The World Rugby U20 Championship first round Dream Team has been selected.
The side features four New Zealanders, two Englishmen, two Frenchmen, two Italians, an Argentine, a Samoan, an Australian, an Irishman, and one Japanese player.
Two already well known names on the list will be New Zealand’s winger Tevita Li and Ireland’s centre Garry Ringrose, who both made the shortlist for last year’s U20 World Player of the Year. That award eventually went to South African Handre Pollard, who has since gone on to claim the senior Springbok fly half jersey.
England’s two inclusions are Exeter Chiefs’ scrum half Stuart Townsend, who scored a brace against Japan, and Newcastle Falcons’ second row Will Witty, who made a try scoring debut in the 59-7 victory.
The heavy New Zealand representation should come as no surprise after their 68-10 demolition of Scotland, nor should the fact that three of those four players are backs, with the fourth, typically, and openside flanker, Mitchell Karpik.
World Rugby U20 Championship 1st Round Dream Team:
1 P Buonfiglio (Italy)
2 K Horikoshi (Japan)
3 Cristian Bartolini (Argentina)
4 Ned Hanigan (Australia)
5 Will Witty (England)
6 Sekou Macalou (France)
7 Mitchell Karpik (New Zealand)
8 Josh Dowsing (Samoa)
9 Stuart Townsend (England)
10 Mitchell Hunt (New Zealand)
11 Tevita Li (New Zealand)
12 TJ Faiane (New Zealand)
13 Garry Ringrose (Ireland)
14 Yannick Agbasse (Italy)
15 Thomas Ramos (France)
