Rugby: New Zealand earn draw against South Africa with late try at inaugural U20 Rugby Championship

A late try has helped New Zealand escape with a 13-13 draw against rivals South Africa in the inaugural game of the U20 Rugby Championship in Queensland on Thursday.

The match took place in horrendous conditions at Sunshine Coast Stadium, where a deluge of rain had groundskeepers sweeping water from the sodden pitch just moments before kick-off.

New Zealand were the superior side through the opening half, controlling both territory and possession, but were consistently undone by errors amid the difficult handling conditions, taking a 3-0 lead into halftime.

Early in the second stanza, they extended their advantage with the first try of the match. First-five Rico Simpson sent outstanding wing Stanley Solomon over with a well-placed long pass to extend to an 8-0 advantage.

The try sparked an instant South African response, with Joel Leotlela finishing a brilliant team try, before a pair of penalties put their noses in front.

But with a little over two minutes left on the clock, Frank Vaenuku found wide open pastures on the right wing to slide in for the game-tying try.

In the second match of the evening, hosts Australia couldn't withstand a dominant Argentina forward pack, falling to a 25-6 defeat.

New Zealand will be back in action on Tuesday night at the same venue, where they'll face Argentina.

A late try has helped New Zealand escape with a 13-13 draw against rivals South Africa in the inaugural game of the U20 Rugby Championship in Queensland on Thursday.

The match took place in horrendous conditions at Sunshine Coast Stadium, where a deluge of rain had groundskeepers sweeping water from the sodden pitch just moments before kick-off.

New Zealand were the superior side through the opening half, controlling both territory and possession, but were consistently undone by errors amid the difficult handling conditions, taking a 3-0 lead into halftime.

Early in the second stanza, they extended their advantage with the first try of the match. First-five Rico Simpson sent outstanding wing Stanley Solomon over with a well-placed long pass to extend to an 8-0 advantage.

The try sparked an instant South African response, with Joel Leotlela finishing a brilliant team try, before a pair of penalties put their noses in front.

But with a little over two minutes left on the clock, Frank Vaenuku found wide open pastures on the right wing to slide in for the game-tying try.

In the second match of the evening, hosts Australia couldn't withstand a dominant Argentina forward pack, falling to a 25-6 defeat.

New Zealand will be back in action on Tuesday night at the same venue, where they'll face Argentina.

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