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https:\/\/www.rugbypass.com\/news\/the-future-is-very-very-bright-junior-springboks-boss-on-superstar-compared-to-antoine-dupont\/ <\/p>\nmens<\/p>\n
world-rugby-u20-championship<\/p>\n
Haashim Pead of South Africa celebrates after scoring a try during the U20 Rugby Championship match between South Africa and Argentina at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on May 01, 2025 in Gqeberha, South Africa. (Photo by Richard Huggard\/Gallo Images) https:\/\/www.rugbypass.com\/news\/the-future-is-very-very-bright-junior-springboks-boss-on-superstar-compared-to-antoine-dupont\/ <\/p>\n
Beating any record set by Antoine Dupont<\/a> is usually an indication that you are doing something right.<\/p>\n The French maestro\u2019s record for metres gained for a scrum-half at the World Rugby U20 Championship<\/a> pool stages stood for nine years until it was beaten by South Africa\u2019s Haashim Pead this year in Italy.<\/p>\n The 20-year-old ran 232 metres in pool stage victories over Australia, England and Scotland, scoring five tries in the process, before adding another against Argentina<\/a> in the semi-finals as the Junior Boks booked their place in the final on Saturday against New Zealand. With six tries in four games, the Lions<\/a> No.9 unsurprisingly leads the competition in tries scored.<\/p>\n Whether they\u2019re snipes from the breakdown, support runs, or long-range efforts, Pead has exhibited his pace, footwork and a reading of the game in a standout Championship, and the comparisons to Dupont have already started.<\/p>\n Fixture<\/p>\n World Rugby U20 Championship<\/p>\n New Zealand U20 <\/p>\n South Africa U20 <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Speaking ahead of Saturday\u2019s final in Rovigo, Junior Springboks head coach Kevin Foote discussed these comparisons his scrum-half has received with the Frenchman, and what he thinks is in store for his star.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a compliment to even be compared to Antoine,\u201d Foote said of the scrum-half, who is set to start in an unchanged line-up in the final. \u201cHash is so humble, he won\u2019t get ahead of himself. He really has everything, if I\u2019m honest. He has the running game, he\u2019s got the defensive game, he\u2019s got a brilliant kicking game, but he\u2019s also a very mature man for a guy of his age.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest thing that you want to look at is that he doesn\u2019t get flustered as a game manager, he\u2019s very, very consistent. I think his best attribute is how well he reads the game, that\u2019s why he scores so many tries, he just understands the game so well.<\/p>\n \u201cThe future is very, very bright for Hash because he\u2019s such a humble guy and he\u2019s so hard working. Just being compared to Antoine is a compliment in itself. As long as he stays on this route, his family are well grounded and they\u2019re great support for him, and I think he\u2019s going to go really, really well.\u201d<\/p>\n New Zealand were able to prevent Pead from scoring when the two sides met in the U20 Rugby Championship<\/a> in May as New Zealand<\/a> ran out 48-45 winners at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, and how they manage to contain him on Saturday will go a long way in determining who comes out victorious.<\/p>\n Pead\u2019s skipper lock Riley Norton<\/a> believes his side have \u201clearnt a lot\u201d from that defeat as they look to avenge their loss. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve learnt a lot about ourselves and our combinations and trusting one another,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that\u2019s a big thing, our connections off the field. It\u2019s been two months since we\u2019ve played them and I think the growth and the combinations and the trust has been unbelievable. <\/p>\n \u201cI think our systems, finding out what works for us in defence and attack and looking at those games and growing from it. We were always building towards the World Championship, and to look at how far we\u2019ve come is incredibly special for me and the team and we\u2019re just looking forward to playing them again. An unbelievable rugby nation, massive respect for them, and I know it\u2019s going to be a battle for 80 minutes and really looking forward to it.<\/p>\n Norton, who represented South Africa<\/a> U19 cricket at the World Cup last year, will be looking to emulate a feat achieved by the Springboks in 2023, who lost to the All Blacks<\/a> in the Rugby Championship before defeating them in the World Cup final weeks later. <\/p>\n In the build-up to the match, the lock has received a message of support from 2007 World Cup-winning captain John Smit<\/a>, as he and his team-mate look to copy what the Springboks \u2013 who face Georgia<\/a> just hours before the U20 final \u2013 have done over the last half decade. <\/p>\n \u201cWe take a lot of inspiration from what the Springboks have done,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019ll try and do what they\u2019ve done for the last five or six years, which has been extremely special for us to watch and take inspiration from.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752812357_508_10008600.png.webp\"\/)
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