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Riley Norton was one of the standout players in the Under-19 World Cup 2024 campaign for South Africa alongside the likes of Kwena Maphaka and Lhuan-dre Pretorius. Both the latter mentioned players have made their debuts for the South African team, but, the 19-year-old Riley represents a rare breed of dual-sport athletes. After showcasing his cricketing prowess at the U-19 Cricket World Cup, he is making headlines for his exceptional skills in another sport - rugby.
Riley Norton recently captained South African U20 rugby team to the final of World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy. Despite his promising cricketing career, Norton played a pivotal role in rugby, a sport where he has also excelled significantly. His father, Chris Norton also played for Maties Rugby from 1991 to 2003. Following his footsteps, Riley also joined Maties Rugby this year while pursuing his education at Stellenbosch University. Sporting fraternity is reportedly drawing his comparison to figures like Namibia’s Rudie van Vuuren, who notably played in the 1999 Rugby World Cup and also dismissed Sachin Tendulkar during the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
Riley Norton’s journey in World Rugby U20 Championships and Cricket U19 World Cup
Riley Norton’s leadership prowess has been particularly evident in the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championships. As the captain of the Junior Springbooks, Norton guided his team through dominant performances, securing victories against Australia (73-17), defending champions England (32-22), and Scotland (73-14) in the group stage. They then triumphed over Argentina 48-24 in the semi-final, earning their spot in the final against New Zealand, set to be played on Sunday, July 20.
While in the 2024 U19 Cricket World Cup, South Africa was at the penultimate level when they reached the semi-finals. Riley Norton showcased his all-round abilities as a fast-bowling all-rounder, picking up 11 wickets at an average of 18.36 and maintaining a batting average of 50, being dismissed only once in three innings. His best performance with the bat came against Sri Lanka, where his 41* steered South Africa to a total of 232, and with the ball he scalped four wickets in that match itself.
Here’s what you need to know about Riley Norton:
Age - 19 years
Date of Birth - January 02, 2006
Role - All-rounder
Batting Style - Left hand Bat
Bowling Style - Right arm medium
Performance in Youth ODIs for South Africa:
Matches - 8
Runs - 116
Batting Average - 38.66
Batting Strike Rate - 61.05
Best performance - 41*
Wickets - 13
Bowling Average - 22.23
Bowling Economy - 4.99
