World Rugby U20 Championship 2023 live stream on TV and news update
After a four-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Rugby U20 Championship is making a comeback for its 13th edition, and this time it will be held in South Africa. The tournament is set to begin on Saturday.
The defending champions, France, have the privilege of entering this year’s U20 Championship as back-to-back winners from 2018 and 2019. They will commence their title defense against Japan, their rivals in Pool A, at the Danie Craven Stadium. The match is scheduled to kick off at 14:00 local time (GMT+2). France has assembled a formidable lineup for this encounter, featuring Baptiste Jauneau at scrum-half. Jauneau has made 13 appearances for Clermont in the Top 14 this season. Alongside him, at fly-half, is Hugo Reus, who made an impressive debut for La Rochelle by scoring 16 points.
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Where To Watch World Rugby U20 Championship
Given the global nature of the Championship, there are several viewing options for rugby fans around the world.
Ireland – Eir Sport
UK – ITV
Wales – S4C
China – Alisport
Australia – Fox Sports
South America – ESPN Sur
New Zealand – Sky New Zealand
France, Belgium, Switzerland, Monaco – FTV
Africa – SuperSport
Middle East – OSN
North America, including US Territories – NBC
World Under 20 Rugby 2023 Pool A preview and news
FRANCE
Seeding for 2023: 1 Tournaments played: 12 (2008-2019) Best finish: Champions (2018, 2019) Worst finish: Ninth (2016) U20 Championship match record: Played 60 / Won 40 / Drawn 1 / Lost 19 U20 Championship points/tries scored: 1,651 / 202
U20 graduates: 83 Most capped U20 graduate: Gaël Fickou (79 tests)
Did you know…? France were involved in the only draw in World Rugby U20 Championship history, with a 23-23 result against South Africa in the pool stage of the 2017 edition in Georgia.
Coach: Sébastien Calvet Sébastien Calvet, the current technical director of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region for the French Rugby Federation (FFR), brings a wealth of coaching experience to the team. He has previously served as the head coach of both the France U18 and France U19 teams, and has also gained coaching experience in the Top 14 with Montauban.
What he said: “We’re very hungry. We want to test ourselves against southern hemisphere nations that we don’t know. We want to show that the French team is more competitive than ever. While we respect the other nations, our objective is to say to ourselves that we have to go and get this title for the third time.”
Captain: Lenni Nouchi
One to watch: Posolo Tuilagi Keep an eye on 18-year-old Perpignan second-row, Posolo Tuilagi. He made his debut against England in this year’s U20 Six Nations and has already showcased his talent with appearances in the Top 14. Tuilagi has proven his scoring ability with tries against Wales in the Six Nations and in the promotion-relegation play-off against ProD2 side Grenoble.
The French squad for the upcoming U20 World Championship excludes two notable players who have been left to prepare for the 2023 World Cup: 19-year-old Pau centre Emilien Gailleton, the leading try-scorer in the Top 14 this season, and Bordeaux back-three star Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
Coach Sébastien Calvet praised the collaborative effort with Fabien Galthié, Raphaël Ibanez, and the staff, highlighting the strength of the international project.
Squad: Zaccharie Affane (Bordeaux), Théo Attissogbe (Pau), Hugo Auradou (Pau), Maxence Biasotto (Brive), Estaban Capilla (Bayonne), Léo Carbonneau (Brive), Mathis Castro Ferreira (Toulouse), Paul Costes (Toulouse), Nicolas Depoortère (Bordeaux), Léo Drouet (Provence), Thomas Duchene (Clermont), Mathis Ferté (Brive), Marko Gazzotti (Grenoble), Baptistes Jauneau (Clermont), Oscar Jegou (La Rochelle), Pierre Jouvin (Agen), Julien Lino (Racing 92), Alexandre Kaddouri (La Rochelle), Thomas Lacombre (Toulouse), Brent Liufau (Pau), Barnabé Massa (Grenoble), Arthur Mathiron (Lyon), Clément Mondinat (Pau), Maël Moustin (Bordeaux), Lenni Nouchi (Montpellier), Louis Penverne (La Rochelle), Hugo Reus (La Rochelle), Andy Timo (Massy), Posolo Tuilagi (Perpignan), Noa Zinzen (R