World Rugby U20 Championships: Junior Boks fall to Argentina; France beat New Zealand

The Junior Springboks faced disappointment as they fell short in a spirited comeback attempt against Argentina in the U20 Championship fifth-place semi-final held in Cape Town.

After trailing 24-10 at halftime, Argentina's U20 team managed to hold off a determined Junior Springboks side, securing a 34-24 victory on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

It was a challenging first half for the South African hosts, who conceded three tries to Los Pumitas, marking their second consecutive defeat to the Argentine team.

Despite the tough start, the Junior Boks showed resilience in the second half, particularly improving their performance in the scrum and outscoring Argentina 14-10.

Jurenzo Julius emerged as a standout player, scoring two tries during the match and almost setting up a third with an impressive line break from deep within his own half as the game neared its end.

With this loss, South Africa's U20 team now looks ahead to their final match in the tournament, where they will compete for seventh place against either Australia or Wales on Friday.

Sunday, 14 July

9th place semi-final: Italy 28-15 Spain

9th place semi-final: Georgia 40-36 Fiji

5th place semi-final: Argentina 34-24 Junior Springboks

5th place semi-final: Australia 36-29 Wales

Semi-final: England 31-20 Ireland

Semi-final: New Zealand 31-55 France

France crush New Zealand as England smother Ireland in semi-final

Loose forward Mathis Castro-Ferreira scored three tries as title-holders France crushed New Zealand 55-31 in Cape Town on Sunday to reach the World Rugby Under-20 Championship final.

In the final on July 19, France will face England who earlier beat Ireland 31-20.France scored seven tries in a scintillating performance with forwards Joe Quere Karaba and Charly Gambini,