What is U20 rugby?

The World Rugby U20 Championship and U20 Trophy return in 2023 for the first time since the pandemic. South Africa will host the 12-team U20 Championship from 24 June to 14 July, before Kenya stages the U20 Trophy, featuring eight teams, from 15-30 July.

The World Rugby U20 Championship (known as the IRB Junior World Championship until 2014) is an international competition between the 12 best Under-20 men’s sides on the planet and is organized by the sport’s governing body, World Rugby. This event, which replaced the IRB’s former age-grade world championships, the U19 and U21 World Championships, returns in 2023 after it was last played in 2019 before the pandemic. The 2023 and 2024 Championships will be hosted in South Africa.

The inaugural tournament was held in June 2008, hosted by Wales, and with 16 teams participating. The number of participating nations was reduced to 12 before the 2010 tournament due to financial reasons. The U20 Championship is the upper level of the World Rugby tournament structure for national Under-20 sides – a second-tier competition, the U20 Trophy, features eight teams. The Junior Springboks won the title in 2012 when the tournament was hosted in South Africa. New Zealand (6), England (3), and France (2) are the other previous winners of the title.