temporary, but class is permanent. And this class of 2025? They may just be the golden generation.
