South Africa Crowned JWC 2012 Champions

South Africa Crowned JWC 2012 Champions

Hosts South Africa have finally ended New Zealand’s dominance of the IRB Junior World Championship after second half tries from scrum half Vian van der Watt and centre Jan Serfontein secured a 22-16 win to the delight of a sold-out Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Friday.

The two sides, who had each had a rocky route to the final with defeats in the pool stages, were separated by just a point after an intense first half, three Handre Pollard penalties for South Africa against a Milford Keresoma try and penalty and conversion from Ihaia West.

New Zealand kept fighting to the finish to prevent the title slipping from their grasp but could only manage a solitary penalty from West, sparking wild celebrations from the South Africans as they became the first to win a world rugby title on home soil since the Springboks at Rugby World Cup 1995.