Strong second half sees SA U18 ‘A’ down Georgia

An improved second-half performance paved the way for a 20-0 victory for the SA Under-18 ‘A’ side over a determined Georgia team in their second-round match of the annual U18 International Series at Boland Landbou on Tuesday afternoon.

After struggling to adapt to the windy conditions in the first half, the South Africans delivered a much-improved performance after the break, adding two tries, a conversion and a penalty goal to their opening unconverted try to secure a comfortable win.

The two sides were involved in a fierce arm wrestle during the opening period, with both teams committing several handling errors as they battled to cope with the challenging conditions.

Drewyn Baron scored the only points of the first half when he finished off a promising move in the right-hand corner, giving the hosts a 5-0 lead at half-time.

Several personnel changes after the break helped spark the South Africans into life, with the home side producing a more controlled and effective display that yielded two further tries, and a long-range penalty from replacement playmaker Jaydon Viljoen, who made a significant impact off the bench.

Viljoen produced an inch-perfect crossfield kick for Ruan Genis to score out wide and added the conversion and penalty, while his assured distribution and game management provided further impetus to the SA attack.

The South Africans finished strong with Bernhardt Schulze crashing over from a free kick after the hooter to seal the deal.

Georgia fought bravely throughout but were unable to master the local conditions and ultimately had no answer to a South African side that recorded their second successive victory of the tournament, following their dramatic one-point win over Ireland in Friday’s opening-round encounter.

Score

SA U18 ‘A’ 20 (5) – Tries: Drewyn Baron, Ruan Genis, Bernhardt Schulze. Conversion: Jaydon Viljoen. Penalty: Viljoen.

Georgia 0