Junior Boks to take on Georgia in title defence opener

The Junior Springboks will kick off the defence of their world title on Saturday 27 June in Avchala against host nation Georgia according to the confirmed match schedule for the World Rugby Junior World Championship, which was announced on Thursday.

The dates, pools and match schedule were confirmed for the expanded 16-team global tournament, which has been rebranded as the World Rugby Junior World Championship from 2026.

The competition, previously known as the World Rugby U20 Championship, will take place in Georgia from 27 June to 18 July, with five rounds of action across Tbilisi and Kutaisi. Georgia will host the prestigious tournament for the second time, following a memorable edition in 2017 when New Zealand defeated England in the final.

For the first time since 2009, the tournament returns to a 16-team format, welcoming Fiji, USA, Japan and Uruguay as the highest ranked sides since the last time the U20 Trophy was played in 2024 alongside the teams that contested the 2025 edition in Italy.

The Junior Springboks, who won the Italy-hosted tournament last year for the first time since their memorable 2012 victory over New Zealand at Newlands in Cape Town, find themselves in Group A alongside Georgia, Wales and Uruguay.

The four pool winners will progress to the semi-finals, while second-placed teams will compete for fifth to eighth place. Third and fourth-placed teams will contest rankings from ninth to 12th and 13th to 16th respectively, with seeding based on pool-stage competition points.

Finally, the knockout stages will be played across two days per round, culminating in the third-place play-off and final at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi on 18 July.

<< VIEW THE POOLS AND FULL MATCH SCHEDULE >>

Kutaisi steps up as a major host, staging two pools and welcoming former champions New Zealand and France to the AIA Arena. Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi will host Pools A and C, featuring the Junior Boks, former winners England and hosts Georgia.

The Juniors Boks’ second pool match is on Thursday, 2 July against Uruguay also and the starting time is 20h30 (18h30 SA time), the same kick-off time as their opening encounter in Avchala, while their last pool fixture kicks off on 16h00 (SA time) against Wales.

World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: “We are thrilled to unveil the Junior World Championship, a bold new identity for one of our most important competitions. Expanding to 16 teams underlines our ambition to grow the game globally and provide more opportunities for emerging talent to experience world-class rugby.

“Georgia has proven to be an outstanding host in the past, and we look forward to working closely with them again to deliver a truly world-class tournament that celebrates the future of our sport and unearth the next generation of international stars.”

The 2026 version of the Junior World Championship will also mark a significant step forward in player welfare, becoming the first international competition to feature a trial of lowering the tackle height.

Junior World Championship Pools:

Pool A: South Africa, Wales, Georgia, Uruguay
Pool B: New Zealand, Italy, Scotland, Japan
Pool C: Argentina, England, Ireland, USA
Pool D: France, Australia, Spain, Fiji
SA U20 pool fixtures at the 2026 Junior World Championship in Georgia (SA times):

Saturday, 27 June: Junior Boks vs Georgia (18h30, Avchala)
Thursday, 2 July: Junior Boks vs Georgia (18h30, Avchala)
Tuesday, 7 July: Junior Boks vs Wales (16h00, Avchala)
Fourth round (rankings and semi-finals):
Sunday 12 July & Monday 13 July

Final round (final and third-place playoffs):
Friday 17 July & Saturday 18 July