Match Report | Scotland U20 64-33 Zimbabwe U20
15 Jul 2023Scotland U20 secured a 64-33 heart-racing victory against Zimbabwe U20 in their first pool match of the World Rugby U20 Trophy.
Scotland got the points scoring underway within three minutes with a nifty off-load to Dan King who passed out to co-captain Ben Afshar. Afshar spotted a gap in the Zimbabwean defence and sprinted past, dotting the ball down over the line.
At the eight-minute mark, a perfectly executed line out allowed the young Scots to put their strong maul driving into practice. Jerry Blyth-Lafferty got his hands on the ball and was driven over the line, adding another five points to their scoreboard. Ben Afshar made the conversion.
A fantastic jump and take in the air for Geordie Gwynn on the 16th minute let him land over the line, securing another try for the young sides. Ben Afshar once again got the extras.
Only a couple of minutes later, Geordie Gwynn added another try to his repertoire by slipping past the Zimbabwean defence. Ben Afshar made the conversion once again.
After two yellow cards shown to the Zimbabwean team – one for conceding too many penalties and one for a lifting tackle – Geordie Gwynn got a hat trick by barrelling past the defence, bringing the side up another five points just before half time.
Half Time: Scotland U20 31-0 Zimbabwe U20
The second half was started in style by Geordie Gwynn who sprinted down the centre of the pitch and offloaded to Eddie Erskine who crashed over the line.
Ben could not be stopped as he slipped through the defence like a hot knife through butter, quickly adding yet another score to the board on the 45th minute mark. He added his own extras.
On the 52nd minute the young Scots put their driving mauls back into practice and charged Corey Tait over the line. Afshar’s successful conversion made the team hit the 50-point mark.
After a three-try scoring streak for the opposition, Ben Salmon finally lowered the heart rate of Scotland fans as he dotted down right behind the posts. Dan King made the extras.
Scotland sealed the deal right before the full-time whistle with a final push from Eddie Erskine who dotted the ball down over the whitewash. A successful conversion from Dan King left the men-in-blue victorious with a 64-33 win.
Full time: Scotland U20 64-33 Zimbabwe U20
Scotland
Tries: Ben Afshar (2), Geordie Gwynn (3), Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, Eddie Erskine (2), Corey Tait, Ben Salmon
Conversions: Ben Afshar (5), Dan King (2)
15. Dan King 14. Finn Douglas 13. Ben Salmon 12. Kerr Yule 11. Geordie Gwynn 10. Andrew McLean 9. Ben Afshar (CC) 1. Craig Davidson 2. Jerry Blyth-Lafferty 3. Callum Norrie 4. Eddie Erskine 5. Jake Parkinson 6. Liam McConnell (CC) 7. Jonny Smith 8. Sam Derrick
Replacements: 16. Cory Tait 17. Max Surry 18. Oliver Minnis 19. Ruaraidh Hart 20. Jonny Morris 21. Finlay Burgess 22. Findlay Thomas 23. Matt Reid
Cover image: World Rugby
