The 12 best U20 teams will be on display in Italy from the end of next week, where England and New Zealand will be looking to extend their impressive records, while France will hope to continue their recent form and South Africa look to buck their semi-final misfortunes...
Where is it?
Rugby’s future stars will play matches across four cities in the Lombardia and Veneto regions of Italy – Calvisano, Rovigo, Verona and Viadana.
What are the dates?
The tournament runs from 29 June up to the final on 19 July.
Matchday 1: Sunday, 29 June
Matchday 2: Friday, 4 July
Matchday 3: Wednesday, 9 July
Matchday 4: Monday, 14 July
Matchday 5: Saturday, 19 July
MATCH DAY 1
South Africa v Australia:
Perhaps the most eye-catching of the opening round of games. South Africa will have revenge on their minds after going down 29-24 to Australia in the recent U20 Rugby Championship having led 17-0 [pictured]. The Babyboks will also be looking to make up for a disappointing 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship, where they could only manage a seventh-place finish on home soil.
Australia, meanwhile, missed out on the chance to reach the semi-finals when their pool match against Ireland was rained off. They are a team on the rise, however, going unbeaten in the 2025 Rugby Championship, losing out on the title to New Zealand on points difference after a draw between the two teams.
The Junior Wallabies feature Queensland Reds star Dre Pakeho in squad and also welcome sevens stars Aden Ekanayake and Sid Harvey back into in the squad.
South Africa team: 15 Gilermo Mentoe, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 Demitre Erasmus, 12 Albie Bester, 11 Siyabonga Ndlozi, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Haashim Pead, 8 Wandile Mlaba, 7 Bathobele Hlekani, 6 Xola Nyali, 5 JJ Theron, 4 Riley Norton (captain), 3 Herman Lubbe, 2 Siphosethu Mnebelele, 1 Simphiwe Ngobese
Replacements: 16 Jaundre Schoeman, 17 Oliver Reid, 18 Jean Erasmus, 19 Jaco Grobbelaar, 20 Matt Romano, 21 Erich Visser, 22 Ian van der Merwe, 23 Jaco Williams
Australia team: 1. Finn Baxter (ACT Brumbies, Gungahlin Eagles), 2. Lipina Ata (ACT Brumbies, Gungahlin Eagles), 3. Trevor King (Queensland Reds, Souths), 4. Charlie Brosnan (Queensland Reds, Brothers), 5. Eamon Doyle (c) (NSW Waratahs, Sydney University), 6. Eli Langi (ACT Brumbies, Tuggeranong Vikings), 7. Tom Robinson (Queensland Reds, University of Queensland), 8. Beau Morrison (ACT Brumbies, Sydney University), 9. Hwi Sharples (NSW Waratahs, Sydney University), 10. Joey Fowler (NSW Waratahs, Sydney University), 11. Shane Wilcox (ACT Brumbies, Tuggeranong Vikings), 12. Boston Fakafanua (Western Force, Wests Scarborough), 13. Xavier Rubens (Queensland Reds, Souths), 14. Cooper Watters (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs), 15. Sid Harvey (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs)
Replacements: 16. Ollie Barrett (Western Force, Associates RUFC), 17. Nathaniel Tiitii (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs), 18. Edwin Langi (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs), 19. Joe Mangelsdorf (NSW Waratahs, Sydney University), 20. Toby Brial (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs), 21. Aden Ekanayake (Australia Sevens), 22. James Martens (Queensland Reds, GPS Rugby Club), 23. Joe Dillon (ACT Brumbies, Canberra Royals)
Wales v Argentina:
Size matters in rugby. Just ask Wales, their men’s team’s recent record run of defeats underpinned, according to most experts, by a lack of power, particularly in the forwards. No such problems for their current batch of U20s, who boast several giants up front, including Exeter Chiefs’ 207cm, 117kg second-row Luke Evans.
Head coach Richard Whiffin believes his balanced squad can mix it with the biggest and best teams this summer, no doubt buoyed by Wales U20s’ backs-to-the-wall victory against England in this year’s Six Nations, denying their rivals across the Severn Bridge a Grand Slam in the process.
First up, they face an Argentina team who finished fourth in this year’s U20 Rugby Championship, close defeats against South Africa and Australia coming either side of a thrashing by the All Blacks. But the Pumitas come into this tournament off the back of four warm-up victories, and hoping to build on last year’s fifth place.
Argentina team: 1 RODRIGUEZ Juan Ignacio (Liceo RC), 2 LEDESMA AROCENA, Tadeo (SIC), 3 RAPETTI, Tomás (Alumni), 4 DUCLOS Tomás (Los Tordos RC), 5 GARCÍA IANDOLINO, Álvaro (Los Tordos RC), 6 DANDE, Tomás (Huirapuca), 7 NEYRA, Santiago (Alumni), 8 GARCÍA CAMPOS, Agustín (Regatas BV), 9 CORLETO, Félix (CUBA), 10 BENEDIT, Rafael (CUBA), 11 LESCANO, Baptist (CAE), 12 LEDESMA, Felipe (captain) (SIC), 13 COLL Pedro (Tigres RC), 14 SILVA Timothy (SIC), 15 SENILLOSA, Pascal (Hindu)
Replacements: 16 OTAÑO, Jerónimo (Los Tordos RC), 17 STRAP Diego (CAE), 18 GALVAN, Gael (Pucará), 19 FREIRIA, Valentino (Mariano Moreno), 20 STOREY, Pampa (CASI), 21 GRIFFO, Fabricio (Palermo Bajo), 22 FERNANDEZ MIRANDA, Ramon (Hindu), 23 VIEYRA, Aquiles (Alumni)
New Zealand v Italy:
When Jono Gibbes left his role as head coach to join Chiefs in Super Rugby, New Zealand U20s seemed to have found the perfect replacement in Milton Haig, especially after the experienced globetrotter led the Baby Blacks to this year’s Rugby Championship title, albeit on points difference after they conceded an injury-time try to draw with Australia. But Haig departed soon after, saying he didn’t feel “fully aligned” with the rest of his coaching group.
All of which makes the opening game against hosts Italy look even more difficult. The Azzurrini have beaten all the big teams apart from New Zealand and England at U20 level but have never been able to string these results together. There would be no better time, with men’s senior captain Michele Lamarro, who led the team at the 2018 U20 Championship, urging the class of 2025 to “fully embrace the moment”.
New Zealand Team: 1 Sika Pole, 2 Manumaua Letiu (c), 3Logan Wallace, 4 Xavier Treacy, 5 Jayden Sa, 6 Finn McLeod, 7 Caleb Woodley, 8 Mosese Bason (vc), 9 Dylan Pledger (vc), 10 Will Cole, 11 Stanley Solomon, 12 Jack Wiseman, 13 Cooper Roberts, 14 Frank Vaenuku, 15 Rico Simpson.
Replacements: 16 Shaun Kempton, 17 Dane Johnston, 18 Robson Faleafā, 19 Randall Baker, 20 Micah Fale, 21 Jai Tamati, 22 Tayne Harvey, 23 Harlyn Saunoa.
