U20 Rugby Championship 2023

The U20 Rugby Championship starts this month on 24th June in South Africa.

This is an exciting event not least because it last took place in 2019, before the pandemic, when France won in Argentina. World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said, “The World Rugby U20 Championship and Trophy tournaments returning after a three-year absence is much welcomed in our global game. It is always a joy to watch our rugby stars of the future shining on this platform.

That is another reason why the U20 Championship is so exciting - because it showcases the rugby stars of the future both in terms of players, but also the match officials. The players are the best players in the world under the age of 20 which includes Lewis Chessum of Leicester Tigers and Charlie Bracken of Saracens in the squad for England. England are in the same group as Ireland and face one another on 24th June. Wales are in Pool A with France, Japan and New Zealand and play their first match on 24th June too, against New Zealand. See the match schedule here https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/u20/championship

Five match officials from the 2019 U20 Championship are on the panel for the Rugby World Cup 2023, including Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) and James Doleman (New Zealand) which shows what an important event the U20's Championship is for them to showcase their talent.

The Smart Ball will be in action ( see our article on the sportable and gilbert Rugby technology here ) as will a new TMO Bunker which is being trialled to "assist officiating, enhance game flow and advance player welfare." TMO stands for Television Match Official and will work as follows:

If there is a clear red card then the player is sent off by the referee.

If the red card is not as clear cut then a yellow card will be issued, the incident will be reviewed by the TMO who have 10 minutes to decide if the yellow card is upheld or a red is issued.