JWC Semi Finals Highlights

Yesterday saw two amazing games of Junior World Cup Rugby, first up is Wales' unbelievable defeat of reigning champions the Baby Boks. Wales were behind in the whole game before launching a last minute attack to steal the game with a stunning try. Look out for Scarlets full back Jordan Williams who had a stunning game and looks sure to be able to earn full international honours.

The second of the semi finals in Vannes saw England U20's dominate the Baby Blacks putting the favourites out of the competition. As we mentioned in our preview of the game England needed a massive performance and a number of men to stand up. It is fair to say they really did, Captain Clifford has a stormer with Luke Cowan-Dickie causing mayhem all day.

Thanks to the IRB YouTube channel for the videos.

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News of The Day

JWC semi final captains line up for a photoshoot

Lions Tamed By Brumbies

Early this morning a second string Lions team were defeated 14-12 by an inspired Brumbies team led by full back Jesse Mogg. The Lions were left tryless after being embarrassed  by a provincial side led by former South Africa coach Jake White.

Read the full Rugby Review Report here

Wales U20's Strike Late To Defeat Baby Boks

In a stunning match this evening Wales' future stars scored a stunning late try through wing Ashley Evans to defeat reigning Junior World Cup champions South Africa by 18 points to 17. Jordan Williams the Wales full back has emerged as the star of this match out shining the dangerous South Africa wing Seabelo Senatla.

Highlights of Wales' triumph can be found here

Baby Blacks Defeated By Outstanding England U20's 

Following Wales' stunning performance against South Africa, fellow Northern Hemisphere juniors England were not to be outdone securing their place in the Junior World Cup final by defeating New Zealand by 33 points to 21. This win sets up an all Northern Hemisphere final with tries from Anthony Watson, Ross Moriarty and a forward pushover giving England a famous win. England will face Wales on Sunday to play it out for the worlds best junior side.

Highlights of England's match can be found here

Wentzel Leaves Wasps To Return Home

Today also saw an announcement from London Wasps, that talismanic captain Marco Wentzel is returning home to his native South Africa for 'family reasons'. Wentzel has played 51 times for the London side over the last two seasons bringing stability to a Wasps side that was almost relegated in the 2011/12 season. The Adams Park based club will be sure to miss this line out leader who brought so much to the club.

View London Wasps' full statement here 

Battling Brumbies Tame The Lions - ACT Brumbies 14-12 Lions

Brumbies full back Jesse Mogg deserving of his Man of the Match Award

The ACT Brumbies inflicted the first tour defeat of the Lions today with Jesse Mogg dominating a game which was disappointing for the Lions from the first minute. A lack of real gain line breakers, a faltering line out and make shift back line left the Lions vulnerable and the partnership of Matt Toomua and Jesse Mogg executed a classic Jake White game plan with a kick and chase game with rush defence that left the Lions wounded after a disappointing evening Down Under.

The match started with early pressure coming from the Lions. A well worked line out move in the first minute saw  Ben Youngs and Richie Gray combining to launch debutant Christian Wade into the 22 before Shane Williams was pushed into touch just metres from the try line, denying the returning Lion from a dream start.

The lineout attack really represented the best move of the half for the Lions, having cleared their lines the Brumbies were able to disrupt the Lions line out and regain the ball on the half way line. From the resulting attack Number 8 and Brumbies captain Peter Kimlin grubbered the  ball down into the Lions 22. A poor clearance kick from Ben Youngs straight to danger man Jesse Moggg enabled the full back to launch a counter attack, slinging a pass off his right hand to Tom Smith who exchanged a pass with outside centre Kurindrani enabling the former Fiji junior international player to bust two tackles and score in the corner. A missed conversion enabled the Brumbies to lead by five points to nil.

The half then descended into somewhat of a kicking battle littered with mistakes from the Lions at the lineout, Rory Best throwing was having an off day losing 3 line outs in the first half. Mogg and Toomua looked to gain territory against Kearney and Hogg in a dull first half with little running attack from either side. After a missed penalty from Hogg and two missed penalties from the Brumbies, Mogg smashed over a long range kick on the stroke of a half time and looked to have put the Brumbies 8 points to nil up going into the break. But a good take from the restart from wing Christian Wade allowed the Lions to launch a gallant attack earning a penalty that Stuart Hogg dutifully put over the posts making the score 8 points to 3 in the favour of the Brumbies at half time.

The second half started in the same vain as the first with Rory Best throwing not straight at another lineout, to the obvious disgust of team mate Ben Youngs. A counter attack from the Lions saw them earning another penalty with try scorer Kurindrani stopping Christian Wade's gliding run down the right flank, but yet again the line out faltered with Kimlin stealing another ball of Best.

