Trans-Tasman rivals paired up for U20 World Championship
The future stars of rugby will converge on Italy for the 13th edition of the World Rugby U20 Championship from 28 June to 18 July, 2020 after World Rugby and the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) announced the schedule.
The world’s 12 best teams will compete across five match days in northern Italy, bidding to succeed France as champions with the winners to be crowned in Parma on 18 July.
The teams taking part in the premier age-grade tournament have been divided into three pools of four with the medallists from 2019 the top seeds in France, runners-up Australia and bronze medallists South Africa.
Then, in order to ensure a split of two northern and two southern hemisphere teams in each pool, the remaining teams have been seeded and placed accordingly in a snake format. The team promoted from the World Rugby U20 Trophy is considered a southern hemisphere team.
The pool matches will be played in Verona’s brand new Payanini Center, Viadana’s Stadio Sergio Zaffanella and Peroni Stadium in Calvisano, home of the reigning Italian national champions.
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While Verona will host matches for the first time, Viadana, Parma and Calvisano did so when Italy last hosted the U20 Championship in 2015 and all three will stage the play-off rounds.
Two-time defending champions France are joined in Pool A by Argentina, Ireland and Japan, the latter returning to the tournament after winning the World Rugby U20 Trophy 2019.
Australia will face six-time champions New Zealand, Wales and Georgia in Pool B, while hosts Italy have been grouped with 2012 winners South Africa, three-time champions England and Fiji in Pool C.
The pools and schedule have been announced for the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy, kicking off on 28 June.https://t.co/BMI6O1zGdW pic.twitter.com/pURpxnt2yx
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) January 14, 2020
The three pool winners and the best runner-up across the pools will progress to the semi-finals and keep alive their hopes of lifting the distinctive trophy.
A total of 690 players have graduated from the U20 Championship to the test arena since it began in 2008, including 16 members of South Africa’s Rugby World Cup 2019 winning squad, among them captain Siya Kolisi, Handré Pollard and World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit.
It will be the third time the U20 Championship has been hosted in Italy with the Veneto region the location for the 2011 edition, when the likes of Beauden Barrett, Brodie Retallick and Sam Cane helped New Zealand win a fourth successive title. New Zealand will be bidding for a third title on Italian soil having also won in 2015.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7T5EgyBGXt/
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Every year the World Rugby U20 Championship showcases the most promising young rugby players and we see year after year graduates from the competition succeeding at the highest level.
“Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan featured 228 players who initially represented their country in this tournament and I invite all rugby fans to follow matches closely for the next rugby stars of tomorrow.
“Italy have proved incredible hosts in the past and we are confident rugby strongholds like Viadana, Calvisano, Verona and Parma will deliver the best possible stage for the tournament.”
‘I’m still young and I thought all this mental health awareness stuff was all rubbish’
– Akira Ioane on how being left out of the All Blacks RWC squad for Japan 2019 hit him very hard https://t.co/6pTcvAMr9B— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 14, 2020
FIR President Alfredo Gavazzi said: “We are delighted to host the World Rugby U20 Championship and the very best players from all around the globe again.The 2011 and 2015 editions had a great impact on our rugby community, attracting fans and new participants to the game, and we look forward to delivering three exciting weeks of competition while bringing the Azzurrini to play in all four host cities.
“Rugby has significantly grown in our country over the last decade and we are proud of what we have achieved in the recent years, consistently placing our U20s among the top 10 teams in the world. We are confident the established pathway for our youngsters is the right one to keep on pushing Italian rugby forward and we sincerely look forward to receiving the future stars of world rugby, offering such a high-profile competition to our growing audience in the country.”
– World Rugby
Former Wales midfielder Jamie Roberts is reportedly poised for shock Super Rugby switch:
Comments on RugbyPass
Wonderful insightful interview with Crusader Johnny McNicoll. He was exceptional in the wins over the Chiefs and Rebels and I am sure he will get a contract again for 2025. He was an excitement machine for Canterbury and the Crusaders in 2011-16 and he still is. He has added to the attack particularly. Had a fine career with Wales in the intervening years.
1 Go to commentsAmazing what decent coaching can do! I always felt Folau never improved much as a player and never had a great coach using his talents. Suli seems different at qld this year.
7 Go to commentsI’m sick to death of waiting 3 years for league players to become half decent. It cripples Australian rugby in the meantime. The Reds actually looked half competent without Vunivalu not starting last week. He’s just a liability of errors. Paisami is looking better than he has in previous years but I’d have Kerevi back in a flash. A kiwi wont tho …...
7 Go to commentsExcellent analysis Nick as we have come to expect. I was not really aware that NFL strategies have been adopted by rugby teams, especially in defence. One point I would make is that the Northhampton attacking player on the end of the chain in the video examples has not maintained the correct depth to be effective. In the footage shown the outside player is too flat to make the best of the opportunity his inside players have provided. In each case they have to reduce speed and turn their body backwards to secure the ball, losing all momentum and giving the impressive scrambling defence the chance to shut down the threat.
1 Go to commentsMorning, John. Do you think that it may be a good idea to rest both teams from the Madrid comp leading in to the Olympics
2 Go to comments« I am preparing myself for much more, something much bigger. I’m focussing on the next cycle, » You don’t say…
1 Go to commentsGeez plenty of time to come right before test season starts. Dont panic mr Mannering!!!!!
1 Go to commentsGreat read Nick. The Reds really have been great to watch this year, and the improvement of not only the players you mention, but the squad in general has been obvious. The Reds 10/12 play making axis is a nice counterpoint to the 10/15 partnership at the Brumbies and Rebels. If Schmidt was to pick say, Lolesio, Paisami and Wright / Kellaway, would this be too many play makers? I notice in a lot of those clips Tim Ryan playing across the field in support of Vunivalu. Is this a feature of Kiss’s structure?
7 Go to commentsSo sad, god rest him. Too young to be gone. RIP
2 Go to commentsRIP big man 🙏
2 Go to commentsThe GB coach. “Just because we don’t get together as much as other teams we don’t use that as an excuse for performances when we don’t hit the mark”. Why mention it at all then?
1 Go to commentsNo mention of the yellow card for Harlequins which really cost them.
3 Go to commentsThought you’d left us Nick. Good to have you back writing for us. So hunter ikitau works? I reckon wright kellaway as two of the back 3. Tim Ryan and Toole looking good for strike winger but I still want the power of korobeiti and figure our forwards still need him to help them out. Million dollar question is who plays 10? I’m thinking Noah for his kicking and combo with wright. Reckon the pair adds up to an attack and kellaway will help. Can you comment on Zac Lucas in Japan? How is he going?
7 Go to commentsMack Hansen, Ethan Roots, Taine Plumbtree, Louis Lynagh, Emmanuel Meafou? Which country do you want to pick your Barbarians from?
3 Go to commentsInstead of apologising, try to act like an adult, fcknut.
3 Go to commentsLooks like the Force twisted his leg…ahem arm
7 Go to commentsScotland should change their name to the Barbarians
3 Go to commentsThe game was already over leave the bloke alone ….from a Welsh fan 😀👍
3 Go to commentsShamefully the Toulouse players acted like footballers, falling down feigning injury at the slightest knock. About time refs penalised this play acting.
8 Go to commentsAnother non Scot for the anti Scot Townsend. Soon there will be no Scottish born and bred players in the National team.
3 Go to comments