World Rugby U20 Championship

World Rugby U20 Championship

Sport	Rugby union
Inaugural season	2008
Number of teams	12
Holders	England (2024)
Most titles	New Zealand (6 titles)
Website	world.rugbyu20
Related competition	World Rugby U20 Trophy

The World Rugby Under 20 Championship (known as the IRB Junior World Championship until 2014) is an international rugby union competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, World Rugby, and is contested by 12 men's junior national teams with an under-20 age requirement. This event replaced the IRB's former age-grade world championships, the Under 19 and Under 21 World Championships.

The inaugural tournament was held in June 2008, hosted by Wales and with 16 teams participating. Wales was announced as host for the inaugural tournament in November 2007.^[1] The number of participating nations was reduced to 12 before the 2010 tournament due to financial reasons.^[2]

The U20 Championship is the upper level of the World Rugby tournament structure for under-20 national sides. At the same time that the U20 Championship was launched, World Rugby (then known as the International Rugby Board) also launched a second-level competition, the U20 Trophy, featuring eight teams.

Promotion and relegation between the Trophy and the Championship is in place. The winner of the Trophy will play in next year's Championship, while the last placed team at the Championship will be relegated to the Trophy for the next year.

Year	Host			Final			Third place match
			Winner	Score	Runner-up		3rd place	Score	4th place
2008	Wales		New Zealand	38–3	England		South Africa	43–18	Wales
2009	Japan		New Zealand	44–28	England		South Africa	32–5	Australia
2010	Argentina		New Zealand	62–17	Australia		South Africa	27–22	England
2011	Italy		New Zealand	33–22	England		Australia	30–17	France
2012	South Africa		South Africa	22–16	New Zealand		Wales	25–17	Argentina
2013	France		England	23–15	Wales		South Africa	41–34	New Zealand
2014	New Zealand		England	21–20	South Africa		New Zealand	45–23	Ireland
2015	Italy		New Zealand	21–16	England		South Africa	31–18	France
2016	England		England	45–21	Ireland		Argentina	49–19	South Africa
2017	Georgia		New Zealand	64–17	England		South Africa	37–15	France
2018	France		France	33–25	England		South Africa	40–30	New Zealand
2019	Argentina		France	24–23	Australia		South Africa	41–16	Argentina
Tournament canceled 2020–2022.[3][4][5]
2023	South Africa	France	50–14	Ireland	South Africa	22–15	England
2024	South Africa	England	21–13	France	New Zealand	38–24	Ireland

Team	Champions	Runners-up	Third	Fourth	Top 4
New Zealand	6 (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2017)	1 (2012)	2 (2014, 2024)	2 (2013, 2018)	11
England	4 (2013, 2014, 2016, 2024)	6 (2008, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018)	—	2 (2010, 2023)	12
France	3 (2018, 2019, 2023)	1 (2024)	—	3 (2011, 2015, 2017)	7
South Africa	1 (2012)	1 (2014)	9 (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023)	1 (2016)	12
Australia	—	2 (2010, 2019)	1 (2011)	1 (2009)	4
Ireland	—	2 (2016, 2023)	—	2 (2014, 2024)	4
Wales	—	1 (2013)	1 (2012)	1 (2008)	3
Argentina	—	—	1 (2016)	2 (2012, 2019)	3

Team 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2023 2024 2025 Years  Argentina 8th 11th 6th 9th 4th 6th 9th 9th 3rd 11th 6th 4th 9th 5th 15  Australia 5th 4th 2nd 3rd 8th 7th 5th 5th 6th 6th 5th 2nd 5th 6th 15  Canada 12th 14th WT WT WT WT WT WT - WT WT WT — — — 2  England 2nd 2nd 4th 2nd 7th 1st 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd 5th 4th 1st 15  Fiji 14th 12th 8th 6th 11th 11th 12th WT WT WT WT 11th 10th 12th WT 10  France 6th 5th 5th 4th 6th 5th 6th 4th 9th 4th 1st 1st 1st 2nd 15  Georgia WT — — WT WT - WT WT 10th 10th 9th 10th 8th 9th 7  Ireland 9th 8th 9th 8th 5th 8th 4th 7th 2nd 9th 11th 8th 2nd 4th 15  Italy 11th 13th WT 11th 12th WT 11th 11th 11th 8th 8th 9th 11th 10th 13  Japan 15th 15th WT WT WT WT WT 10th 12th WT 12th WT 12th WT — 6  New Zealand 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 4th 3rd 1st 5th 1st 4th 7th 7th 3rd 15  Samoa 7th 7th 12th WT 10th 9th 8th 12th WT 12th WT — WT WT — 8  Scotland 10th 9th 10th 10th 9th 10th 10th 8th 8th 5th 10th 12th WT WT 13  South Africa 3rd 3rd 3rd 5th 1st 3rd 2nd 3rd 4th 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 7th 15  Spain — — — — — — — — WT — — — WT 11th 2  Tonga 13th 10th 11th 12th WT WT WT WT — — — WT — — — 4  United States 16th WT — WT WT 12th WT — WT — — — WT WT — 2  Uruguay WT 16th WT WT — WT WT WT WT WT WT WT WT WT — 1  Wales 4th 6th 7th 7th 3rd 2nd 7th 6th 7th 7th 7th 6th 6th 8th 15 Total 16 16 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 Legend    = Hosts 1st = Champions 2nd = Runners-up 3rd = Third place 4th = Fourth place Place = Relegated to World Rugby Under 20 Trophy WT = Competed in the World Rugby Under 20 Trophy q = Qualified

Year	Name	Nation
2008	Luke Braid	New Zealand
2009	Aaron Cruden	New Zealand
2010	Julian Savea	New Zealand
2011	George Ford	England
2012	Jan Serfontein	South Africa
2013	Sam Davies	Wales
2014	Handré Pollard	South Africa
2015	James Chisholm	England
2016	Max Deegan	Ireland
2017	Juarno Augustus	South Africa
2018	Jordan Joseph	France
2019	Juan Pablo Castro	Argentina
Cancelled 2020–2022
2023	Marko Gazzotti	France

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