A series of penalties then allowed Jesse Mogg to stretch the Brumbies lead putting another penalty over early in the second half. From that point on the Brumbies organisation and mental edge became clear. Mogg pinned the Lions back in their own half and the lack of genuine gain line breakers left the Lions marauding around the half way line in attack, moving from side to side with no real gains. The continually impressive Mogg again knocked a long range penalty over after 53 minutes putting the score at 14-3 leaving the Lions vulnerable to one more score.

A Stuart Hogg penalty brought the Lions back in the game and the Lions put 7 subs onto the field to leaving Simon Zebo on the bench to regain some kind of structure in their game in the 57th minute. The changes allowed the Lions to regain some possession and territory with Owen Farrell, replacing Stuart Hogg at fly half, knocking over another penalty.

But  penalties at the breakdown compounded the Lions game with any attacking metres gained instantly lost with the Brumbies able to ease pressure by booting the ball back into the Lions half.

A massive kick down field from Kearney from his own 22 after 70 minutes and a Richie Gray steal led to another Owen Farrell penalty who closed the gap to only two points. A Conor Murray break from the restart and kick down field gave the Lions good field position in the Brumbies half with a lineout on the 22. But once again poor work at the breakdown led to the Brumbies turning over the ball leaving the Lions with only five minutes to gain the lead.

But the scoreline became a bridge too far, the ever excellent Mogg again pinned the Lions back into their own 22 and a moment of madness led to a quick lineout not going five metres. Battling defence saw a final last minute scrum in the Lions 22 with replacement lock Etienne Oosthuizen booting the ball out to gain a famous win.

After the game Warren Gatland expressed severe disappointment, his Lions team were out foxed at the breakdown with a weakened Brumbies side taking the tourists to the cleaners. Despite this performance Gatland will be happy to have come out of the game with no injury concerns and has been able to protect his starting team for Saturday. Granted today was a disappointment, the perfect 10 wins is now an impossibility, but Saturday in Brisbane will be different. The Lions will be stronger and more prepared and if anything more determined following this loss today.

Man of The Match

Brumbies captain Peter Kimlin had a stunning game, stealing ball at the breakdown and helping to ruin Rory Best's line out. Credit as well must go to Matt Toomua and Tevita Kuridrani who put in massive hits in the midfield all day giving Billy Twelvetrees in particular a game to forget. But in truth the star performer really was full back Jesse Mogg who shone in a very average game. Mogg exposed weaknesses in the Lions and simply never allowed the tourists the field position to attack.

Jesse Mogg 8.5/10

New Zealand U20 v England U20 - JWC Semi Final Preview

U20 Six Nations Champions England Face the Baby Blacks Tonight

England's junior side face the Baby Black's at 7:45 tonight in a match which is sure to be the biggest game of many of these young players lives. England have played two and a half good games of rugby, losing their second game in their group against South Africa having surrendered a 16 point lead in the first half. If they play to their potential, they are sure to give the Baby Black's a real test. The All Black's like their senior side really are the runaway favourites for this game. Having defeated Australia, Ireland and a physical Fiji side New Zealand play with the fluid offloading game seen in the dominating senior side. Look out for openisde Ardie Savea, brother of Hurricanes player and full international Julien, who is both a try scorer and amazing at the break down.

Key Players

England

At fly half the Exeter Chief Henry Slade needs a big game, against South Africa he played too deep and kicked to the impressive South African back three, doing this against New Zealand will allow Savea to steal ball and runners in the back three such as Fa'asiu Fuatai to really motor. England's danger men will also need to have a big game, Bath wing Anthony Watson and Exeter full back Jack Nowell are fast strong runners and with ball in hand could be a real challenge for the Baby Blacks. Finally Jack Clifford returns from a rest on the bench following England's 109-0 win over the USA. Captain Clifford is England's prime ball carrier and has shown against France when he finds himself in space has the ability to get over the whitewash.

New Zealand

To be brutally honest, the whole Kiwi team is dangerous, the back three is strong and the forward pack can be dominant and subtle. But this side revives around Ardie Savea the already Super Rugby capped flanker who score against Fiji with New Zealand's first touch in the tournament. If England can stop this talismanic openside the New Zealand game may begin to falter and reference points could be lost. Even if Savea is stopped the Kiwi's are filled with quality with Jason Emery at outside centre another to watch.

Prediction

This game will be close, but the Baby Blacks have already proven themselves to win games at the toughest level. Finalists in every year and having won the trophy every year except the last, England will need a monumental performance to displace the Baby Black's from their dominant position.

