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World Rugby U20s fixtures confirmed; Cape Town Stadium to host final
By Liam Heagney
The iconic DHL Cape Town Stadium is set to host the final of the 2024 World Rugby U20s Championship on July 19. Having staged last year’s tournament at Athlone, Stellenbosch, and Paarl, an event won by France for the third time in a row, the home of the URC Stormers has now been added to the list of venues, with Paarl missing out.
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The 58,000-capacity stadium, which was built for the 2010 FIFA football World Cup, will open its lower bowl for the three matches on the June 29 U20s opening day – including hosts South Africa taking on Fiji – as well as the July 14 semi-finals and the final five days later.
South Africa have been drawn in Pool C with current Six Nations champions England, Argentina, and Fiji. Defending World Rugby U20 champions France are in Pool A with Wales, recent Rugby Championship winners New Zealand and Spain, while Pool B will consist of Ireland, Australia, Georgia, and Italy.
A statement read: “Fixtures and venues have been announced for the 14th edition of the World Rugby U20 Championship which will take place between June 29-July 19 in South Africa’s Western Cape for a second successive year.
“The tournament will be played over five match days where the world’s 12 best teams will compete across three world-class venues. Danie Craven Stadium and Athlone Stadium will stage pool matches while the iconic Cape Town Stadium will host key fixtures, including the opener, semi-finals, and final.
The #JuniorBoks will face England, Argentina and Fiji in their @WorldRugby U20 Championship pool matches, with tickets on sale from Friday – more here: https://t.co/QCtCFWtjkB ??#JourneyToGreatness pic.twitter.com/JJ8GXZrTO5
— SA Junior Rugby (@SAJuniorRugby) May 28, 2024
“Three-time champions France will begin their title defence against Pool A opponents and World Rugby U20 Trophy 2023 winners Spain at Cape Town Stadium on June 29.
“The Junior Springboks finished third at the last edition on home soil and will look to draw inspiration from their Rugby World Cup-winning senior team to go all the way and be crowned U20 champions for the first time since 2012.
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“The tournament will be available to watch everywhere on the planet, either through local broadcast partners in South Africa (Supersport), France (L’Equipe TV), New Zealand (Sky NZ), Fiji (Fiji Broadcasting Corporation) or via RugbyPass TV which will broadcast all matches of the competition for free in markets without exclusive deals.
“The World Rugby U20 Championship will be the first international competition to feature the three new law amendments implemented to promote ball in flow and diversity of attacking options while supporting player welfare. A package of six law trials will also operate, including the simplified red card sanction process, approved by the World Rugby executive board.”
World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said: “The World Rugby U20 Championship is the pinnacle of age-grade rugby, and it continues to be a key part of World Rugby’s investment in increasing the competitiveness of global rugby by providing a meaningful pathway to the elite level for talented young players.
“The South African Rugby Union were incredible hosts in 2023 and we are confident they will deliver an outstanding experience for players and fans alike. We are also very excited to see the new law amendments which will improve the on-field spectacle for anyone watching, promoting an exciting attacking brand of rugby.”
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SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer added: “Last year’s tournament was an unforgettable experience, and we expect more of the same this year. With the recent U20 Rugby Championship, we saw how closely matched the four SANZAAR teams were, and it was the same in the U20 Six Nations, where England emerged victorious.
“To host the next generation of superstars next month is a great privilege and we can’t wait to welcome their families, friends, and fans to South Africa.
“The World Rugby U20 Championship plays an important role in the global rugby picture and is key in promoting and growing the game, while we are also excited to unearth the next generation of Springboks.”
World Rugby U20 Championship fixtures:
Saturday, June 29
DHL Stadium:
14h00: France vs Spain
16h30: Ireland vs Italy
19h00: South Africa vs Fiji
Athlone Stadium:
14h00: England vs Argentina
16h30: Australia vs Georgia
19h00: Wales vs New Zealand
Thursday, July 4
Danie Craven Stadium:
14h00: Ireland vs Georgia
16h30: France vs New Zealand
19h00: South Africa vs Argentina
Athlone Stadium:
14h00: Wales vs Spain
16h30: England vs Fiji
19h00: Australia vs Italy
Tuesday, July 9:
Athlone Stadium:
14h00: Ireland vs Australia
16h30: France vs Wales
19h00: South Africa vs England
Danie Craven Stadium:
14h00: Argentina vs Fiji
16h30: Georgia vs Italy
19h00: New Zealand vs Spain
Sunday, July 14:
Danie Craven Stadium:
14h00: 10th seed vs 11th seed (match 19)
16h30: 9th seed vs 12th seed (match 20)
19h00: 6th seed vs 7th seed (match 21)
DHL Stadium:
14h00: 5th seed vs 8th seed (match 22)
16h30: 2nd seed vs 3rd seed (semi-final – match 23)
19h00: 1st seed vs 4th seed (semi-final – match 24)
Friday, July 19:
Athlone Stadium:
12h00: Loser Match 19 vs Loser Match 20
14h30: Winner Match 19 vs Winner Match 20
17h00: Loser Match 21 vs Loser Match 22
DHL Stadium:
14h00: Winner Match 21 vs Winner Match 22
16h30: Loser Match 23 vs Loser Match 24 (bronze medal match)
19h00: Winner Match 23 vs Winner Match 24 (final)
- Match day tickets can be purchased from ticketmaster.co.za and will go on sale on May 31. The tickets are priced at R35 for children (18 years and younger) and R75 for adults
