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World Rugby U20 Championship semi-final pairings confirmed

Spain's Javier Guillermo tackles New Zealand's Cooper Grant (Photo by Nic Bothma/World Rugby)

Defending champions France will play New Zealand next Sunday in the semi-finals of the World Rugby U20 Championship just 10 days after they dramatically lost a pool match to the Baby Blacks with the last kick. Meanwhile, England will take on Ireland in the other semi-final following the outcome of match day three at the tournament in South Africa.

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The French, who are looking to win their fourth World Championship in succession, knew that a bonus-point win over Wales would be enough to qualify them for the last-four as the sole best runner-up from the three tournament pools. They duly delivered in the 4:30pm Athlone kick-off, defeating Wales 29-11 in a Pool A match where they had the four-try bonus point in the bag with a 44th-minute score from No8 Mathis Castro-Ferreira.

That left them waiting on the outcome of the 7pm kick-offs to learn who they would play in the semi-finals and it turned out to be their pool rivals New Zealand, who last week beat them 27-26 with an 80th-minute Rico Simpson penalty kick in Stellenbosch.

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    HITS, BUMPS AND HANDOFFS! | The biggest collisions from the U20s World Championships

    The Kiwis had the four-try bonus point registered as early as the 20th-minute against Spain. The match was abandoned at half-time due to the weather with the score at 45-13, leaving New Zealand to secure the Pool A top spot and also earn the No1 semi-final seeding as England’s late, late win over the Junior Boks came without a four-try bonus.

    England’s match in Athlone was set to end in a draw, which would still have been enough for them to finish as Pool C winners, but they showed incredible patience to score an 86th-minute try through sub James Isaacs to grab the 17-12 win that left them seeded second for the semi-finals.

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    They will now take on third seed Ireland, who were confirmed as Pool B winners without having to kick a ball. Their scheduled 2pm match versus top-spot rivals Australia was cancelled due to the pitch being declared unplayable at that time following a terrible morning of winter weather in the Cape Town region.

    With the game off, both teams were awarded two match points each and that left Ireland on top of the pool with 11 points and the Australians finishing second with eight. Tuesday’s other Pool B result was Georgia 28 Italy 17, while the remaining game in Pool C ended Argentina 52 Fiji 12.

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    World Rugby U20 Championship match day four schedule – Sunday, June 14
    Championship semi-finals: New Zealand (1) vs France (4) – Cape Town Stadium, 7pm; England (2) vs Ireland (3) – Cape Town Stadium, 4:30pm;

    Fifth to eighth place semi-finals: Argentina (5) vs South Africa (8) – Cape Town Stadium, 2pm; Australia (6) vs Wales (7) – Stellenbosch, 7pm;

    Ninth to 12th place semi-finals: Georgia (9) vs Fiji (12) – Stellenbosch, 4:30pm; Italy (10) vs Spain (11) – Stellenbosch, 2pm.

    • Click here to sign up to RugbyPass TV for free live coverage of matches from the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship in countries that don’t have an exclusive local host broadcaster deal

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    Comments

    11 Comments
    T
    Turlough 269 days ago

    With only 4 to qualify the U20 pools can throw up a very hazardous 2nd pool match for qualification contenders. Say a contender (won first pool match) plays a decent team who lost the first pool match. The team who lost are in a do or die situation. They MUST win, against a superior opponent. Its EVERYTHING INTO THE FIRE. Now look at the contender, their attitude is to MANAGE a win.
    What is the result of this mismatch in attitude?
    Argentina beat SA, Italy beat Australia and Ireland survived with last gasp injury time score against Georgia.
    Lessons for managers but interesting to observe how important the attitude that’s occupying the team ‘hive mind' can be to a result.

    A
    Andrew 269 days ago

    Gee. Meeting France again? Some reward for finishing top?

    T
    Turlough 269 days ago

    England-SA was a tough, wet, great match. England’s determination to win was exceptional. Irish supporter but England are a real real team. Reminiscent of the adaptive rolling decision making of the great 2003 senior team. Ireland drew with them away in the 6N but England have improved.
    The only caveat is that England may have more of a fatigue issue as Ireland/Australia match was called off.
    In the other semi I think NZ might not have wanted to see France again so soon after their narrow win. Should be a great match but they will have France’s full attention and best perfromance this time.
    England-France final and anyone’s guess then.

    B
    Benn 270 days ago

    The baby blacks v Spain match was abandoned at half time due to the weather

    D
    Dave 270 days ago

    Any reason rugby pass TV isn't playing the full under 20s game at least until half time All Blacks v Spain??

