The South African Under-20 rugby team is back in the country with their prized possession, the World Rugby Under-20 Championship trophy. The Junior Springboks made history on Saturday, winning the Championship for only the second time, and the first time in 13 years. They beat six-time champions, New Zealand, in the final. The Springboks men now hold the senior and Under-20 world titles, while they are also world champions in the sevens format. There was a fairly decent crowd gathered at OR Tambo International to welcome home the World Champions. Super fan, Masilo Machaka, who is almost always at OR Tambo International when a successful team or individual returns, says South Africans just can’t stop celebrating the nation’s success on the world sport stage at the moment. “We can’t stop celebrating. Our team has performed incredibly well to make sure that they bring the trophy back home. This is what we’ve been waiting for, and they took a leaf from the senior Springboks. Now, we celebrate,” he says. Cheering fans flocked to the airport to welcome home the triumphant #JuniorBoks on Monday, with Mr Mark Alexander saying: “Many of them have the potential to go on to higher honours, I am sure” – more here: https://t.co/irllJf7QEb 🏆#JourneyToGreatness #WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/vfnm1Soyh7 — SA Junior Rugby (@SAJuniorRugby) July 21, 2025 Coach Kevin Foote says the fact that they paid attention to detail in their preparations, contributed to their success. “The one thing is we got the most amazing talent and were going to World Cups probably a little bit unprepared because we haven’t camped together. However, our build-up to the World Cup was made up daily preparation aiming for victory,” says Foote. Captain Riley Norton was an inspirational figure. He also represented South Africa at last year’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup in South Africa as a fast-bowling all-rounder, but the young lock, who will now pursue a career in rugby, says Saturday’s victory in Rovigo was the best day of his life. “Having my friends and family over there was amazing. We get all our hope and motivation from our supporters. Going abroad and coming back with a trophy ranks us a bit higher. Cricket has taught me a lot that I can use in rugby and without it I don’t think I’d be where I am today. So, I am really grateful for the opportunities I have been given, but definitely, winning the Under-20 title for the first time in 13 years in a different country was really special. It was the greatest day of my life,” says Norton. VIDEO | Junior Boks return home as champions