Round 1 of the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championships saw Group A start with two incredibly impressive performances, while Groups B and C included some absolute classics to kick the tournament off.
Hosts Italy nearly pulled off one of the great upsets, while reigning champions England were flying, likewise 2012 champions South Africa, and the three-time winners France.
Group A
England off to a flyer vs promoted Scotland
England U20 opened their title defence with an emphatic 56–19 win over Scotland in Verona, running in eight tries despite playing the final quarter with 14 men after a red card.
Scotland started fast with an early score from Noah Cowan, but England hit back immediately with a penalty try and never looked back. Jack Bracken scored twice, while Josh Bellamy contributed a try, two conversions, and set up Ben Redshaw late on. England led 42–12 at the break and maintained their dominance despite the red card.
Kane James and Tom Burrow were dominant in the carry, while Ben Coen pulled the strings effectively from fly-half. Scotland managed a late try through Hector Patterson, but England’s class and depth proved overwhelming.
Stats Snapshot
22m Entries: England 17 (3.3 avg), Scotland 6 (3.2 avg)
Line Breaks: England 11, Scotland 4
Post-Contact Metres: England 357m, Scotland 161m
Tackles Missed: England 12, Scotland 29
Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): England 67%, Scotland 43%
Scorers
England: Tries – Bracken (2), Knight, James, Timmins, Coen, Bellamy, Redshaw
Cons – Bellamy (7)
Scotland: Tries – Cowan, Yule, Patterson
Cons – Urwin (2)
South Africa sensation vs Australia with 11-try blitz in Calvisano
South Africa laid down an emphatic marker in their opener, running in eleven tries to dismantle Australia 73–17 in Calvisano. After an even first ten minutes, the Junior Springboks pulled away ruthlessly, exploiting Australian handling errors and poor defensive spacing with lightning-quick transitions and clinical finishing.
Scrum half Hashim Pead opened the scoring with a trademark snipe, and although Sid Harvey replied shortly after for Australia, the floodgates soon opened. South Africa scored five tries in the final 17 minutes of the first half, including long-range efforts finished by Cheswill Jooste and Siyabonga Ndlozi, taking a 33–5 lead into the break.
The Junior Boks picked up where they left off in the second half, dominating the breakdown and punishing every mistake. Fullback Gilermo Mentoe and lock JJ Theron crossed early before Pead grabbed his second. Winger Cooper Watters scored twice in response for Australia, but South Africa fittingly had the last word — Jaco Williams intercepted a pass after the siren and raced clear to finish the rout.
Stats Snapshot
22m Entries: South Africa 17 (4.3 avg), Australia 10 (1.7 avg)
Line Breaks: South Africa 13, Australia 10
Post-Contact Metres: South Africa 468m, Australia 254m
Tackles Missed: South Africa 20, Australia 41
Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): South Africa 50%, Australia 64%
Scorers
South Africa: Tries – Pead (2), Ndlozi (2), Lubbe, Jooste, Mentoe, Theron, Grobbelaar, Nyali, Williams
Cons – Moyo (7), van der Merwe (2)
Australia: Tries – Harvey, Watters (2)
Cons – Harvey
Group B
France power past Spain to start campaign in style
France began their campaign with a dominant 49–11 victory over Spain in Verona, running in eight tries in a commanding performance that showcased their physical edge and attacking cohesion.
An early penalty from Unax Otamendi gave Spain a brief 3–0 lead, but it was short-lived. France hit back immediately through tighthead prop Pierre Baret and, from there, the momentum rarely shifted. Hugo Keletaona was superb scoring a first-half brace and adding a third after the break.
Spain had bright moments, Otamendi crossed after a rare phase of sustained pressure, and winger Pablo Gonzalez dotted down in the second half but they struggled to contain France’s power game and started to slip off tackles. Baptiste Tilloles and Tom Leveque added late tries to round off the second half as France finished the job with a flourish.
Stats Snapshot
22m Entries: France 16 (3.06 avg), Spain 7 (0.71 avg)
Line Breaks: France 4, Spain 3
Post-Contact Metres: France 280m, Spain 209m
Tackles Missed: France 13, Spain 39
Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): France 63%, Spain 57%
Scorers
France: Tries – Baret, Britz, Keletaona (3), Akrab, Tilloles, Leveque
Cons – Keletaona (3), Jurd (2)
Spain: Tries – Otamendi, Gonzalez
Pens – Otamendi
Argentina rally to edge Wales in a back-and-forth game
Argentina overturned a 12-point deficit to defeat Wales 34–27 in Treviso, sealing the match with a 76th-minute try from Agustin Garcia Campos after a fiercely contested game.
