England U20 player ratings vs Junior Springboks | World Rugby U20 Championship

England U20 player ratings: England’s defence of their World Rugby U20 Championship title is on a knife-edge after they went down to a 32-22 defeat to the Junior Springboks in Rovigo on Friday.

England now move on to Verona for their final Pool A fixture against Australia, on Wednesday, 9 July, knowing they face an uphill battle to qualify for the semi-finals.

Here’s how we rated the players:

15 Josh Bellamy – 7
Put some early indecision behind him to produce some classy moments, including a clearance kick that went from one 22 to the other. Looks to have so much time on the ball and contributed hugely to England’s attacking game, including a pass in the build-up to the game’s first try, and an electric break in the final quarter. However, he was stepped and gassed a couple of times, leading to tries for Cheswill Jooste and Haashim Pead, and missed more tackles than any other player (four). Limped off with 12 minutes to go.

14 Ben Redshaw (cc) – 6
Marked down because he was only on the pitch for less than a half. But he caught the eye in the 37 minutes he did manage, including a strong run down the middle, which led to Weimann going over for the opening try of the match.

13 Nick Lilley – 6
Solid enough, but was unable to match his opposite number for impact.

12 Nic Allison – 6.5
Distributed well in the teeth of the opposition, picking out big ball carriers with some well-timed passes, but was unable to get the connection going with his Exeter midfield partner.

11 Jack Bracken – 8
Another good game after his two-try showing against Scotland. Reacted fastest to score an opportunistic try in the first half after an ill-advised South African pass had gone to ground and was always a threat when running with the ball in hand. Also made an important cover tackle to deny South Africa an early try, showing he has the appetite to defend as well as score tries.

10 Ben Coen – 6
England’s little general facilitated some good passages of attacking play but he was exposed defensively at times and won’t be happy at missing three tackles. Also wore a big tackle right at the death. Kicked two out of three.

9 Jonny Weimann – 6
Ran a very good support line for the game’s first try. Solid box kicking game, but was unable to produce much in the way of breaks.

1 Ralph McEachran – 6
Showed some nice touches with the ball in hand, including an assist for Treacy’s try. But struggled with a shoulder injury in the second half and wasn’t able to exert the same influence at scrum time as he did in the first.

2 Kepu Tuipulotu – 6.5
Soft hands created the opening try of the game, and he was his usual destructive best in the tackle and over the ball. Blotted his copybook by coughing up a couple of lineout throws in the second half.

3 Vilikesa Sela – 6
Decent at the scrum and in the tight exchanges, but mistakes crept in as he seemed to tire.

4 Olamide Sodeke – 5
Wasn’t able to reach the levels of Junior Kpoku, who wore the No.4 jersey vs Scotland in round one. Tried to be a nuisance at the maul but gave away three penalties in the first half and was also guilty of losing the ball in contact.

5 Tom Burrow (cc) – 6
Made a couple of important last-ditch tackles just when the Junior Springboks’ jet-heeled backs threatened to run riot towards the end of the first half but was unable to provide the leadership England needed as the momentum of the game went against them in the second half.

6 Connor Treacey – 8
Excellent display after stepping in for his suspended Bath teammate, George Timmins. He was in the right time and place for his try and was heavily involved in all facets of the game. Gave England a good lineout option.

7 Samuel Williams – 7
An industrious all-round performance. Won two turnovers on the deck and was England’s top tackler (nine) when he left the field approaching the hour mark.

8 Kane James – 5
Unable to back up a terrific display against Scotland. Always a willing carrier and tackler, but his hands let him down at times. A scrappy performance.

Replacements:

16 Alfie Longstaff – N/A
Made an immediate impact by collecting overthrown South African lineout when coming on for his debut with three minutes to go.

17 Oli Scola – 6
Early shove cost England a good attacking platform in the South African 22.

18 Tye Raymont – 6
Dropped a pass and was held up over the line in a frustrating cameo.

19 Junior Kpoku – 7
Big presence in the 20 minutes or so he was on the field, but was unable to change the course of the game.

20 Aiden Ainsworth-Cave – 7
Got just over 20 minutes and announced his arrival with a huge hit on Jacobus Grobbelaar.

21 Archie McParland – 6
Negligible impact in the half hour he had on the pitch.

22 Campbell Ridl – 6
Came on with 10 to go and didn’t have enough time to stamp his mark on proceedings.

23 Noah Caluori – 7
Big unit who did well in the few opportunities he had after coming on for his debut just before half-time.