Under-20 World Championship, Round two - Team tracker

PREVIEW: The Under-20 World Championship will resume with Round Two on Thursday after an action-pack Round One.

Back-to-back defending champions France got their campaign off to an impressive start, while Australia, host South Africa and New Zealand were made to dig a little deeper to secure the ‘W’ and England and Ireland could not be separated.

Argentina also ended Saturday with a victory as the teams begin to prepare for Thursday’s second round.

Australia will take on Ireland in the first match on Thursday.

Defending champions France tackle the most successful nations in the competition’s history New Zealand, and Wales will target their first win when they face Japan.

Hosts South Africa face Italy in Paarl, Argentina take on Georgia, while in the last fixture of the day England take on Fiji.

In terms of team news, Junior Springboks head coach, Bafana Nhleko, named five uncapped players in his starting xv to face Italy in Paarl.

Backs Regan Izaks (fullback), Quewin Nortje (wing) and Sam Francis (flyhalf) will don the South African Under-20 colours for the first time, alongside Cornè Beets (No.8) and Tiaan Wessels (lock) as Nhleko stuck to his pre-tournament intentions to give everyone in the squad a run as early as possible. Litelihle Bester (utility back) will make his debut off the bench.

Paul de Villiers will again lead the side as one of five starters against Georgia in the opening game last weekend. Vice-captain Katlego Letebele is getting a second start, as are Jacob Frederick van Heerden, Mawande Mdanda and Juann Else.

Michael Annies, Damian Markus, Neil le Roux, Jannes Potgieter and Cornѐ Lavagna all played off the bench last week but will start the game this time around.

“It was always part of the planning to give as many players as possible a run in the first two games,” Nhleko said.

“We told the group that we need to rotate as the tournament goes along. It is also important to show trust in every player in our squad and give them a run early on. This will help us have fresh bodies throughout the tournament, as the turnaround between matches will be taxing on the bodies,”

With regards to the five players who earn a consecutive start, Nhleko said some continuity was important.

“We needed some consistency in the spine and those guys will provide that. The five starting this week after coming off the bench against Georgia get some reward for the impact they had on the game once they got on the field, but again, rotation was always part of the plan.”

Looking at Italy, Nhleko said they are expecting a fierce onslaught.

“They will be hurting. Things did not go that well against Argentina, especially after that red card. One thing I did pick up from their U20 Six Nations campaign is that they play with flair and with good endeavour to give the ball some air. They also have a strong set piece and kicking game. We are not expecting an easy game at all.”

Junior Wallabies head coach Nathan Grey has named a new-look lineup to face Ireland.

Grey has made ten changes to the starting side from last Saturday’s victory over Fiji, with Jack Barrett, Massimo de Lutiis, Daniel Maiava-Tapusoa, John Bryant, Henry O’Donnell and Tim Ryan set to make their U20 Championship debuts.

Waratahs duo Teddy Wilson and Jack Bowen have been selected as the starting halves for Thursday’s game at Paarl Gymnasium.

Following a close win to Wales Under 20 in the first pool match (26-27) of the Championship, head coach Clark Laidlaw has made a selection of changes to the New Zealand Under 20 starting line up and reserve bench.

The starting front row features loosehead prop Ben Ake, tighthead prop Siale Lauaki and Jack Taylor at hooker. Tahlor Cahill and Tom Allen make up the locking duo, with Che Clark, Peter Lakai (Vice Captain) and Malachi Wrampling-Alec in the loose forward trio.

Raymond Tuputupu, Malakai Hala, Gabe Robinson, Will Stodart and Cooper Flanders will provide the forwards with impact off the bench.

In the backs, Noah Hotham (Captain) and Taha Kemara (Vice Captain) will take the field at nine and ten, alongside Leo Gordon and Aki Tuivailala in the midfield at 12 and 13. The back three is made up of Macca Springer on the left wing, Caleb Tangitau on the right wing and Harry Godfrey at fullback. The reserve backs are Jordi Viljoen, Ajay Faleafaga and Codemeru Vai.

