The second edition of the southern hemisphere tournament will bring together the best young rugby stars from South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, and Australia, with double-headers taking place on 1, 6 and 11 May at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Last year’s inaugural Rugby Champs U20 on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia was a huge success. New Zealand edged out the Junior Boks for the title after finishing the tournament unbeaten, following up a draw with South Africa in the first round with subsequent victories over Argentina and Australia.
With the World Rugby U20 Championship taking place in Italy in July, the Rugby Championship U20 will be the perfect springboard for the SANZAAR teams. The format remains the same, with all teams playing each other once in a three-match round robin across three match days.
SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer believes the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole will be an excellent host for the second edition of the tournament.
“We are thrilled to bring this tournament to Gqeberha, a city with a rich rugby culture and a passionate fan base and we are very grateful for the assistance from the Eastern Cape government in this regard,” said Oberholzer.
“The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium offers top-class team facilities and an exceptional viewing experience for fans, making it the perfect venue for this event.
“The combination of top-notch facilities and accommodation, coupled with the enthusiastic support of the Eastern Cape government and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole, will undoubtedly create a memorable experience for everyone involved. Together with the Friendly City, we are looking forward to welcoming and hosting the best U20s from the southern hemisphere in the Eastern Cape.”
The MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Ms Sibulele Ngongo, expressed her gratitude to SA Rugby for their partnership in bringing the Rugby Championship U20 Tournament to the Eastern Cape.
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
“This is a landmark moment for the Home of Legends as the Junior Springboks will be playing for the first time in history in the Eastern Cape Province”, said MEC Ngongo.
SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris stated: “Following the success of the inaugural tournament in Queensland, Australia in 2024 SANZAAR is pleased to announce that the U20 Championship will head to South Africa this year. Last year the title went down to the last round and we witnessed some very competitive and absorbing rugby.
“This important Championship, to be played at the Nelson Mandela May Stadium in Gqeberha, will not only provide a vital pathway for up-and-coming rugby talent through exposure to essential international competition but will also provide development opportunities for the next generation of coaches, team management and match officials.
“SANZAAR sincerely thanks SA Rugby, that has an excellent reputation for hosting such events, for its support of the Championship, and especially to the Eastern Cape Government who are providing invaluable assistance with the staging of the tournament.”
Junior Springbok head coach Kevin Foote said: “We are absolutely thrilled that the U20 Rugby Championship will be hosted on home soil this year. It’s a rare and special opportunity for the Junior Boks to play in front of our passionate home fans here in South Africa and this tournament is crucial for our preparations ahead of the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy.
“We look forward to testing ourselves against the best young rugby players in the southern hemisphere and we hope the Eastern Cape fans will come out in numbers to support us.”
Tickets are priced at R20 per person and will be available at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium ticket office or online from Webtickets. Broadcast information will be announced in due course.
Fixtures:
Thursday, 1 May
14h00: New Zealand v Australia
16h10: Junior Boks v Argentina
Tuesday, 6 May
14h00: New Zealand v Argentina
16h10: Junior Boks v Australia
Sunday, 11 May
14h00: Argentina v Australia
16h10: Junior Boks v New Zealand
