Namibia finished seventh overall at the World Rugby u20 Challenger Cup after beating Hong Kong 53-5 in Santiago on Saturday.

It was Namibia's only win at the competition after they lost all three their group matches, going down 95-6 to Canada, 69-12 to Portugal, and 47-22 to Belgium.

With Namibia's forwards setting the tone in the set pieces and flyhalf William Beukes directing the match with his tactical kicking, Namibia built up a healthy 17-0 lead at half-time after tries by fullback Wesley Haukongo and winger Ethan Sinden.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

Hong Kong opened their account with a try by lock Fritz Mahn early in the second half, but Namibia immediately struck back with two tries by captain and flanker Jano Erasmus, and flanker Connor Nel to open up a commanding 31-5 lead going into the final quarter.

Namibia continued to pile on the pressure, scoring three more tries in the closing stages through winger Soobramoney Sammy, replacement winger Bertus Narib and replacement loose forward Tjeripo Karuhumba to complete a commanding victory.

Namibia scored seven tries in total, while Beukes added six conversions and two penalties for a personal tally of 18 points.

It was the first time in eight years that Namibia had competed at the under-20 tournament for second-tier rugby nations, after their last appearance in 2018, when they finished fourth overall.

Chile won the Challenger Cup after beating Belgium 30-17 in the final on Saturday, while Portugal won the bronze medal after beating Romania 67-13 in the third place play-off match.

Canada finished fifth after beating Brazil 61-24 in the fifth place play-off.