Things are looking good for @FranceRugby, @wallabies and @unionargentina after round one 😃 #WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/RkqaiJtXE2

— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) June 24, 2023

All the Round Two teams:

Thursday, June 29

Australia v Ireland
(Paarl Gymnasium, Paarl, South Africa – Kick-off: 11.00; 09.00 GMT)

Teams: 

Australia: 15 Mason Gordon, 14 Tim Ryan, 13 Henry O’Donnell, 12 David Vaihu, 11 Darby Lancaster, 10 Jack Bowen, 9 Teddy Wilson (captain), 8 John Bryant, 7 Ned Slack-Smith, 6 Lachlan Hooper, 5 Daniel Maiava, 4 Jhy Legg, 3 Massimo De Lutiis, 2 Max Craig, 1 Jack Barrett.
Replacements: 16 Liam Bowron, 17 Harrison Usher, 18 Nick Bloomfield, 19 Toby Macpherson, 20 Leafi Heka Talataina, 21 Klayton Thorn, 22 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 23 Taj Annan.

Ireland: 15 Henry McErlean, 14 Andrew Osborne, 13 Hugh Gavin, 12 John Devine, 11 James Nicholson, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Fintan Gunne, 8 Brian Gleeson, 7 Ruadhan Quinn, 6 James McNabney, 5 Conor O’Tighearnaigh, 4 Charlie Irvine, 3 Ronan Foxe, 2 Gus McCarthy, 1 Paddy McCarthy.
Replacements: 16 Danny Sheahan, 17 George Morris, 18 Fiachna Barrett, 19 Evan O’Connell, 20 Diarmuid Mangan, 21 Jack Oliver, 22 Harry West, 23 Rory Telfer.

Referee:  Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Takehito Namekawa (Japan), Griffin Colby (South Africa)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)

France v New Zealand
(Paarl Gymnasium, Paarl, South Africa – Kick-off: 13.30; 11.30 GMT)

Teams: 

France: 15 Mathis Ferté, 14 Léo Drouet, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Paul Costes, 11 Théo Attissogbe, 10 Hugo Reus, 9 Baptiste Jauneau, 8 Marko Gazzotti, 7 Oscar Jegou, 6 Lenni Nouchi (captain), 5 Posolo Tuilagi, 4 Hugo Auradou, 3 Zaccharie Affane, 2 Pierre Jouvin, 1 Louis Penverne
Replacements: 16 Thomas Lacombre, 17 Lino Julien, 18 Thomas Duchene, 19 Brent Liufau, 20 Mathis Castro Ferreira, 21 Andy Timo, 22 Léo Carbonneau, 23 Arthur Mathiron

New Zealand: 15 Harry Godfrey, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 13 Aki Tuivailala, 12 Leo Gordon, 11 Macca Springer, 10 Taha Kemara, 9 Noah Hotham (captain), 8 Malachi Wrampling-Alec, 7 Peter Lakai, 6 Che Clark, 5 Tom Allen, 4 Tahlor Cahill, 3 Siale Lauaki, 2 Jack Taylor, 1 Ben Ake.
Replacements: 16 Raymond Tuputupu, 17 Malakai Hala, 18 Gabe Robinson, 19 Will Stodart, 20 Cooper Flanders, 21 Jordi Viljoen, 22 Ajay Faleafaga, 23 Codemeru Vai.

Referee: Damian Schneider (Argentina)
Assistant Referees: Anthony Woodthorpe (England), AM Jacobs (South Africa)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)

Wales v Japan
(Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch, South Africa – Kick-off: 14.00; 12.00 GMT)

Teams: 

Wales: 15 Cameron Winnett, 14 Llien Morgan, 13 Louie Hennessey, 12 Bryn Bradley, 11 Harri Houston, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Archie Hughes, 8 Morgan Morse, 7 Lucas De La Rua, 6 Ryan Woodman (captain), 5 Jonny Green, 4 Evan Hill, 3 Louis Fletcher, 2 Lewis Lloyd, 1 Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths.
Replacements:16 Sam Scarfe, 17 Josh Morse, 18 Kian Hire, 19 Mackenzie Martin, 20 Seb Driscoll, 21 Tom Florence, 22 Harri Wilde, 23 Harri Williams

Japan: 15 Kosho Muto, 14 Renji Oike, 13 Shota Taira, 12 Yoshiki Omachi (captain), 11 Yoshitaka Yazaki, 10 Kanjiro Naramoto, 9 Yutaro Takahashi, 8 Taison Mogami, 7 Tomoki Kusuda, 6 Koki Miyashita, 5 Harry Willard, 4 Yuzuki Sasaki, 3 Riku Tomita, 2 Kouta Nagashima, 1 Hwang Sena
Replacements: 16 Takashi Omoto, 17 Tomoki Yumbe, 18 Kosuke Sugiura, 19 Bunsuke Kurita, 20 Tenta Kobayashi, 21 Taishin Ohshima, 22 Genki Ikuta, 23 Ryohei Imano

Referee: Morne Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Eoghan Cross (Ireland), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)

