Junior World Championship – latest

Follow all the latest from 2010 IRB Junior World Championship in Argentina as the play-off places are decided…

Follow all the latest from 2010 IRB Junior World Championship in Argentina as the play-off places are decided…

New Zealand 43-10 Wales

New Zealand confirmed their place in the IRB Junior World Championship 2010 semi finals after beating Wales 43-10 with a clinical display at the Estadio CA Colon in Santa Fe on Sunday to top Pool A.

The two-time defending champions ran in six tries to see off the challenge of Wales, picking up their eight bonus point victory in nine Junior World Championship pool matches and extending their unbeaten run to 13.

With captain Tyler Bleyendaal and scrum half Tawera Kerr-Barlow combining well together to cut open the Welsh defence, particularly in the second half, and the Baby Blacks' forwards creating a strong platform the backs to shine there only ever looked one winner.

Bleyendaal had kicked the Baby Blacks into the lead with a second minute penalty and then gave Wales a timely reminder that any indiscretion around the halfway line was likely to be punished, the fly half putting a kick from his own 10 metre line slightly wide of the posts.

New Zealand's first try came in the eighth minute, lively scrum half Tawera Kerr-Barlow picking up from the breakdown and darting through a gap left by Welsh captain Josh Navidi to race clear, Bleyendaal kicking the conversion to keep the scoring at more than a point a minute.

Bleyendaal saw a penalty from the halfway line strike the uprights, but it wasn't long before the Baby Blacks increased their advantage, Kerr-Barlow's no look pass allowing wing Julian Savea to bounce off the Welsh defence to touch down in the corner.

Matthew Jarvis finally got Wales on the score board in the 19th minute with a penalty to make it 17-3, but despite some good defence keeping the Baby Blacks at bay it was another piece of class from Savea that kept the scoreboard ticking over.

The New Zealand Sevens star, who scored a record equalling four tries against Samoa in the last match, caught the ball on the left wing, cut across the pitch and slipping a tackle by Ashley Beck before darting through the gap to touch down his sixth try of the tournament.

Bleyendaal curled the conversion in again to push New Zealand through the 600-point barrier in Junior World Championship history, but the next score went to Wales when hooker Rhys Williams powered over the line for only the fourth try the Baby Blacks have conceded in nine pool matches.

Unfortunately for the Baby Blacks they lost Savea not long after with the wing appearing to injury his hip, but having settled again the bonus point was secured in the 36th minute when a long pass from Kerr-Barlow cut out three Welsh defenders, allowing Telusa Veainu to send Tom Marshall over in the corner.

It took a while, though, for New Zealand to increase their 31-10 half time advantage, a combination of the plucky Welsh defence and the Baby Blacks' decision to throw the ball wide more rather than the pick and goes that had worked so well in the first half.

Having gone close several times, the sin-binning of Welsh prop Will Taylor at the hour mark finally got the scoreboard ticking over again, Veainu – moved to the wing after Savea's exit – benefited from a back-flip pass from Kerr-Barlow to race clear.

Bleyendaal's vision was constantly finding gaps in the defence, both for himself and his teammates, and led to New Zealand's final try, catching James Loxton out of the line to give Marshall space to score his second of the game.

Replacement Hayden Parker was unlucky not to score a brilliant solo try, his chip ahead bouncing just over his head, to leave the Baby Blacks now forced to wait to see who their opponents in the semi finals on Thursday will be.

England 17-9 France

The reliable boot of Freddie Burns once again proved decisive as England ran out 17-9 winners over France in their Pool B decider at the Estadio El Coloso del Parque in Rosario to take their place in the IRB Junior World Championship 2010 semi finals.

Ignoring the wet and windy conditions which saw both sides struggle to control the ball, the England full back calmly slotted three penalties with centre Jamie Gibson scoring the only try of the match on Sunday.

France, who were bidding to make the Junior World Championship semi finals for the first time, dominated for much of the first half before fly half Jean Marc Doussain kicked a penalty to open the scoring.

With the Jamie George-led side taking a while to find their footing, France managed to hold their opponents scoreless for the first quarter until an indiscretion in front of the posts gave Burns the opportunity level the scores with a penalty.

Doussain edged France ahead once more, but with both sides eager to finish top of the Pool any attacking play was soon shut down, allowing little opportunity to cross the whitewash and put some distance between them and their rivals.

France came closest to a try in the dying few minutes of the first half when England were penalised for not releasing, giving their opponents a five-metre scrum. However, an outstanding push and drive by centre Remi Lamerat saw him held up over the line.

With his side trailing 6-3 and clearly eager to his players stamp more authority on the game, England coach Mapletoft quickly brought on forwards Alex Gray and Jacko Wray, along with full back Tom Homer, to inject some impetus.

The tactic worked as England became difficult to stop, producing wave after wave of attack and frustration finally got the better of Lamerat when he was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle by referee Fransisco Pastrana.

England, runners up to New Zealand in the two previous JWC finals, capitalised on their man advantage within minutes, centre Gibson charging up the touchline before stepping inside the French defence to touch down and give his side the lead for the first time.

The cushion could have been extended beyond 11-6 were it not for Homer – who became the all-time top point scorer in Junior World Championship history in the last round – missing two penalties right in front of the posts just past the hour mark.

Gilles Bosch ensured France remained touch with a 76th minute penalty, but England had the final say with Burns landing a penalty in the dying minutes to deny their opponents even a losing bonus point.

Scotland 27-3 Tonga

Scotland bounced back from a heavy loss to South Africa to beat Tonga 27-3 in their Pool C encounter at the Club Atlético Estudiantes in Paraná.

The two sides had met in the ninth place play-off in last year's tournament in Japan, the Scots edging a tightly-fought encounter 28-25 and both knew that victory was must this time out to guarantee their place in the 2011 Championship in Italy.

Scotland, beaten 73-0 by South Africa four days earlier, played better as the game progressed in Paraná but still made a number of handling errors against a Tongan outfit