The World Rugby U20 Championship returns to South Africa in June and July when the 12 best Under-20 teams will battle it out for global supremacy, with France defending the title they won in Cape Town last year, while the Junior Springboks will look to improve on their bronze medal from 2023.
The tournament kicks off on 29 June in Cape Town at DHL Stadium and Athlone Stadium, with the next two pool match days scheduled for 4 and 9 July. The play-offs – including the semi-finals for the top four sides – will be played on 14 July, with the final and placing matches on 19 July.
The venues for the matches will be the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, as well as Athlone Stadium and the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, and tickets – priced at R35 (for children 18 years old and younger) and R75 for adults – will be on sale from Ticketmaster from Friday. Tickets are for an entire match day and include three encounters at every venue.
The Junior Boks are in Pool C with England, Argentina and Fiji; Pool A consists of France, Wales, New Zealand and Spain; and Ireland, runners up in 2023, Australia, Georgia and Italy are in Pool B.
Three-time champions France will begin their title defence against Pool A opponents and World Rugby U20 Trophy 2023 winners Spain at Cape Town Stadium on 29 June. The Junior Springboks finished third at the last edition on home soil and will look to draw inspiration from their Rugby World Cup winning senior team to go all the way and be crowned U20 champions for the first time since 2012.
The tournament will be available to watch everywhere on the planet, either through local broadcast partners in South Africa (Supersport), France (L’Équipe TV), New Zealand (Sky NZ) and Fiji (Fiji Broadcasting Corporation), or via RugbyPass TV which will broadcast all matches of the competition for free in markets without exclusive deals.
SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer said: “Last year’s tournament was an unforgettable experience and we’re expecting more of the same this year. With the recent U20 Rugby Championship, we saw how closely matched the four Sanzaar teams were and it was the same in the U20 Six Nations, where England emerged victorious.
“To host the next generation of superstars next month is a great privilege and we can’t wait to welcome their families, friends and fans to South Africa.
“The World Rugby U20 Championship plays an important role in the global rugby picture and is key in promoting and growing the game, while we are also excited to unearth the next generation of Springboks.”
The World Rugby U20 Championship 2024 will be the first international competition to feature the three new law amendments implemented to promote ball in flow and diversity of attacking options, while supporting player welfare.
These are that players will no longer be put onside when an opponent catches the ball from a kick in open play and runs five metres, players must make an attempt to retreat; scrums will no longer be an option from free-kicks; and the banning of the crocodile roll.
A package of six law trials will also operate, including the simplified red card sanction process, approved by the World Rugby Executive Board.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “The World Rugby U20 Championship is the pinnacle of age-grade rugby, and it continues to be a key part of World Rugby’s investment in increasing the competitiveness of global rugby by providing a meaningful pathway to the elite level for talented young players.
“The South African Rugby Union were incredible hosts in 2023 and we are confident that they will deliver an outstanding experience for players and fans alike. We are also very excited to see the new law amendments which will improve the on-field spectacle for anyone watching, promoting an exciting attacking brand of rugby.”
World Rugby U20 Championship fixtures
Saturday, 29 June
DHL Stadium
2pm: France v Spain
4.30pm: Ireland v Italy
7pm: South Africa v Fiji
Athlone Stadium
2pm: England v Argentina
4.30pm: Australia v Georgia
7pm: Wales v New Zealand
Thursday, 4 July
Danie Craven Stadium
2pm: Ireland v Georgia
4.30pm: France v New Zealand
7pm: South Africa v Argentina
Athlone Stadium
2pm: Wales v Spain
4.30pm: England v Fiji
7pm: Australia v Italy
Tuesday, 9 July
Athlone Stadium
2pm: Ireland v Australia
4.30pm: France v Wales
7pm: South Africa v England
Danie Craven Stadium
2pm: Argentina v Fiji
4.30pm: Georgia v Italy
7pm: New Zealand v Spain
Sunday, 14 July
Danie Craven Stadium
2pm: 10th seed v 11th seed (match 19)
4.30pm: 9th seed v 12th seed (match 20)
7pm: 6th seed v 7th seed (match 21)
DHL Stadium
2pm: 5th seed v 8th seed (match 22) #
4.30pm: 2nd seed v 3rd seed (semi-final – match 23)
7pm: 1st seed v 4th seed (semi-final – match 24)
Friday, 19 July
Athlone Stadium
12pm: Loser Match 19 v Loser Match 20
2.30pm: Winner Match 19 v Winner Match 20
5pm: Loser Match 21 v Loser Match 22
DHL Stadium
2pm: Winner Match 21 v Winner Match 22 #
4.30pm: Loser Match 23 v Loser Match 24 (bronze medal match)
7pm: Winner Match 23 v Winner Match 24 (final)
# On both play-off days, the Junior Boks will play the first match at DHL Stadium no matter what position they are playing for, unless involved in the semi-finals or the medal matches, in which case they will play in the corresponding fixture.
World Rugby U20 Championship match official panel
Referees: Takehito Namekawa (Japan), Saba Abulashvili (Georgia), Federico Vedovelli (Italy), Reuben Keane (Australia), Jérémy Rozier (France), Morné Ferreira (South Africa), Adam Jones (Wales), Sam Grove-White (Scotland), Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa).
Television Match Officials: Matteo Liperini (Italy), Mark Patton (Ireland), Mike Adamson (Scotland), Damon Murphy (Australia)*, Tual Trainini (France)*, Ian Tempest (England)*, Ben Whitehouse (Wales)*, Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)*, Andrew Jackson (England)*, Quinton Immelman (South Africa)*.
* Will attend part of tournament
Additional reporting from World Rugby.
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