The World Rugby Junior World Championship 2026 kicked off with some electric rugby on the opening day of matches. Fans were treated to eight games split across Kutaisi and in front of a sellout crowd at the Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi.
There were opening day wins for England, Scotland, Argentina and over Ireland, Italy, USA and Uruguay respectively. Wales edged out hosts Georgia in a thrilling finish, while New Zealand’s victory over Japan was cut short on account of lightning in Kutaisi. The subsequent delay proved no concern to France, who ran out convincing winners over Fiji, and Australia broke their record points total in beating Spain. Defending Champions South Africa scored 104 points, defeating Uruguay.
Results Round 1
Pool A
Junior Springboks 104-07 Uruguay U20
Wales U20 25-24 Georgia U20
Pool B
Italy U20 32-38 Scotland U20
New Zealand 38-21 Japan U20
Pool C
Argentina U20 78-14 USA U20
England U20 34-27 Ireland U20
Pool D
Australia U20 90-22 Spain U20
France U20 45-15 Fiji U20
