FIRA U19 World Cup – New Zealand Streets Ahead

02/04/02. New Zealand completed their FIRA U19 World Cup programme as impressively as they began, with a 71-18 thumping of France in Treviso at the weekend.

South Africa, who had been beaten 41-9 by New Zealand in the semi final, defeated Argentina in the play-off for third place.

All Black coach Aussie MacLean was proud of his team’s performances, both in the final and throughout the competition: “They improved as the tournament went on and they are even better than I thought they would be.”

The final day’s results in Group A were:
New Zealand 71-18 France. South Africa 55-19 Argentina. Scotland 17-10 England. Wales 19-15 Italy. Ireland 34-12 Georgia. Russia 23-16 Romania. Japan 26-22 Korea. Uruguay 15-16 Chile.

Final U19 Ranking: 1. New Zealand.
2. France.
3. South Africa.
4. Argentina.
5. Scotland.
6. England.
7. Wales.
8. Italy.
9. Ireland.
10. Georgia.
11. Russia.
12. Romania.
13. Japan.
14. Korea.
15. Uruguay.
16. Chile