SA U18 needed just one afternoon to set a new benchmark for this fixture, putting 52 points past France U18 without reply in the second half at Hoërskool Durbanville on Friday. It’s the biggest winning margin SA U18 have posted in the opening round of the U18 International Series.
The scoreline undersells how error-strewn the opening exchanges were. SA U18 created chance after chance early on, only to spill possession in promising positions. France, direct and well organised, made them pay for the sloppiness without ever threatening to turn defence into control.
It took almost ten minutes for the deadlock to break. Fullback Lamla Mgedezi found the gap South Africa had been probing for, slicing through the French line for the game’s first try.
Number eight and captain Jacobus de Villiers followed, then right wing Anesu Kuzonyei crossed as well, with flyhalf Ethan van Biljon converting all three. France’s reply came through a Luani Suta try, leaving SA U18 ahead 21-7 at the break — a scoreline that flattered the visitors more than the balance of play suggested.
There was no such generosity after the restart. SA U18 scored five more tries without reply, turning a contest into a rout. Left wing Ncutu Kepe, loose forward Stefan van der Vyver, and outside backs Luke Boyle and Thabiso Simelane all crossed, before Mgedezi completed his brace to close out the scoring.
Context is what makes 52-7 significant. SA U18 beat France by 46-20 in the 2024 opening round and by 43-21 in 2025. Each year the margin has grown rather than narrowed, and Friday’s eight-try haul is the clearest signal yet of the depth running through South African schoolboy rugby.
The result extends an unbeaten run stretching back through 2024 and 2025, across France, Ireland and England. SA U18 have not lost a fixture in this series in three years.
“Three years, three France sides, three different margins — and each one bigger than the last. That’s not form, that’s a production line!” – 🎙️Jay
Earlier on Friday at the same venue, the SA U18 ‘A’ side needed a finish of their own, edging Ireland 32-31 after a late penalty goal from Travis Pheiffer sealed the win. It capped a winning day for South African rugby at Hoërskool Durbanville.
SA U18 return to action on Tuesday against Ireland at Boland Landbou in Wellington, with kickoff at 15h30. The SA U18 ‘A’ side face Georgia earlier in the day, and England meet France in the other second-round fixture.
Scorers:
SA U18 52 (21) – Tries: Lamla Mgedezi (2), Jacobus de Villiers, Anesu Kuzonyei, Ncutu Kepe, Stefan van der Vyver, Luke Boyle, Thabiso Simelane. Conversions: Ethan van Biljon (4), Achmat Behardien.
France U18 7 (7) – Try: Luani Suta. Conversion: Jehlani Trillo.
📸 Images via SA Rugby
