Scotland discover World U20 opponents as tournament is expanded, rebranded
Sixteen teams will head to Georgia in summer
Scotland Under-20s will face Italy, New Zealand and Japan at the World Rugby Junior World Championship in Georgia this summer as the tournament undergoes a rebrand.
The dates, pools and match schedule have been announced for the expanded competition which will now boast 16 teams, up from 12 in 2025.
There is also a new name, although it is a throwback to the old moniker with ‘Junior World Championship’ replacing ‘World Rugby U20 Championship’.
Scotland made their return to the elite tournament last summer after a five-year exile and this year they have been drawn in Pool B. Now under the leadership of Fergus Pringle, who has taken over from Kenny Murray as head coach, the young Scots are ranked 10th.
They open their campaign against Italy U20 in Kutaisi on June 27, then face New Zealand U20 at the same venue on July 2. Their final Pool B game is against Japan U20, also in Kutaisi, on July 7.
Tackle height trial
The four pool winners will progress to the semi-finals, while second-placed teams will compete for fifth to eighth place. Third and fourth-placed teams will contest rankings from ninth to 12th and 13th to 16th respectively, with seeding based on pool-stage competition points.
“Expanding to 16 teams underlines our ambition to grow the game globally and provide more opportunities for emerging talent to experience world-class rugby,” said World Rugby chair Brett Robinson.
It will be the first international competition to feature a trial of lowering the tackle height, an initiative designed to enhance safety and reduce head contact which has already been trialed at community and domestic levels.
Pringle was appointed Scotland U20 head coach in November, stepping up from his previous role as assistant coach. He will be assisted by two experienced former scrum-halves in Greig Laidlaw and Sean Kennedy.
The long-serving Murray has taken up a new role at Scottish Rugby as National Talent Pathway Lead. Murray steered Scotland U20 to victory in the second-tier the World Rugby U20 Trophy competition in 2024, a success that earned the team’s promotion to the top tier.
Last summer Scotland finished 10th in the elite World Rugby U20 Championship.
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