Riley Norton praised the Junior Springboks’ heroic defensive effort after his team’s 32-22 win against England at the World Rugby U20 Championship on Friday.
South Africa fought back from 14-0 down after 10 minutes to record a bonus-point win that took them to the top of Pool A with 10 points.
The Junior Boks had annihilated Australia 73-17 in their first match last Sunday and now face winless Scotland on Wednesday.
RECAP: Gutsy Junior Boks overhaul England
“It feels unbelievable. I’m lost for words,” said Norton. “The whole time we were down, but we knew we had 80 minutes and we backed the game plan.”
The Junior Boks showed immense character in the final 10 minutes after going a man down due to a yellow card for centre Gino Cupido.
“Unbelievable push from the boys at the end there – unbelievable defence. I’m just really proud to wear a South African jersey today,” Norton added.
“We’ve been talking about it all week. It’s been 13 years since we won the U20 Championship. We worked hard, we knew we had it in us.
“Our goal is to give absolutely everything for 80 minutes. If we give everything and still come second best, that’s OK – we can look ourselves in the mirror and be proud. But I think if you give everything, like we did today, rugby will reward you.”
Meanwhile, coach Kevin Foote said the Junior Boks would not underestimate Scotland, who were hammered 56-19 by England before losing 34-24 to Australia.
“We’ll take a lot of confidence from this victory, but Scotland are a good side. They ran England close in the Six Nations, and we certainly will not underestimate any team ever – we’ll keep our feet on the ground and focus on the next job.”
Photo: World Rugby
