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Trophy win allows Japan Under-20s rejoin the world's elite in 2020 age-grade championship
The World Rugby Under-20 Trophy, the second tier of global age-grade rugby, has proven to be a good breeding ground for talent in recent years, despite the competing sides not boasting the player pools or the resources of their counterparts in the World Rugby Under-20 Championship.
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The tournament, plus targeted funding from World Rugby, has allowed Georgia to establish themselves within the Championship after years of coming close in the Trophy. Last year’s promoted side, Fiji, were also able to avoid relegation in June, as Scotland were condemned to at least a year in the Trophy in their place.
Scotland will now join the hosts, which RugbyPass understands could be Spain, in next year’s Trophy, as well as the regional qualifiers from each continent. Teams such as Uruguay, Hong Kong, Portugal and Canada are regular participants, while the Oceania Rugby qualifier will be a shootout between Tonga and Samoa.
One team Scotland will not be joining in the Trophy, however, is Japan. The Asian side secured qualification back to the Championship on Sunday, beating Portugal in a nail-biting 35-34 win at the Estadio Martins Pereira, just outside São Paulo.
This will be the fourth time that Japan have competed in the Championship, with the Baby Blossoms having only ever spent one-year stints in the competition as they have been immediately relegated back to the Trophy.
Japan are your #WorldRugbyU20s Trophy champions! pic.twitter.com/ZojB0cz1zy
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 21, 2019
Japan will be hoping to buck that trend in Italy, hosts for the 2020 tournament, as they also seek to use the legacy of the 2019 Rugby World Cup to help catapult Japanese rugby to a level where they can consistently compete with tier one nations.
Two of the stars of this Japanese side, Shota Fukui and Halatoa Vailea, will graduate from under-20 rugby this year and head coach Yoshitake Mizuma will need to find new difference-makers to lean upon next season. In fact, a total of 20 players from this year’s squad will no longer be eligible in 2020, giving Mizuma plenty of work to do over the next ten months.
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World Rugby U20 Trophy 2019 – Japan U20 v Portugal U20 https://t.co/PMRjCHDuSh
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 21, 2019
As celebrations went on in Japan, there was frustration in Portugal as the European side came within inches of qualifying for the Championship. Had they been able to, they would have been the only non-tier one European side, apart from Georgia, to qualify for the Championship in its 12-year history.
With a number of their key players returning for next year, Portugal will be among the favourites to qualify again for the Trophy, where they would join Scotland and, if they are granted rights to host the tournament, Spain, in a competition that looks like it will have a very European flavour.
WATCH: The latest RugbyPass documentary, Foden – Stateside, looks at how ex-England international Ben Foden is settling into Major League Rugby in New York
Comments on RugbyPass
“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to comments