    T
    Troy 270 days ago

    Well done to the entire set up for clawing back some credibility at this level. We've not given due respect in the recent past and lost our mana internationally because of it. They appeared to have learnt their lesson and are back at the top echelon of this age group.
    Let's go Black.

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    J
    JW 4 hours ago
    Why NZR's Ineos settlement may be the most important victory they'll enjoy this year

    It really all depends of how much overseas players would be paid (by NZR) to play for the All Blacks. I’ve not heard a peep on this front from any author suggesting it’s a good idea.


    If it’s nothing (a player gets his weekly paycheck from the club and thats it (which we know is definitely not the case in Ireland and France, or SA even I think?), then maybe it would retain more SR level players given that they’ll be getting the “AB” component (which is about where things stand, Burke for instance would have had to had his Sader contract upgraded to an AB one (think above Pero levels) to be on similar money.


    I’d having to imagine if a player is getting paid to do nothing over the international windows though, they are going to want to get paid extra for appear for the ABs, so in this situation, it’s hard to see many players being retained, yes.


    I’m pretty sure they flew to Japan and met in person.


    I’ve heard/had these discussions numerous times. I don’t think theres anyway to judge the interest that would be retain in SR. For one, it might be a more entertaining league as a result, as the JRLO is compared to Europe, despite it obviously being a lesser standard.


    If SRP is of a lesser standard and now able to use Japanese and American players to bolster teams, perhaps those markets more than make up for the downturn in NZ and Aus? Perhaps it gives NZR flexibility to create a more fit for purpose interdomestic competition, and interest actually increases? All you might need is a proper pathway from school to pro?


    Razor asked NZR to keep an open mind. Did NZR answer any of these questions to themself?

    24 Go to comments
    J
    JW 5 hours ago
    Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

    Yeah of course it can be, it manages a good commerical outcome when 100 million people are following it. I’m saying rugby is no where near even remotely close to getting the payoff you’re talking about, never mind the distinct lack of anyway to implement it.


    So you’re going for the dirty approach. I’m not surprised, it’s the only way to easily implement it right now. I wouldn’t see the benefit to doing that myself. A draft, if purely feasible in it’s own right, doesn’t need to provide commercial benefit at all (if it works, that’s all it needs to do, as it no doubt did back in america’s heyday). But without the advantageous backing of sponsors and interest levels, if you pick the wrong method to implement it, like a dirty approach, you do potential harm to it’s acceptance.


    The aspect’s of the approach you chose that I don’t like, is that the franchises are the ones spending the money of the U20’s only for there opposition to get first dibs. Personally, I would much prefer an investment into a proper pathway (which I can’t really see SR U20s being at all in anycase). I’m not exactly sure how the draft works in america, but I’m pretty sure it’s something like ‘anyone whishing to be pro has to sign for the draft’, and results in maybe 10 or 20% of those being drafted. The rest (that accumulative 80/90% year on year) do go back into club, pronvincial, or whatever they have there, and remain scouted and options to bring in on immediate notice for cover etc. You yes, you draw on everybody, but what is generating your interest in the drafties in the first plaec?


    This is your missing peace. If some come through school and into the acadamies, which would be most, you’ve currently got three years of not seeing those players after they leave school. Those that miss and come in through club, maybe the second year theyre in the draft or whatever, aged 20/21, you’re going to have no clue how they’ve been playing. NPC is a high level, so any that are good enough to play that would already be drafted, but some late bloomers you might see come in NPC but then Sky’s not going to broadcast that anymore. So what’s generating this massive interest you’re talking about, and most importantly, how does it tie in with the other 7 clubs that will be drafting (and providing) players outside of NZ?


    Is the next step to pump tens of millions into SRP U20s? That would be a good start for investment in the youth (to get onto international levels of pathway development) in the first place but are fans going to be interested to the same level as what happens in america? Baseball, as mentioned, has the minor leagues, if we use that model it hasn’t to be broad over the whole pacific, because you’re not having one draft right, they all have to play against each other. So here they get drafted young and sent out into a lower level thats more expansive that SR, is there interest in that? There would be for large parts, but how financially viable would it be. Twiggy tried to get a league started and NPC clubs joined. BOP and Taranaki want SR representation, do we have a mix of the biggest clubs and provinces/states make a couple of divisions? I think that is far more likely to fan interest and commerical capabilities than an U20 of the SR teams. Or ofc Uni fits a lot of options. I’ve not really read anything that has tried to nut out the feasability of a draft, it can certainly work if this spitballing is anything to go by, but I think first theres got to be a need for it far above just being a drafting level.

    36 Go to comments
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