Wales piled on 20 points in a determined second half fightback to secure an inspiring 33-21 victory over South Africa in their Division A clash at Dubai Exiles Rugby Club. Hooker Kenneth Owens was the star of the show, scoring two crucial tries in the second half to help cement the hard-fought win.
Down 18-13 at the break, Wales fell even further behind when South African captain Francois Steyn potted a penalty goal five minutes into the second term, but five minutes later the bullocking Owens scored the first of his two tries, powering over following relentless pressure on the South African line.
Rhys Priestland’s conversion put Wales within one point of last year’s IRB Under 19 World Champions, and they continued to probe only to find scrambling South African defence spoiling their attacking flair at the final moment. Wales were finally rewarded and a penalty in front of the posts was a gift to Priestland who made no mistake and put his team ahead 23-21.
South Africa continued to rally and looked dangerous when they threw the ball around but found a rock solid Welsh defence every time. Owens’s second try came in the 60th minute and ensured Wales had a vice-like grip on the game. A try to replacement Lou Reed in the shadows of full-time completed the five-star Welsh performance.
“I really thought the game was gone from us,” said Wales coach Justin Burnell. “We were very tired and very flat in the first half, but we had a good look at ourselves in the second half and it paid off in the end.”
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Wales captain Bradley Davies added: “The second half we really kept it tight and gave it a good crack. There have been some tough times during this tournament but we have stuck together.”
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Wales
Rhys Jones Pen 1 mins
Daniel Franks Try 22 mins
Rhys Jones Con 23 mins
Rhys Jones Pen 35 mins
Second Half
Kenneth Owens Try 10 mins
Rhys Priestland Con 11 mins
Rhys Priestland Pen 23 mins
Kenneth Owens Try 25 mins
Lou Reed Try 33 mins
South Africa
Francois Steyn (C) Pen 5 mins
Francois Steyn (C) Try 11 mins
Andre Smith Try 27 mins
Francois Steyn (C) Con 27 mins
Francois Steyn (C) Pen 32 mins
Second half
Francois Steyn (C) Pen 5 mins
