Semi-finals are supposed to be cagey affairs, sides playing the occasion as much as the opposition. Nobody told Tbilisi that on Monday.
France squeezed past New Zealand 26-22 and South Africa blitzed England 53-37 as the World Rugby Junior World Championship 2026 delivered two semi-finals stuffed with red cards, comebacks and a match-winner in the 76th minute. According to World Rugby and RugbyPass, both results confirmed the final line-up for this weekend’s showpiece in Georgia: France against South Africa, two of the tournament’s traditional heavyweights, going head-to-head for the title. For a site that has followed this age group from the group stage through to the semi-finals, watching France’s meeting with the Baby Blacks and South Africa’s semi-final against England go this way felt like the tournament finally delivering on its promise.
Yet, looking past the two scorelines, both semi-finals turned on the same theme: discipline, and which side coped better without it.
France End New Zealand’s Interest With A 76th-Minute Sting
New Zealand made the perfect start through Ethan Webber’s seventh-minute try from a driving lineout, converted by Cohen Norrie, but prop Matheo Frisach rolled a maul over for France to level matters by the 20th minute, Luka Keletaona adding the extras. Replacement Finn McLeod restored New Zealand’s lead in the second half before a yellow card for flanker Caleb Woodley let France back in through Elia Masi in the 61st minute. Mika Muliaina’s penalty edged New Zealand back ahead with eight minutes left, but Adrien Drault had the final word, scampering clear to score the winning try in the 76th minute and send France through to a fourth Junior World Championship final appearance.
Junior Boks Blitz Leaves England To Rue A Red Card
England looked the better side for long spells in Tbilisi, Ollie Streeter and Hugh Shields tries putting them 20-12 up at half-time despite playing the last stretch of the first half with 14 men after Seb Kelly was sent off for a headbutt. South Africa made the extra man count in the second half, according to RugbyPass, with Khuthadzo Rasivhaga completing a hat-trick and Kebotile Maake scoring twice as the Junior Boks piled on 28 unanswered points either side of England’s resistance to win 53-37. It is the kind of ruthless finish South Africa’s underage sides have built a reputation on, and it sets up a final against a France side they know well from previous age-grade meetings.
Both results also keep this year’s tournament firmly on the site’s radar after a group stage that included France’s pool decider with Australia, a reminder of how deep this year’s squad runs even before the knockout stage began.
South Africa go into the final as defending champions, according to World Rugby, and will start favourites on the balance of Monday’s second-half performance alone. France, though, have shown twice in Georgia now – first against Australia in the pool stage, now against New Zealand – that they are comfortable finding a way to win when a match is tight in the closing minutes. The final is scheduled for Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi on 18 July, and on this evidence neither side will let the other settle into a rhythm.
