U-20 World Cup: New Zealand score 62 points in Japan but are eliminated

They knew that victory this Tuesday would not be enough. The New Zealanders were eliminated from the Under-20 World Cup despite their success in the river, 62 for 19 and 10 tries for three, while the Japanese were still very frantic and dominated on physical impact.

After a stunning draw between England and Australia (22-22) earlier in the day, it was known that New Zealand would win by no less than 66 points ahead of Japan in hopes of emerging as the second best in the competition and advancing to the semi-finals. Something they could not achieve, in front of the Japanese who did not let go to the end, despite their failures, as when they planted a test on the Seventy-fourth, by Nagashima.

Maka Springer, the Crusaders’ promising winger, split a hat-trick, including a fantastic sprint into the opposition defense, with his fire sticks. But it was a very difficult task for the New Zealanders, who left a contest they had never mastered before, from their miraculous victory over Wales on the first day to their massive defeat by the Blueberries.

The failure of the blacks smiles at the English

A new failure for the New Zealand generation after 2019. Then they finished seventh in the competition, where “mini-tournaments” are organized for all eliminated teams (a “mini-tournament” for teams ranked fifth to eighth and another for those ranked ninth to twelfth) and allowing the ranking of all of them, from the first to the twelfth.

England would therefore be the best team to finish second in their group and advance to the semi-finals, even before knowing the outcome of the last match of the day and group stage, South Africa and Argentina, in Group C (live on L’Equipe).

Indeed, the English have ten points and can only be surpassed in this ranking of best second by Argentina (5 points) or South Africa (5 points). But if one of those two teams were to score 5 points this evening (offensive bonus win), they would immediately move to first place in their group, Georgia II, with 9 points. Therefore, the result of the night is not threatened by England.