France laid down a marker on the opening day of the World Rugby Under-20 Championship, while Ireland and England played out a thriller in South Africa.
Elsewhere, Wales fell just short of a memorable win over New Zealand, while 14-man Italy came up short against Argentina.
And with a quick turnaround before day two on Thursday, attentions are already turning to the remainder of the competition.
Les Bleuets off the mark but not satisfied
With 11 tries in their 75-12 win over Japan, France were comfortably the biggest winners of the opening day, surging to the top of Pool A.
But while they scored some sensational tries, including a stunning solo effort from replacement flanker Andy Timo late on, manager Sébastien Calvet was measured in his response to the success.
That was in part due to France’s lack of discipline, with two yellow cards before half-time for centre Nicolas Depoortere, scorer of two tries, and back-rower Esteban Capilla, who also chipped in with a try.
With New Zealand next up, Calvet warned his team that they would have to tighten up that aspect of their game to make it two from two.
He said: “We achieved our goal. We had to make a good start to the tournament, to beat this good Japan team, and if possible, get a bonus point: it’s job done. Paradoxically, we are very satisfied with some aspects but not others. We were very undisciplined and that is something we will have to sort out straightaway to take on the Baby Blacks.
“There was a lot of turnover at half-time. The players need to get on the same page as one another. It was a first match after several months where we hadn’t been together.”
Ireland look to Australia after dramatic draw
Grand Slam champions Ireland looked on course for a perfect start to their campaign when they led 34-24 with quarter of an hour remaining against England in Paarl.
However, a penalty from Connor Slevin, followed by Jacob Cusick’s converted try – his second – saw England draw level as both teams had to settle for three points from the game.
The result leaves both with limited margin for error, with Australia next up for Ireland – a game skipper Gus McCarthy admits his side need to be ready for.
He said: “Our goal was to win the match but it is not over. We’ll move on now and focus on next week.
“We were expecting a very physical game from the English lads, they are big boys and we got exactly that. When we played the rugby we wanted to play, we were able to score great tries and play some great rugby.
“But when England put the pressure on us and were getting up in our faces, they did a really good job of stopping us and they were then able to get the ball.
“They’re very dangerous in loose play, they have got some very good players and they punished us on a few occasions so we’ll have to go away and work on that and fix it and improve for Australia next week which will be a huge game.”
Where Ireland were left to rue some uncharacteristically wayward goal-kicking from Sam Prendergast, who missed his first four shots at goal, England were much more clinical.
They will head to Stellenbosch to take on Fiji next after the Pacific Islanders were denied a landmark victory over Australia, conceding 17 points in the last 14 minutes of a 46-37 loss.
Wales left to rue second half
The last time Wales faced New Zealand at Under-20s level, they claimed an 8-7 victory in Argentina in 2019.
They looked like they might repeat the feat in Paarl when they ran in three first-half tries against the Baby Blacks to lead 19-5 at the break.
However, three tries conceded in 15 second-half minutes proved costly in a 27-26 loss, with Wales having to settle for two bonus points from the game.
Next up will be Japan, with Wales looking to take the frustrations of this loss out on that game.
“It was hard to replicate the same intensity of the first half in the second because they really came out firing with the elements behind them,” said Wales skipper Ryan Woodman.
“We were good with the ball and they did well to keep it away from us. In the end, it came down to a kick.
“I thought we played well and there were plenty of positives to come out of the performance. That said, there is plenty to work on and we are all gutted.”
Italy paid the price for early red
Fresh from their best-ever Under-20s Six Nations campaign, Italy were looking to hit the ground running against Argentina.
A penalty two minutes in from Giovanni Sante got them on the board, but a red card for prop Destiny Aminu for a dangerous tackle saw them reduced to 14 men inside the first quarter of an hour.
While they did extend their lead through a try from Dewi Passarella, the numerical disadvantage told thereafter.
Los Pumitas ran in three tries to lead 21-8 at the break and added three more in the second half, to one try from David Odiase, as Argentina ran out 43-15 winners.
For coach Massimo Brunello, it was a case of what might have been.
He said: “We’re obviously disappointed. The game was going as we expected, it was very even and that changed with the red card for Aminu. In a competition like this where the difference is often in the little details, playing down a man for more than three-quarters of the game has a huge impact.”
Italy now face a tricky clash with hosts South Africa in their second game, with the Baby Boks battling past Georgia in their opener.
