World Rugby U20 Championship: South Africa 12-31 Ireland – Irish to face England or France in final
![World Rugby U20 Championship: South Africa 12-31 Ireland – Irish to face England or France in final](https://www.dailysportsmint.com/uploads/images/202307/image_870x_64abd537b313e.jpg)
Ireland booked their place in the final of the World Rugby U20 Championship with a convincing victory over South Africa in Verona on Wednesday.
The Irish were dominant from start to finish, scoring four tries to two in a 31-12 win.
Ireland's tries came from Harry Byrne, Ben Brownlee, Alex Kendellen and Cian Prendergast, while South Africa's tries came from Cameron Hanekom and James Mollentze.
Byrne was also the star of the show with the boot, kicking 13 points.
The win means that Ireland will face either England or France in the final on Saturday.
England and France will meet in the second semi-final on Thursday.
Ireland's Dominant Display
Ireland were in control from the start of the match, and they took the lead through Byrne's penalty in the fifth minute.
The Irish continued to press, and they doubled their lead in the 15th minute when Byrne converted Brownlee's try.
South Africa responded with a try from Hanekom in the 20th minute, but Ireland scored two more tries before half-time to take a 22-7 lead.
Kendellen scored the first of those tries in the 25th minute, and Prendergast scored the second in the 35th minute.
South Africa scored their second try in the 46th minute through Mollentze, but Ireland responded with a try from Byrne in the 55th minute.
Byrne converted his own try to extend Ireland's lead to 31-12.
The Irish then held on for a comfortable victory.
Ireland's Path to the Final
Ireland have been one of the most impressive teams in the tournament so far.
They have won all four of their matches, scoring 105 points and conceding just 27 points.
Their first match was a 45-12 win over Japan, followed by a 50-19 win over Uruguay.
They then beat Argentina 30-12 in the quarterfinals.
England or France in the Final
Ireland will face either England or France in the final.
England and France are two of the most powerful teams in the world, and they are both capable of winning the tournament.
The match between England and France will be a close contest, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
The Final
The final will be played on Saturday at the Stadio Monigo in Treviso.
The match will kick off at 1pm local time (12pm GMT).
The winner of the final will be crowned the World Rugby U20 Championship champions.