South Africa v Italy
( Paarl Gymnasium, Paarl, South Africa – Kick-off: 16.00; 14.00 GMT)

Teams: 

South Africa: 15 Regan Izaks, 14 Michael Annies , 13 Katlego Letebele, 12 Damian Markus, 11 Quewin Nortje , 10 Sam Francis, 9 Neil Le Roux , 8 Cornѐ Beets, 7 Jannes Potgieter, 6 Paul de Villiers (captain), 5 Jacob Frederick van Heerden, 4 Tiaan Wessels, 3 Mawande Mdanda, 2 Juann Else, 1 Cornè Lavagna.
Replacements: 16 Samuel Jordaan Kotze, 17 Phatu Ganyane, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Ghudian van Reenen, 20 Gcinokuhle Mdletshe, 21 Imad Khan, 22 Litelihle Bester, 23 Jurenzo Julius.

Italy: 15 Alessandro Gesi, 14 Francesco Bini, 13 Lorenzo Elettri, 12 Dewi Passarella, 11 Matthias Douglas, 10 Simone Brisighella, 9 Lorenzo Casilio, 8 Fabio Ruaro, 7 David Odiase (captain), 6 Filippo Lavorenti, 5 Pietro Turrisi, 4 Enrico Pontarini, 3 Federico Pisanim, 2 Nicholas Gasperini, 1 Riccardo Bartolini
Replacements: 16 Giovanni Quattrini, 17 Samuele Taddei, 18 Marcos Francesco Gallorini, 19 Alex Mattioli, 20 Carlos Berlese, 21 Sebastiano Battara, 22 Giovanni Sante, 23 Matteo Rubinato

Referee: Rueben Keane (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Takehito Namekawa (Japan), Griffin Colby (South Africa)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)

Argentina v Georgia
(Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch, South Africa – Kick-off: 16.30; 14.30 GMT)

Teams: 

Argentina: 15 Mateo Soler, 14 Ernesto Giudice, 13 Faustino Sánchez Valarolo, 12 Nicolás López González, 11 Ignacio Lucero, 10 Juan Baronio, 9 Agustín Moyano, 8 Benjamín Grondona, 7 Aitor Bildosola, 6 Eliseo Chiavassa (captain), 5 Efraín Eliás, 4 Mateo Lorenzo, 3 Tomás Rapetti, 2 Tomás Bartolini, 1 Francisco Palazzi
Replacements: 16 Valentino Minoyetti, 17 Matías Medrano, 18 Renzo Zanella, 19 Federico Rolotti, 20 Felipe Bares, 21 Nicolás Viola, 22 Valentino Dicapua, 23 Felipe Mallía

Georgia: 15 Luka Tsirekidze, 14 Shako Aptsiauri, 13 Tornike Kakhoidze, 12 Giorgi Shvelidze, 11 Luka Khorbaladze, 10 Petre Khutsishvili, 9 Davit Khuroshvili, 8 Nika Lomidze, 7 Lasha Tsikhistavi (captain), 6 Rati Zazadze, 5 Giorgi Gergedava, 4 Guram Ganiashvili, 3 Irakli Aptsiauri, 2 Nika Babunashvili, 1 Giorgi Mamaiashvili
Replacements: 16 Basa Khonelidze, 17 Lasha Pkhakadze, 18 Davit Mtchedlidze, 19 Tornike Ganiashvili, 20 Nikoloz Sakvarelidze, 21 Sandro Jigauri, 22 Nicolas Ragoevi, 23 Vazha Mikadze

Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant Referees: Luc Ramos (France), Dylen November (South Africa)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)

England v Fiji
(Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch, South Africa – Kick-off: 19.00; 17.00 GMT)

Teams: 

England: 15 Louie Johnson, 14 Jacob Cusick, 13 Joe Jenkins, 12 Toby Thame, 11 Alex Wills, 10 Connor Slevin, 9 Nye Thomas, 8 Zach Carr, 7 Tristan Woodman, 6 Nathan Michelow, 5 Harry Browne, 4 Finn Carnduff, 3 James Halliwell, 2 Nathan Jibulu, 1 Archie McArthur
Replacements: 16 Craig Wright, 17 Ethan Clarke, 18 Afolabi Fasogbon, 19 Lewis Chessum, 20 Greg Fisilau, 21 Charlie Bracken, 22 Cassius Cleaves, 23 Tobias Elliott

Fiji: TBC

Referee: Ben Breakspear (Waes)
Assistant Referees: Eoghan Cross (Ireland), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)