NZ Under 20 team named to play Japan in Junior World Championship opener

The New Zealand Under 20s team to play Japan in their opening Pool B match of the 2026 Junior World Championship (JWC) has been announced.

Midfielder Haki Wiseman will captain the side for their pool match at AIA Arena Kutaisi in Georgia in a side featuring the All Blacks Sevens pair of loose forward Bradley Tocker and wing Kele Lasaqa.

Openside Caleb Woodley and halfback Charlie Sinton will be the vice captains in a match kicks-off at 11.30pm NZT on Saturday 27 June and will be live and exclusive on Sky.

The New Zealand U20s finished runners up at the Under 20s Rugby Championship in South Africa in May and have made a number of changes to the squad for the JWC where they will play in Pool B with Japan, Italy and Scotland.

New Zealand Under 20s Head Coach Kane Jury said:

“We’ve had a strong preparation here in Georgia and are feeling positive ahead of the first match. Haki and the other leaders in the team have been great and are looking forward to getting the campaign under way.

“We’ve had a week to adapt to the heat and the facilities here in Georgia have been excellent. We expect a tough first up match against Japan, who we expect to be very well drilled and play a fast paced game, so we’ll need to be at our best.”

New Zealand won the first four World Rugby Under 20 Junior World Championships between 2008-2011, then took the title again in 2015 and 2017.

New Zealand's six titles stand as the most by any nation in World Rugby Under 20 history.

New Zealand were runners up in the 2025 edition of the World Rugby U20 Junior World Championship in Italy.

The New Zealand Under 20s team to play Japan is:

1     Henry Stuart (Highlanders/Otago) (Hurricanes/Hawke’s Bay
2     Josh Findlay (Crusaders/Canterbury)
3     Dane Johnston (Chiefs/Taranaki)
4     Max Fale (Crusaders/Canterbury)
5     Jake Frost (Crusaders/Canterbury)
6     Bradley Tocker (Chiefs/Taranaki)
7     Caleb Woodley (VC) (Blues/Auckland)
8     Micah Fale (Chiefs/Waikato)
9     Charlie Sinton (VC) (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
10    Mika Muliaina (Highlanders/Southland)
11    David Lewai (Chiefs/Waikato
12    Haki Wiseman (C) (Chiefs/Taranaki)
13    Siale Pahulu (Blues/Auckland)
14    Kele Lasaqa (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
15    Logan Williams (Crusaders/Canterbury)

Reserves
16    Alani Fakava (Hurricanes/Manawatū)
17    Ethan Webber (Highlanders/Otago)
18    Alex Hewitt (Hurricanes/Wellington)
19    Johnny Falloon (Hurricanes/Wellington)
20    Kobe Brownlee (Crusaders/Tasman)
21    Jackson Hughan (Highlanders/Southland)
22    Cohen Norrie (Blues/Auckland)      
23    Ollie Guerin (Chiefs/Waikato)

Not considered due to injury: Patrick Mauga (Hurricanes/Hawke’s Bay)

The New Zealand Under 20 JWC 2026 pool match schedule is:

• Saturday, 27 June: New Zealand v Japan, AIA Arena Kutaisi, kick-off, 11.30pm NZT
• Friday 3 July: New Zealand v Scotland, AIA Arena Kutaisi, kick-off, 2.00am NZT
• Tuesday 7 July: New Zealand v Italy, AIA Arena Kutaisi, kick-off, 9.00pm NZT