SANZAAR HAS ANNOUNCED that a new annual U20 version of the Rugby Championship will launch in April 2024.

New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina will compete in the new U20 Rugby Championship.

It will be played in a round-robin format over the course of three weeks, hosted in one country.  The top team after the three-round, six-match tournament will be the champions. Next year’s inaugural tournament will be held on the Gold Coast in Australia.

The announcement comes hot on the heels of a disappointing U20 World Championship for the SANZAAR nations. Hosts South Africa were third, Australia came fifth, New Zealand finished seventh, and Argentina were in ninth.

France have won the last three U20 World Championships and there has been a strong sense that the lack of a regional competition for New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina has been a disadvantage for those nations. The U20 Six Nations has allowed the likes of France and Ireland – who were finalists at the World Championship this year – to build cohesion and momentum ahead of the global competition.

Even aside from building for the World Championship, the new U20 Rugby Championship will simply allow the most talented U20 players from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina to play more international games each year.

“It has long been recognized that the missing link in our junior pathways was the existence of a SANZAAR international championship for up-and-coming talent,” said SANZAAR chairman, Hamish McLennan

“I am really excited that SANZAAR is now committing to this new championship. The SANZAAR member unions and I are confident its establishment can only strengthen rugby pathways for young players in the southern hemisphere.

“Exposure to additional international matches can only benefit the players in terms of experience and adapting to the demands of the top level of rugby.”