The Junior Springboks will kick off their World Rugby Junior World Championship title defence against Uruguay U20 on Saturday, 27 June 2026. The opening Pool A clash will take place at the Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi, Georgia, at 16:30 (SA Time).
South Africa enters the tournament as defending champions after winning the 2025 title in Italy. They come into the opener with excellent momentum, having completed a clean sweep in the U20 International Series earlier this season against Fiji, Chile, and Georgia.
Uruguay is returning to the top-tier Junior World Championship for the first time since 2009. They earned their spot following a solid developmental progression and a highly successful recent cycle in the World Rugby U20 Trophy. This is the first-ever U20 meeting between the two nations.
Head coach Kevin Foote has opted for a traditional 5-3 bench split to manage player workloads across a gruelling four-week tournament. The Junior Springboks are expected to rely heavily on their powerful front row to dominate the set-pieces, while Uruguay will look to utilise flyhalf Justo Ferrario's tactical kicking and spatial awareness to cause an upset
Despite the Junior Boks missing captain Riley Norton and flyhalf Vusi Moyo, who were both called up to the senior Springboks' Nations Championship squad, they are the overwhelming favourites to start the World Rugby Junior World Championship with a solid win.
Teams:
Junior Springboks: 15 Luan Giliomee, 14 Khuthadzo Rasivhaga, 13 Markus Muller, 12 Ethan Adams, 11 Jordan Steenkamp, 10 Alzeadon Felix, 9 Hendré Schoeman, 8 Vuyo Gwiji, 7 Gert Kemp, 6 Risima Khosa, 5 JD Hattingh, 4 Jaythen Orange, 3 Luan van der Berg, 2 Liam van Wyk, 1 Rambo Kubheka (c). Replacements: 16 Siphosetho Mnebelele, 17 Jordan Jooste, 18 Danie Kruger, 19 Thomas Beling, 20 Wasi Vyambwera, 21 Jayden Brits, 22 Akahluwa Boqwana, 23 Cheswill Jooste.
Uruguay U20: 15 Nicolás Pittaluga, 14 Bruno Baccino, 13 Mateo Acosta, 12 Vicente Álvarez, 11 Bruno Primavesi, 10 Justo Ferrario, 9 Mateo Ibarburu, 8 Manuel Ponte, 7 Alex Sonneveld, 6 Pedro Suárez, 5 Piero Veglio, 4 Nicolás Mattsson, 3 Juan Francisco Bessio, 2 Sebastián Pérez, 1 Germán González. Replacements: 16 José Candia Sciarra, 17 Darío Rodríguez, 18 Sebastián Dalmao Rivero, 19 Guillermo Curuchet, 20 Ignacio Merli, 21 Pierre Cotarmanac’h, 22 Juan Francisco Pereira, 23 Joaquín Fresnedo.