Baby Blacks by 10-12

Betting (Paddy Power) - New Zealand 1/3 England 9/4

Teams

England 15 Jack Nowell, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Harry Sloan, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Ben Howard, 10 Henry Slade, 9 Alex Day, 8 Jack Clifford (c), 7 Matt Hankin, 6 Ross Moriarty, 5 Dominic Barrow, 4 Elliot Stooke, 3 Scott Wilson, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Danny Hobbes-Awoyemi

Replacements 16 Scott Spurling, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Tom Smallbone, 19 Tom Price, 20 David Sisi, 21 Callum Braley, 22 Ollie Devoto, 23 Henry Purdy 

New Zealand 15 Joseph Webber, 14 Lolagi Visinia, 13 Jason Emery, 12 Michael Collins, 11 Fa'asiu Fautai, 10 Simon Hickey, 9 Tayler Adams, 8 Adam Burn, 7 Ardie Savea (c), 6 Joseph Edwards, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu, 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Sione Mafileo, 2 Epalahame Faivaikato, 1 Donald Brighthouse

Replacements: 16 Nick Grogan, 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18-Christopher Vui, 19 Jordan Manihera, 20 Teihorangi Walden, 21 Sheridan Rangihuna, 22 Jade Te Rure, 23 Boyd Wiggins

British and Irish Lions v ACT Brumbies - Preview

The Lions face the ACT Brumbies on Tuesday at 10:40 am (GMT) in their last warm up game before the test series against Australia begins. The Lions have wrung the changes from Saturday with key test players rested for Saturday, Rob Kearney has his first start of the tour along with England players Brad Barritt, Billy Twelvetrees and Christian Wade. Rory Best captains a side which also welcomes Wales legend and 4 time capped Lion Shane Williams onto the wing to cover for an injury ravaged squad who have injury concerns over Jamie Roberts, Manu Tuilagi and Tommy Bowe for Saturday's first test, with North and Bowe almost certainly out. Upfront the tourists look much stronger with a backrow of Sean O'Brien, Toby Faletau and Justin Tipuric the Lions will look to dominate the break down with some members of the forwards still looking to catapult themselves into the test team.

The Brumbies line up, like all of the Lions previous opponents, with a severely weakened team. 4 new caps are in the 23 with captain David Pocock still side lined due to injury. Whilst it is not the Brumbies fault, the weakened team is another example of a controversy which has led to Lions needing training sessions tougher than their actual warm up games. Whilst many of the Lions will not line up on Saturday the tour party have been left somewhat embittered by the actions of the Australian provinces.

Key Men

Lions

Rob Kearney and Stuart Hogg have key roles in the back line having to bring together a team where three of the players have only had two days in camp. Kearney will look to push for test places later in the tour but must do his best to remain calm around the undoubted confusion that will surround him. Upfront Justin Tipuric will look to have a big game as another attacking option as well as stealing ball, Sean O'Brien is another who with a big performance may be able to push himself into the test squad with his ability to play all three positions in the back row.

Brumbies

Despite missing a number of first team starters the Brumbies will still have real danger men in the likes of full back Jesse Mogg and winger Henry Speight. If the Lions kick poorly this dangerous duo have the skill and guile to counter attack with Mogg the owner of a cultured left boot capable of pinning the inexperienced Lions into corners. Wade and Williams will have a lot on their hands with Speight, a top class finisher weighing in at 97kg he has been one of Super Rugby's top performers and many were surprised to see him omitted from the Wallaby squad. Despite this attacking prowess, the Brumbies lack power up front, missing hooker Stephen Moore, David Pocock, Ben Alexander and inspiration captain Ben Mowem, expect the Lions to dominate a weak scrum and inexperienced lineout.

Prediction

Whilst having a makeshift backline, the Lions have more power in the forwards than the Brumbies will be able to deal with. Expect to see a dominant set piece and driving maul with the likes of Wade and Williams able to finish well. The Brumbies are strong in the backs and are likely to grab a few tries, but with such a weakened team there is a sense of dissapointment in seeing their team which at full strength could push this Lions and give them a real test

Lions by 15-20

Betting - Paddy Power - Brumbies 7/2 Lions 1/5

Teams

British & Irish Lions: 15. Rob Kearney, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stuart Hogg, 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Ryan Grant, 2 Rory Best (C), 3 Matt Stevens, 4 Ian
Evans, 5 Richie Gray, 6 Sean O’Brien, 7 Justin Tipuric, 8 Toby Faletau

Replacements: 16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Alex Corbisiero, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Geoff Parling, 20 Dan Lydiate, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Simon Zebo

Brumbies: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Andrew Smith, 11 Clyde Rathbone, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Ian Prior; 1 Ruan Smith, 2 Siliva Siliva , 3 Scott Sio, 4 Leon Power, 5 Sam Carter, 6 Scott Fardy, 7 Colby Faingaa, 8 Peter Kimlin (c)

Replacements:16 Josh Mann-Rea, 17 Jean-Pierre Smith, 18 Chris Cocca, 19 Etienne Oosthuizen, 20 Jordan Smiler, 21 Mark Swanepoel, 22 Robbie Coleman, 23 Zack Holmes

Where Are 2012's Five New Faces?

