Scotland and Wales edge through to fifth-place final as Australia stumble at Junior World Championship

Scotland and Wales both secured their places in the fifth-place final of the World Rugby Junior Championship on Monday, with Wales edging Australia 38-36 in the standout match of the day at Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi.

Scotland’s 44-26 victory over Argentina was built on a dominant first-half display that restricted the South Americans to a single try before the break. Hooker Joe Roberts, a Glasgow Warriors player who had already scored three tries in the group stages, crossed either side of halftime to extend Scotland’s advantage. Hamish MacArthur, Oliver McKenna and Harvey Preston all added tries in the second half, while Bautista Lescano, Pedro Coll and Ramon Fernandez scored for Argentina to close the gap in the final stages.

The 18-point win keeps alive Scotland’s hopes of matching their best-ever finish at a Junior World Championship. Head coach Sione Tuipulotu said the resilience his side showed against South Africa would serve them well heading into next year’s World Cup in Australia.

The afternoon’s most dramatic contest saw Wales hold on to beat Australia 38-36, recording their first victory over the Australians since the 2018 Junior World Championship in France. The match at Avchala Stadium was a back-and-forth affair full of backline moves and lead changes, and was further complicated by a red card to Wales flanker Luke Evans and a number of injuries to both sides.

Australia believed they had snatched victory in the closing moments, but a knock-on in the build-up was spotted by the officials and the final whistle confirmed Wales as winners. Edwin Langi and John Greenfell had scored in the second half to give Australia hope, but Wales held their nerve to advance.

Elsewhere in Monday’s action, Japan ended a 19-game losing streak at the Junior World Championship by thrashing the USA 71-21 in Kutaisi. Rio Iwakura and Sota Miura both scored hat-tricks as Japan claimed their first win at the tournament since a 29-12 victory over Samoa in 2015. The USA were further hampered by a red card to replacement prop Alfie Booth late in the contest.

Spain rounded out the day’s results with a commanding 57-6 victory over Uruguay to reach the 13th-place final, where they will face Japan on Friday. Scotland and Wales meet in the fifth-place final on the same day.