2023 U20 Championship Teams: Pool B
2023 marks the first Under 20s Championship since 2019, the subsequent events having been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and fans are eager to once again see the youth players of their nations on the biggest stage. There are 12 teams that will be competing for the Championship, spilt into 3 pools of 4. We’ll be taking a look at the different teams ahead of the first match on June 24th in South Africa.
Last week we took a deeper look at Pool A, this week we will dissect the teams that make up Pool B. The Pool is made up of a well rounded group of Australia, England, Fiji, and Ireland.
AUSTRALIA
Best Finish: 2nd (2010, 2019)
Coach: Nathan Grey
Most Recent Result: 18-19 Loss to New Zealand
Australia has never won the Championship before, but they’ve managed two second place finishes, one of which came in the most recent tournament in 2019. They just finished a 2 match series with the Baby Blacks where they went 1-1, winning the first 34-26 and losing the second by 1 point.
The Junior Wallabies have been coached by Nathan Grey since 2020. Grey is the current defense coach for the Waratahs and for the senior Wallabies side. As a professional player he appeared in nearly 100 matches for the Waratahs and 35 matches for Australia, primarily as a center but with a couple of appearances as a fly-half for club and country.
Players to keep an eye on includes captain Teddy Wilson, the son of David Wilson, who has displayed a lot of promise for the Waratahs the past couple of seasons, and he’ll be a vocal force on the field as he directs his powerful pack around the park and controls the tempo to keep opposing defenses on the back foot. Jack Bowen will be looking to keep a good connection going with Wilson, especially with Lynagh ruled out with injury. He’s a solid utility back and recently made his debut for the Waratahs, expect to see Bowen make some exciting plays in the ten jersey. In the forwards there are several players that could be highlighted for this team, but starting props Jack Barrett of the Waratahs and Massimo de Lutiis of the Brumbies, really stood out against New Zealand with their powerful scrummaging and physicality around the park.
ENGLAND
Best Finish: Champions (2013, 2014, 2016)
Coach: Alan Dickens
Most Recent Result: 38-40 Loss to Georgia
England have consistently found success in this competition, finishing no worse than second in 9 of the 12 tournaments to date. Their best run came in the mid 2010s when they won 3 titles in a four year period, and a second place finish to a very good New Zealand side. They came 5th in the 2019 tournament and while they may have come in at fourth in this years Under 20s Six Nations, they managed to finish with 3 wins from 5 matches (a testament to the competitiveness of the tournament), they will no doubt be backing themselves to be a contender this year.
They are coached by Alan Dickens, the current attack coach for Leicester Tigers of the Premiership. He spent a decade as a professional in the Premiership, playing for the likes of Sale Sharks, Leeds Tykes, Saracens, and Northampton Saints, where the former scrumhalf accumulated 146 caps before retiring in 2010. After retiring he became the Saints’ Academy Manager and coached there until taking over the U20 National Team job in 2019.
Players to watch for include captain Lewis Chessum, the younger brother of English international Ollie Chessum. Chessum is a massive lad standing at 6’9 and 118kg, and has featured in 4 matches for Leicester this season. He is a talisman for England, playing every minute in the Six Nations and winning 32 lineouts to go with 6 steals, he may not get a large portion of the carries, but he performs a lot of the unseen work, hitting rucks and marshalling his forwards. Sam Harris is a versatile back, he can slot in as a fullback and a flyhalf. He’s started at both for Bath in the Premiership this season. He was second in the Six Nations this year with 42 points, to go along with his two tries, he should be a steady presence at fullback for England. Chandler Cunningham-South has been a regular feature for London Irish (RIP) prior to their fall into administration. This season he played in 22 matches for the Exiles, making 4 starts and recording 3 tries, he also touched down for 2 more in his 3 U20 Six Nations matches. Cunningham-South is a big lad originally from Auckland, he stands at 6’4 and 120kg, with 25 total professional matches already to his name, he’ll no doubt be snapped up quickly by another club.
FIJI
Best Finish: 6th (2011)
Coach: Ifereimi Rawaqa
Most Recent Result: 5-61 Loss to Argentina
The Baby Flying Fijians were regulars in the championship for a long time, but this is only their second appearance since 2015, as they competed in the Trophy for four straight years from 2015-2018. They haven’t played since the Oceania U20 Championship matches of last year, where they went 0-3 against Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina, but they are primed to display their classic Fijian flair in this pool.
Ifereimi Rawaqa, a former Flying Fijian international at both lock and flanker, is the head man for this young squad. As a player he earned 36 caps for his country and spent his club rugby initially in Fiji before making the move to Japan in 2004 to play for the Fighting Bulls.
The nephew of All Black flyhalf, Richie Mo’unga, Isaiah Ravula possesses an excellent step and a silky running style that is sure to put pressure on opposing defenses. The inside center, or flyhalf, is currently part of the Hurricanes age grade system, where he has put his skills on display, he is certainly one that Fiji is excited to get into the senior side. Mosese McGoon is a powerful front rower, and will be a hard man to stop behind the gain line if he’s allowed to get any momentum. The Crusaders U20 product will be looking to lead the way in the scrums for a pack that is filled with powerful athletes. Motikiai Murray of the Fijian Drua recently made his debut against the Crusaders in the knockouts of Super Rugby, starting at openside. Keep an eye out for Murray around the goal line, as he participated in the WR Pacific Challenge for the Fiji Warriors, where he started all 3 matches and came away with 5 tries, including an incredible 4 try performance against Tonga A.
IRELAND
Best Finish: 2nd (2016)
Coach: Richie Murphy
Most Recent Result: 36-24 Win over England
Ireland have come close in the past to winning the Championship, they finished second to England in 2016, albeit by a unflattering score of 45-21. Historically they’ve been a middle of the road team, finishing between 7th and 9th in 8 of the previous tournaments. This current crop seems to be on the verge of changing that. They have won the U20 Six Nations via grand slam in both of the last two seasons, and will be looking to build on that success.
Richie Murphy has been involved in the national setup for quite a while, he was the skills and kicking coach for the senior side from 2013 until he became head coach in 2021. Before being a part of Ireland’s coaching staff he was an assistant for Leinster in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and has proven to be a great developer of young talent, an important quality for a U20 coach.
How can you talk about the Ireland U20s without pointing out flyhalf Sam Prendergast. He’s been a man on fire recently, leading the U20 Six Nations in scoring with 69 points in 5 matches, and recently made his debut for Leinster against the Lions, scoring 14 points from the tee in a solid 80 minute performance. Ruadhán Quinn is a big and powerful backrower for Munster, for whom he made his debut this season in the URC and played in 3 matches. In the Six Nations he showed off his impressive carrying ability as he ran in a hattrick of tries against Scotland, and made 34 carries for an impressive 231 meters in the 5 matches as well. The locking duo of Conor O’Tighearnaigh and Diarmuid Mangan has performed superbly for Ireland at the Six Nations. The big lads in the engine room stand at 6’7 and 6’6 respectively, and have even kept impressive 19 year old Evan O’Connell, the nephew of legendary Irish captain, Paul O’Connell, mostly on the bench.
Expect a lot of hard hitting rugby in this one, all the teams possess powerful athletes amongst their forward stocks, who love to mix it up around the park and in the set piece. There are also exciting young backs throughout the squads to bring some exciting running rugby to complement the forward arm wrestling that will take place. This group is exciting, with title contenders and dark horses throughout.