England Hooker Tom Youngs

In June 2012, we  chose 5 players as 'ones to watch', after successful summer tours, autumn internationals and 6 nations campaigns we return to our 5 to see where they are one year on.

Joe Launchbury (London Wasps)

10 Caps 0 points

This London Wasp has undergone a meteoric rise in the last year. Following impressive domestic performances, he earned a call up to the England squad for the Autumn series. A start from the bench followed by 3 monstrous performances against Australia, South Africa and in a 38-21 victory over the All Blacks meant that he had made the England shirt his own by the six nations. More strong performances from Launchbury in the six nations have catapulted him to a senior position in the England team for the summer's white wash tour of Argentina. To top off what has been a magnificent year for Launchbury, he was voted England's QBE Player of the Year, all in all a magnificent year for a player destined for more accolades in the future.

Christian Wade (London Wasps)

1 Cap 0 Points

Diminutive Wade picked up the start of the season right where he left off, in his opening league game against champions Harlequins he scored two tries and gave one away to Tom Varndell when he could have taken a third. From that point on Wade terrorised defences all season long finishing joing leading try scorer for the premiership with 13 tries and 18 tries all season from 26 matches. Such was the success of Wade's season he became the first man ever to pick up the Young Player and Player's Player of the year awards at this seasons RPA awards. Such is the success of the former sevens player he finished the season with an England debut against Argentina in Salta before a Lions call up to Australia. Expect Wade to break into the England squad full time next season displacing the under performing Chris Ashton along the way.

Jonathan Joseph (London Irish)

5 Caps 0 Points

Joseph has performed somewhat less successfully this year than last. Inury blighted the start of is season with London Irish and he struggled in a team which relied on his creativity in what was a lacklustre season. Despite this he gained a call up to Stuart Lancaster's England squad for the Argentina series and performed very well setting up David Strettle in the first game quite magnificently for a try. Joseph has not been a stand out this season but expect him to be back to his best next season as part of a Bath squad that will look to be firing.

Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)

9 Caps 0 Points

The hooker brother of England starter Ben, Youngs has enjoyed a fantastic season earning 9 caps for England and a starting spot for Leicester as well as an Aviva Premiership title. Youngs has pushed away Dylan Hartley from the starting England shirt and used his ball carrying dynamism and low chop tackling technique to become one of the strongest players in the England team. Domestically the ever impressive Youngs has earned the Aviva Premiership's Player of the Year award and has followed up an impressive season with a Lions call up. With the first test on Saturday Youngs is pushing Hibbard hard for a starting spot and with the season he has had the coveted Lions number 2 shirt may be what Youngs deserves.

Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs)

5 Caps 5 Points

Following an impressive Summer Series in South Africa Johnson has only managed to gain to caps this year against Argentina and Fiji. As usual, Johnson has had an outstanding season with Exeter combining with Richie Baxter and James Scaysbrook to create a fantastic back row. However, with the return of Tom Wood, James Haskell and Tom Croft, Johnson has seen his stock fall over the last year. Having reached 30 years old the likelihood of seeing Johnson in an England shirt again is limited, however, he will still be in and around the squad pushing the likes of Croft and Wood hard in the next few years.

Shane Williams Returns

In a shock announcement on Saturday night, Lions coach Warren Gatland announced that Wales' top all time try scorer Shane Williams would be starting for the Lions this Tuesday against the ACT Brumbies.

Williams has not played international rugby for 2 years and has been plying his trade in Japan's second tier for the last season.

Despite this, the Lions, who are currently in an injury crisis have called up the 4 time capped Lion to cover for just one match. Whilst Williams may not be still playing at the top level, rugby fans worldwide, including here at Rugby Review cannot wait for Williams to pull that famous red shirt back on, especially with England wing Christian Wade partnering Williams we are sure to see something of a spectacle on Tuesday morning.

To whet everyone's appetite or for those who may have inexplicably forgotten the magic of Williams, posted below is a 10 minute tribute video of Williams that is most definitely worth a watch!