World Rugby U20 Championship 2023: Pool A preview

As the World Rugby U20 Championship kicks off, here’s an historic overview and a preview of the participating teams.

U20 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM PREVIEW

FRANCE

Seeding for 2023: 1
Tournaments played: 12 (2008-19)
Best finish: Champions (2018, 2019)
Worst finish: Ninth (2016)
U20 Championship match record: Played 60 / Won 40 / Drawn 1 / Lost 19
U20 Championship points/tries scored: 1,651 / 202

U20 graduates: 83
Most capped U20 graduate: Gaël Fickou (79 tests)

Did you know …? France were involved in the only draw in World Rugby U20 Championship history, 23-23 against South Africa in the pool stage of the 2017 edition in Georgia.

Captain: Lenni Nouchi

Coach: Sébastien Calvet
Calvet has been involved in coaching for the best part of a quarter of a century and is currently the technical director of the FFR’s Nouvelle Aquitaine. He has previously been head coach of both the France U18 and France U19 teams and has Top 14 coaching experience with Montauban. 

ALSO READ: Players to watch at World Rugby U20 Championship

WALES

Seeding for 2023:6
Tournaments played: 12 (2008-19)
Best finish: Runners-up (2013)
Worst finish: Seventh (2010, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018)
U20 Championship match record: Played 60 / Won 35 / Lost 25
U20 Championship points/tries scored: 1,531 / 181

U20 graduates: 71
Most capped U20 graduate: Dan Biggar (111 – 107 Wales, four British and Irish Lions)

Did you know …? A certain Sam Warburton, who would go on to captain the senior Wales side as well as the British and Irish Lions, scored Wales’ first points in what was then known as the IRB Junior World Championships, scoring a try against Italy in the inaugural tournament in 2008.

Captain: Ryan Woodman

Coach: Mark Jones
Jones is a former Wales international, capped 47 times on the wing. He steps in for Byron Hayward who tendered his resignation as Lead Pathway Coach at the WRU. His varied and much-travelled coaching career includes stints with Namibia and the Crusaders in New Zealand as well as a spell as an assistant with the senior men’s Wales team in 2013. 

ALSO READ: World Rugby to introduce use of smart ball technology at U20 Championship

NEW ZEALAND

Seeding for 2023: 7
Tournaments played:> 12 (2008-19)
Best finish: Champions (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2017)
Worst finish: Seventh (2019)
U20 Championship match record: Played 60 / Won 49 / Lost 11
U20 Championship points/tries scored: 2,526 / 352

U20 graduates: 64 (63 Championship, one Trophy)
Most capped U20 graduate: Sam Whitelock (143 tests)

Did you know …? New Zealand won their first 21 matches in a row on the U20 Championship stage before Wales ended their run with a 9-6 victory in Stellenbosch, South Africa, in 2012

Captain: Noah Hotham

Coach: Clark Laidlaw
Laidlaw’s time as the Junior All Blacks head coach is only going to be short-lived as his new role as Hurricanes head coach in Super Rugby Pacific starts once the tournament is over.

Laidlaw comes into the U20 Championship fresh from six years as head coach of the All Blacks Sevens, winning two HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series titles and a Commonwealth Games gold medal in that time.

The 45-year-old is the son of former Scotland and British and Irish Lions scrum-half, Roy Laidlaw, and the cousin of recent Scotland captain Greig, and has his own international playing pedigree as a former Scotland Sevens player. He moved to New Zealand in 2008, which is when his coaching career began.

ALSO READ: South Africa to host next two World Rugby U20 Championship

JAPAN

Seeding for 2023: 12
Tournaments played: 5 (2008-09, 2015-16, 2018)
Best finish: 10th (2015)
Worst finish: 15th (2008, 2009 – 16 teams in tournament)
U20 Championship match record: Played 25 / Won 3 / Lost 22
U20 Championship points/tries scored: 447 / 67

U20 graduates: 51 (23 Championship and 28 Trophy)
Most capped U20 graduate: Michael Leitch (78)

Did you know…? Japan regained their place in the top-tier competition by beating Portugal in the World Rugby U20 Trophy final in Brazil in 2019. But pandemic delays meant they had to wait until this year for their Championship return.

Captain: Yoshiki Omachi

Coach: Rob Penney
Penney was announced as Japan U20 head coach in December 2022. The 59-year-old New Zealander has an extensive coaching CV, at home and overseas, including spells as head coach at Munster and the NSW Waratahs. Penney also led the Junior All Blacks to the final of the World Rugby U20 Championship 2012 where they were beaten by South Africa. Penney is very familiar with Japanese rugby having held various positions at club level, including his current advisory role with Japan Rugby League One team, the Urayasu D-Rocks.

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THE U20 CHAMPS TROPHY