South Africa U19 all-rounder Riley Norton leads U20 rugby team to World Cup final

Riley Norton, who represented South Africa in the 2024 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, has now achieved another remarkable feat, leading South Africa into the final of the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy.

Norton first made his mark in the tri-nation U19 ODI tournament featuring India and Afghanistan, just ahead of the 2024 Under-19 Cricket World Cup held in South Africa. The tournament also spotlighted rising stars like Kwena Maphaka and Lhuan-dre Pretorius.

Norton proved his all-round ability, picking up 11 wickets at an average of 18.36 and maintaining a batting average of 50, having been dismissed only once in three innings. His standout performance came against Sri Lanka, where he scored an unbeaten 41 to lift South Africa from 133/8 to 232/8, and then returned with figures of 4/28 to help bowl Sri Lanka out for 113, securing a place in the semi-finals.

At the time, Norton was just 18 and has not featured for South Africa U19 or in any form of professional domestic cricket since. His Youth ODI career holds 116 runs at an average of 38.67 and 13 wickets at 22.23 from eight matches.

Norton is now captaining the South African side in the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship. South Africa has previously reached the final twice, winning in 2012 and finishing runners-up in 2014. Notably, they hold a world record for most top-four finishes (13).

In the current edition, South Africa delivered dominant performances, defeating Australia 73-17, defending champions England 32-22, and Scotland 73-14 in the group stage. They went on to beat Argentina 48-24 in the semi-final and are now set to face New Zealand in the final at Studio Mario Battaglini in Rovigo on July 20.

While several athletes have played both international cricket and rugby, few have represented their country at both World Cups. The most notable example is Rudie van Vuuren of Namibia, who played in both the 2003 Cricket and Rugby World Cups, and also featured in the 1999 Rugby World Cup.