Italy is set to host the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in four cities across the Lombardia and Veneto regions, featuring the 12 best Under-20 teams in the world, for a third time. It will be the first time in 10 years that the event returns to Italian soil since New Zealand beat England in the 2015 title decider in Cremona.
The Junior Boks are ranked seventh for the global event and were drawn in a strong Pool A along with last year’s champions, England, as well as Australia and Scotland.
Generally, the weather in Italy in July and throughout the summer is characterized by warm to hot temperatures, with the average temperature in Italy in July hovering around 29 °C to 33 °C, which should also benefit the South African team.
England U20 finished second behind France U20 in the 2025 U20 Six Nations while Scotland U20 finished fifth with one point more than Ireland U20 who deservedly secured the wooden spoon.
The Junior Springboks will be able to measure themselves against Australia in the upcoming U20 Rugby Championship which details are still awaited.
“It is very exciting news and will be a great opportunity for us to play in Italy during the (European) summer months,” said Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote.
Foote described their pool as “very competitive” and added the Junior Boks know they will have to be very good if they want to top the pool and progress to the knockout stages.
“England and Scotland would have had great preparations through the U20 Six Nations, while Australia will no doubt be using the U20 Rugby Championship to gear up for Italy.
“It is a very competitive pool; we are excited for the challenge and will be well-prepared.”
World Rugby Under-20 Championship 2025:
Date: 29 June-19 July
Stadiums: Stadio San Michele (Calvisano), Stadio Mario Battaglini (Rovigo), Payanini Center (Verona), Stadio Luigi Zaffanella (Viadana).
Pools:
Pool A: England (1), Australia (6), South Africa (7), Scotland (12)
Pool B: France (2), Argentina (5), Wales (8), Spain (11)
Pool C: New Zealand (3), Ireland (4), Georgia (9), Italy (10)
Pool matches:
Matchday 1: Sunday, 29 June (Calvisano and Verona)
Matchday 2: Friday, 4 July (Rovigo and Viadana)
Matchday 3: Wednesday, 9 July (Calvisano and Verona)
Playoffs:
Matchday 4: Monday, 14 July (Verona and Viadana)
Matchday 5 (final and ranking matches): Saturday, 19 July (Calvisano and Rovigo)