Wales made a dream start, earning a penalty try in just the second minute before adding further scores through Steffan Emanuel and Evan Minto, building a 24–12 lead late in the first half. Harri Ford’s accuracy from the tee and Osian Roberts’ distribution helped the Welsh backline find space repeatedly in the opening 40.
Argentina, however, refused to fold. Tries from Tadeo Ledesma Arocena and Tomas Rapetti kept them in touch, and momentum swung in their favour after the break. Silva’s well-taken effort and a second for Rapetti brought the sides level before Benedit’s penalty and Garcia Campos’ late finish sealed the comeback. Wales struggled to regain control in the final 20 minutes, with the pressure from Argentina’s pack and bench impact proving decisive.
Stats Snapshot
22m Entries: Argentina 10 (3.4 avg), Wales 7 (3.0 avg)
Line Breaks: Argentina 8, Wales 6
Post-Contact Metres: Argentina 364m, Wales 266m
Tackles Missed: Argentina 24, Wales 24
Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): Argentina 34%, Wales 39%
Scorers
Argentina: Tries – Ledesma Arocena, Rapetti (2), Silva, Garcia Campos
Cons – Benedit (3)
Pens – Benedit
Wales: Tries – Emanuel, Minto, Penalty Try
Cons – Ford (3)
Pens – Ford (2)
Group C
New Zealand survive Italian scare
New Zealand were made to work hard for a 14–5 win over Italy in the searing Calvisano heat, as they extended their record of never losing an opening fixture at the World Rugby U20 Championship.
A bruising encounter in front of a lively crowd at Pata Stadium saw both teams struggle for fluency in the conditions, but the Kiwi set-piece and a couple of key moments either side of halftime were enough to seal the result.
Early pressure from the visitors yielded a rolling maul try for captain Manumaua Letiu, and after surviving a long spell under pressure, including a yellow card to Stanley Solomon scrum-half Dylan Pledger sniped through to score on the brink of halftime. Will Cole converted both efforts for a 14–0 lead.
Italy struck back after the break through a well-constructed move finished by Niccolo Beni, but the missed conversion left them needing two scores to seal a famous victory. They defended admirably for the remainder of the game and even threatened a late score, but a missed penalty from Gianmarco Pietramala denied them a losing bonus point.
For New Zealand, Pledger, Cole, and Frank Vaenuku were influential in key moments, while Italy’s Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi and Nelson Casartelli offered physicality and spark in broken play.
Stats Snapshot
22m Entries: New Zealand 8 (1.75 avg), Italy 8 (0.63 avg)
Line Breaks: New Zealand 6, Italy 3
Post-Contact Metres: New Zealand 288m, Italy 144m
Tackles Missed: New Zealand 17, Italy 31
Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): New Zealand 48%, Italy 33%
Scorers
New Zealand: Tries – Letiu, Pledger
Cons – Cole (2)
Italy: Try – Beni
Ireland edge past Georgia in physical opener
Ireland kicked their tournament off with a scrappy 35–28 win over Georgia in Calvisano. While they secured the full five points, Ireland’s will be frustrated with plenty of aspects, though after a tough Six Nations campaign they will be delighted to have started with a victory.
Early tries from Paidi Farrell and Henry Walker gave Ireland momentum, but Georgia responded through Gagui Margvelashvili and Giorgi Spanderashvili to make it 18–14 at halftime. Farrell added a second after the break, before Mahon Ronan and Charlie Molony crossed to stretch the lead. Georgia hit back in the final minutes, but couldn’t close the gap.
Stats Snapshot
22m Entries: Ireland 6 (4.8 avg), Georgia 11 (2.5 avg)
Line Breaks: Ireland 8, Georgia 4
Turnovers Won: Ireland 7, Georgia 3
Tackles Missed: Ireland 20, Georgia 18
Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): Ireland 42%, Georgia 35%
Scorers
Ireland: Tries – Farrell (2), Walker, Ronan, Molony
Cons – McErlean (5)
Georgia: Tries – Margvelashvili, Spanderashvili (2), Kheladze
Cons – Lomidze (4)
