New Zealand U20 seeking redemption against France for 2024 semi-final defeat

Stanley Solomon firmly believes that New Zealand is the best team in the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Italy.

However, to overcome three-time winners France in the semi-final, Solomon must stay on the field. The fullback was sent off during last year’s corresponding fixture, resulting in a 55-31 defeat, but the livewire insists he will continue to throw caution to the wind.

“It was disappointing last year. We know France will come out hot; they’re a great side that has performed really well this year. We have to respect them and everything that comes with that,” Solomon told RugbyPass.

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“They have some excellent set-piece moves and are effective in the first few phases, scoring many tries from there. If we can hold them off at set-piece and get into our game – our attacking game – I believe we are the best team in the competition.”

New Zealand delivered a ruthless 69-22 crushing of Ireland in their last Pool C match, achieving their largest win against the Irish since a 69-3 rout in Georgia in 2017. In that match, New Zealand scored 11 tries, with future All Blacks contributing to seven of them: Will Jordan (3), Caleb Clarke (3), and Braydon Ennor.

On Wednesday, New Zealand wingers Frank Vaenuku and Maloni Kunawave combined for three tries and a monumental 238 meters gained, beating 14 defenders and making five line breaks. New Zealand also executed 13 offloads to Ireland’s four, while the Irish missed 35 tackles compared to just 12 for New Zealand. Openside Caleb Woodley led the defensive effort with ten tackles and is New Zealand’s leading defender with 33 tackles throughout the tournament.

“It was a bit worrying at first when we fell behind 12-0, but all we had to do was get the ball and attack,” Woodley said.

“We have a real good attack, and once we started to flow, it felt great to see some of our training come alive in the game. We’re peaking at the right time.”

Woodley knows what it takes to win a major championship. In 2023, he was part of the first Sacred Heart College First XV to win the 1A Auckland championship since 1965, alongside New Zealand Under-20s teammates Rico Simpson, Josh Tengblad, and Tamiano Ahloo.

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“That was a generational side, you could say. I was born in Auckland and still live there; Auckland is home. My mum, Janine, is a relief teacher, and my dad, Rob, is the general manager of the Blues Charitable Trust. It’s pretty cool to see him when I train with the Blues.”

Lock Jayden Sa was born and raised in Christchurch. After the 2011 earthquake, his family relocated to Wellington, where he switched from rugby league to rugby at Poneke.

He returned to Shirley Intermediate and was offered a scholarship to Christ’s College, which he credits as the real beginning of his rugby journey. Softly spoken, diligent, and athletic, he made the New Zealand Secondary Schools team from the First XV in 2022, thriving under the coaching of former All Blacks captain Reuben Thorne.

“I was very close to my nana growing up, but after the earthquake, we had to move, which put a lot of stress on our family,” Sa revealed.

“That taught me not to take anything for granted. I was lucky to get a scholarship to Christ’s, and it was an amazing opportunity. Playing in the big match against Christchurch Boys’ was special; the crowd was huge.”

Sa won a Super Rugby Under-20s title with the Crusaders and caught the attention of NPC side Taranaki. In 2024, he was called up as an injury replacement for Tom Franklin and played eight games, scoring two tries in a 33-31 victory against Manawatu and helping win the Ranfurly Shield from Tasman 42-29 in Nelson.

Solomon was part of the Premiership-winning Wellington, playing nine games for eight wins.

France won the Under-20 Six Nations this year and the World Championship, where they have a record of 51 wins in 73 games, in 2018, 2019, and 2023.

France and New Zealand are tied three-all in tournament history and two-all in semi-finals. France has defeated Spain (49-11), Wales (35-21), and Argentina (52-26) to reach the 2025 semi-finals. The Tricolores have scored 20 tries in three matches, marking the best attack behind South Africa (26), while the Baby Blacks have 19. Defensively, New Zealand is the most formidable team, having conceded just seven tries, while France impressed with a broken tackle rate of 34.6%.

For New Zealand, Stanley Solomon, Rico Simpson, Dylan Pledger, Mosese Bason, Manumaua Letiu, and Sika Pole return from the 2024 semi seeking redemption.