South Africa secured their first World Rugby U20 Championship in thirteen years on Saturday, defeating the tournament’s most successful side, New Zealand, in the process.
All twelve sides in the competition were in rankings final (1-12) and all twelve, it was announced prior to the games, will return to next year’s expanded tournament in Georgia, at which Fiji, USA, Japan, and Uruguay will also participate.
France and Argentina were involved in the third place game, while England and Australia met for 5th, Wales and Italy for 7th, Scotland and Georgia for 9th, and Ireland and Spain met to avoid bottom spot.
World Rugby U20 Championship Final: South Africa earn second title, beating New Zealand
South Africa delivered a composed and physical performance to beat New Zealand U20 23–15 in Rovigo and lift the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship title.
Tries from Xola Nyali and Gilermo Mentoe, plus 13 points from Vusi Simphiwe Moyo, proved enough as the Junior Springboks showed the class that they have demonstrated all tournament long. An early red card for New Zealand hurt, and a late sin-bin proved a challenge, though they fought gamely with tries from Jayden Sa and Maloni Kunawave but ultimately South Africa just had too much in the tank.
Stats Snapshot
- 22m Entries: NZ 6 (2.5 avg), SA 11 (1.2 avg)
- Line Breaks: NZ 2, SA 5
- Post-Contact Metres: NZ 248m, SA 209m
- Tackles Missed: NZ 15, SA 17
- Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): NZ 52%, SA 59%
Scorers
South Africa:
Tries – Nyali, Mentoe
Cons – Moyo (2)
Pens – Moyo (3)
New Zealand:
Tries – Sa, Kunawave
Cons – Cole (1)
Pens – Simpson (1)
3rd Place: Argentina edge France for 3rd
Argentina clinched third place at the World Rugby U20 Championship with a thrilling 38–35 victory over France U20 in a contest that delivered nine tries and plenty of drama.
France led 21–10 at halftime after tries from Bobby Bissu, Jon Echegaray, and Antoine Deliance, but Argentina hit back in the second period. Nicolas Cambiasso’s brace and a stunning solo try from Pascal Senillosa turned the tide, with the fly-half finishing with 18 points.
France mounted a late comeback with tries from Tom Leveque and Mathis Baret but couldn’t overcome the deficit as Argentina held firm in the dying moments.
Stats Snapshot
- 22m Entries: France 13 (2.7 avg), Argentina 8 (4.7 avg)
- Line Breaks: France 14, Argentina 6
- Post-Contact Metres: France 425m, Argentina 190m
- Tackles Missed: France 10, Argentina 37
- Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): France 59%, Argentina 44%
Scorers
Argentina:
Tries – Correa, Cambiasso (2), Garcia Iandolino, Senillosa, Otano
Cons – Senillosa (4)
Pens – none
France:
Tries – Bissu, Echegaray, Deliance, Leveque, Baret
Cons – Jurd (4), Keletaona (1)
Pens – none
5th Place: Australia beat England in 13-try epic
Australia ended their campaign in style with a 68–40 win over England in a free-scoring thriller that saw both sides trade blows before the Wallabies pulled away late on.
Joey Fowler and Sid Harvey combined for 36 points, with Fowler crossing twice and slotting seven conversions. Malakye Enasio also starred with a second-half brace, as Australia started to really fire, racking up 440 post-contact metres and 13 line breaks.
England started brightly with early tries from Kepu Tuipulotu and Campbell Ridl but wave after wave of Aussie attack proved too much to stop. Despite late scores from Will Knight and Reggie Hammick, England could not hold off the Australian charge.
Stats Snapshot
- 22m Entries: Australia 17 (4.0 avg), England 10 (4.0 avg)
- Line Breaks: Australia 13, England 3
- Post-Contact Metres: Australia 440m, England 264m
- Tackles Missed: Australia 23, England 37
- Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): Australia 42%, England 56%
Scorers
Australia:
Tries – Langi, Ekanayake, Harvey (2), Fowler (2), Watters, Martens, Enasio (2)
Cons – Fowler (7), Harvey (2)
England:
Tries – Tuipulotu, Ridl, Sela, Williams, Knight, Hammick
Cons – Coen (4)
7th Place: Italy hold off Welsh surge to secure 7th
Italy produced a disciplined, clinical display to overcome Wales 31–23 in a dramatic World Rugby U20 Championship clash in Rovigo. Francesco Braga’s 16-point haul and a strong performance from the forward pack laid the platform, while Wales’ late flurry fell just short.
