Both teams made emphatic statements in their respective opening matches, delivering thumping wins against quality opposition.
Defending champions England easily swatted away Scotland’s challenge on Sunday afternoon, securing a 37-point margin of victory over their familiar foes. The Red Roses registered eight tries in a commanding performance at Verona’s Payanini Centre Stadium, enabling them to claim an all-important bonus point on matchday one.
Less than 100km away in nearby Calvisano, South Africa dished out their own thrashing to an unsuspecting Australian outfit. Having narrowly lost to the Wallabies during the recent U20 Rugby Championship series, this was perhaps a result that few predicted ahead of last weekend's meeting. Nevertheless, South Africa ran their opponents ragged at the Stadio San Michele, accumulating 73 points as they surged to the summit of Pool A.
While England have enjoyed considerable success in the U20 Rugby World Championships following its inception almost two decades ago, South Africa assume the role of perennial underachievers. Despite consistently progressing to the latter stages of the competition, the Junior Springboks have only been crowned champions on one previous occasion, edging past New Zealand in the 2012 final on home soil. With only the group winner guaranteed a place in this year’s semi-finals, this fixture could have a major bearing on who seals top spot.
The match is scheduled to take place at the Stadio Mario Battaglini, located in the north-eastern Italian city of Rovigo. It will be shown exclusively live on RugbyPass TV, a free online streaming site.
England U20 vs. South Africa U20: Key Information
Date: Friday 4th July
Kick-off time: 5.00pm (BST)
Venue: Stadio Mario Battaglini, Rovigo
Officiating team: Tomas Bertazza (referee), Marcus Playle (assistant referee), Katsuki Furuse (assistant referee), Leo Colgan (TMO), Graham Cooper (FPRO)
TV channel/Live stream: RugbyPass TV
England U20 vs. South Africa U20 – Team News
Although the two teams will be keen to build on last weekend’s impressive triumphs, Mark Mapletoft and Kevin Foote must also keep a close eye on the fitness and freshness levels of their respective squads. Both managers used all eight substitutes on the opening matchday, highlighting the fundamental importance of player rotation in tournament rugby.
Therefore, don’t be surprised if there are a few tweaks to starting XVs for Friday’s encounter.
England U20 team news
Having watched his side dominate in every area against Scotland, Mapletoft will want to retain an element of consistency in key positions.
England emerged triumphant in all eleven of their scrums, and even stole the ball following several Scotland put-ins. Ralph McEachran and Tye Raymont are expected to once again get the nod at loosehead and tighthead respectively, but the number two jersey could swap hands. Kepu Tuipulotu made a huge impact following his introduction from the bench, completing seven ball carries – only full-back Josh Bellamy progressed in possession on more occasions – and claiming two turnovers at the breakdown. The sin binning of Louie Gulley serves to further strengthen the case for Tuipulotu’s inclusion, with the Exeter Chiefs hooker receiving an early yellow card against the Scots.
However, England’s disciplinary problems didn’t stop with Gulley’s temporary ejection. George Timmons’ crude elbow strike on a grounded Ollie Blyth-Lafferty pre-empted a straight red card, and subsequently resulted in him receiving an instant five-match ban. That means the 20-year-old Bath flanker will now miss the remainder of the tournament, as well as the Premier League champions' friendly meeting with Glasgow Warriors in September. Although not part of the matchday squad for the Scotland clash, Connor Treacey will be hoping to fill the position vacated by his Bath teammate. Having recorded two tries last Sunday, Kane James is expected to keep his spot in the back row.
Despite delivering a solid opening round performance, Josh Bellamy may find himself dislodged by the in-form Ben Redshaw, who recently left boyhood club Newcastle Falcons to sign for Premiership Rivals Gloucester ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. Redshaw posed a constant attacking threat during his second-half cameo, showcasing the full extent of his blistering pace as he broke through to score England’s seventh try of the afternoon. That may be the only adjustment Mapletoft makes to his talented backline, who produced four tries and seven successfully taken conversions between them at the Payanini Centre Stadium.
South Africa U20 team news
While the scoreline suggests South Africa simply steamrolled their Aussie opponents, the stats indicate a slightly different narrative. The Wallabies enjoyed the lion's share of territory, enjoyed a substantial 47% of possession, and conceded fewer turnovers in the match. Nevertheless, Kevin Foote will have been delighted with the clinical nature of his team’s attacking play, as nine different try scorers broke through enemy lines.
Several of those who started Sunday’s contest on the bench have now staked their claim for a place in the starting XV, resulting in Foote labouring one or two selection headaches ahead of the next round of fixtures. Debutant Jacob Williams and Bulls lock Jacobus Grobbelaar recorded two tries apiece after entering the fray early in the second half, while Ian van der Merwe kicked well following the departure of first-choice fly-half Vusi Simphiwe Moyo.
South Africa lost almost a fifth of their line-outs against the Aussies, and therefore the former Perth Spirit boss may also opt to make a change at hooker. Jaundre Schoeman performed admirably after replacing powerful teenager Siphosethu Mnebelele, so don’t be surprised if the Johannesburg Lions' number two comes into the middle of the front row.
Four players came into the side following May’s narrow defeat to New Zealand at the U20 Rugby Championships (TRC), with each hopeful of keeping their jerseys after positive displays against Australia. Tighthead prop Herman Lubbe, flankers Xola Nyali and Bathobele Hlekani, and winger Siya Ndlozi all fit into this category – Foote will be reluctant to drop any of these players given the magnitude of last Sunday’s victory.
Where to watch on TV
Viewers can watch every minute of the U20 Rugby World Championships on RugbyPass TV, a free online streaming service accessible to all UK residents. In addition to providing exclusive live coverage of all group stage and knockout round clashes, RugbyPass TV also uploads full match replays and extended highlights following every fixture.
To register for RugbyPass TV, simply click the link and follow the on-screen instructions.
Form Guide and Head-to-Head record
Ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the Auld Enemy, England U20s were last in action during the Spring’s Six Nations tournament.
Although the campaign ultimately ended in disappointment, the four-time world champions will undoubtedly reflect proudly on their efforts. After comfortably defeating Ireland, Scotland, and France, Mark Mapletoft’s troops fought to a hard-earned victory over a dogged Italian outfit. However, a heartbreaking loss at Cardiff Arms Park left their title hopes in tatters, as the Frenchmen leveraged two additional bonus points to steal England’s crown.
South Africa may have lost in two of their three U20 Rugby Championships (TRC) outings, but the margin of defeat was less than six points on both occasions. After starting with a routine win over Argentina, the hosts were edged by Australia and New Zealand in a couple of thrilling ties. Having already gained revenge on the Aussies following that narrow defeat at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, South Africa will be ready to face any other Southern Hemisphere challenger should the draw present this opportunity.
Friday’s opponents have only previously met twice, with both contests taking place at the same venue in consecutive Rugby World Championships. After losing by seven points in 2023’s third-place play-off, England returned to the Athlone Stadium a year later to beat their South African adversaries during the final round of group stage fixtures, effectively confirming the Junior Springboks’ elimination from the competition.
Labelled as two of the pre-tournament favourites, England and South Africa will be desperate to stamp their authority over a potential title rival this weekend. Given how close recent head-to-head battles have been and the confidence levels currently permeating both camps, this should be an extremely interesting tie….