The hosts reached a 15–10 halftime lead thanks to tries from Nelson Casartelli and Federico Zanandrea, with Braga adding five points from the tee. Wales struck through Sion Davies’ solo effort and Harri Ford’s accurate kicking.
A 75th minute card, their third of the night, rather halted the Welsh charge, that had seen scores from Elis Price and Aidan Boshoff, as Italy held out for victory on home soil.
Stats Snapshot
- 22m Entries: Italy 8 (3.1 avg), Wales 10 (1.7 avg)
- Line Breaks: Italy 5, Wales 5
- Post-Contact Metres: Italy 287m, Wales 168m
- Tackles Missed: Italy 22, Wales 28
- Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): Italy 48%, Wales 52%
Scorers
Italy:
Tries – Casartelli (2), Zanandrea
Cons – Braga (3)
Pens – Braga (4)
Wales:
Tries – Davies, Price, Boshoff
Cons – Ford (2), Wilde (1)
Pens – Ford (2)
9th Place: Georgia defeat Scotland for 9th
Georgia capped their campaign with a commanding 22–7 win over Scotland. Early tries from Shota Kheladze and Mikheil Shioshvili put Georgia 10–0 ahead, with Mate Ghurtskaia extending the lead before halftime. Scotland struggled to convert opportunities despite 16 visits to the 22, but crossed through Reuben Logan in the second half.
Stats Snapshot
- 22m Entries: Georgia 12 (1.8 avg), Scotland 16 (0.4 avg)
- Line Breaks: Georgia 4, Scotland 3
- Post-Contact Metres: Georgia 262m, Scotland 217m
- Tackles Missed: Georgia 19, Scotland 21
- Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): Georgia 49%, Scotland 87%
Scorers
Georgia:
Tries – Kheladze, Shioshvili (2), Ghurtskaia
Cons – Bolkvadze (1)
Scotland:
Tries – Logan
Cons – Urwin (1)
11th Place: Ireland snatch last-gasp win over Spain in seven-try thriller
Ireland edged a pulsating contest against Spain, winning 38–37 thanks to Henry Walker’s late try in a match that swung wildly throughout.
Spain led 15–14 at halftime after tries from Pau Massoni and Alberto Gomez, while Ireland stayed close through Jonny Scott and Charlie Molony crossing early. Nicolas Infer’s kicking kept Spain ahead for long periods, but a card for Daniel Chico on 65 minutes proved costly.
Lucien Richardis’ stunning solo try gave Spain a 37–33 lead with less than 10 minutes to play. However, Ireland responded through their forwards, Walker dotting down to reclaim the lead. Tom Wood missed the conversion but it mattered little as the clock ran out.
Stats Snapshot
- 22m Entries: Spain 11 (3.0 avg), Ireland 12 (3.1 avg)
- Line Breaks: Spain 2, Ireland 2
- Post-Contact Metres: Spain 130m, Ireland 222m
- Tackles Missed: Spain 16, Ireland 11
- Ruck Speed (0–3 secs): Spain 31%, Ireland 65%
Scorers
Spain:
Tries – Massoni, Gomez, Carreras, Richardis, Ofojetu
Cons – Infer (3), Otamendi (1)
Pens – Infer (2)
Ireland:
Tries – Scott (2), Molony, Green, Walker (2)
Cons – Wood (4)
Pens – none
World Rugby U20 Championship Finals Round Results:
Final: South Africa 23-15 New Zealand
3rd: Argentina 38-35 France
5th: Australia 68-40 England
7th: Italy 31-23 Wales
9th: Georgia 22-7 Scotland
11th: Ireland 38-37 Spain
2025 World Rugby U20 Championship Final Standings:
1 South Africa
2 New Zealand
3 Argentina
4 France
5 Australia
6 England
7 Italy
8 Wales
9 Georgia
10 Scotland
11 Ireland
12 Spain
