The Six Nations Under-20s finally returns to action this weekend and it’s time to buckle in ahead of a thrilling Championship.
A year after the 2020 competition was suspended due to the outbreak of Covid-19, some of Europe’s finest young rugby talent will be hoping to show what they can do on the international stage.
The big change for this year’s edition is that every match will be held at the same venue, rather than the normal cross-continental affair, with Cardiff’s Arms Park the hosts.
There will be three matches played on each match-day, with 2pm, 5pm and 8pm kick-offs.
Ireland jet across to defend their title from 2019 but the other five nations will be snapping at their heels when the action commences on Saturday.
Here is all you need to know.
What is the competition format?
The Six Nations Under-20s sees all six teams play each other once.
The decision to hold the Championship in one venue was taken to reduce the risk around travel, to ensure greater rest periods and structured training and therefore meet many of the performance opportunities lost in recent times.
Matchday squads will consist of 26 players due to the condensed format of the competition and all five matchdays will feature three matches played consecutively.
Four points are awarded for a win, two for a draw and a bonus point is awarded to sides that score four or more tries in a match or lose a match by seven points or fewer.
In addition, if a team completes a Grand Slam (winning all five fixtures) they are awarded three bonus match points.
The team that tops the table after every nation has played each other, will be crowned the Under-20s Six Nations champions for 2021.
Who are the defending champions?
Ireland completed a clean sweep in the 2019 Championship and will hope to win a second consecutive Grand Slam at Arms Park.
Noel McNamara’s team scored 150 points along the way to winning all five games, including a 35-27 opening-day win against England.
As the 2020 Championship was suspended due to the pandemic, no side became champions meaning Ireland still retain the crown going into this year’s edition.
Who to look out for?
Ireland will again be formidable opposition this year under head coach Richie Murphy, having won all three games in 2020 and topping the table prior to the suspension of the competition. They have a strong squad captained by Munster back row Alex Kendellen.
England will be able to call on senior squad experience, in the form of Gloucester flanker Jack Clement, while Wales will also be looking to mount a Grand Slam challenge, with six players in their squad having previous experience of the competition, including Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow.
World Under-20s champions Matthias Haddad and Paul Mallez feature in France’s 35-man squad, while Gregor Townsend’s son Christian, also a fly-half, is in the Scotland ranks.
Who plays who in Round 1?
In the opening round of fixtures, Scotland get things underway when they take on defending champions Ireland on Saturday June 19 at 2pm.
England face France the same day at 5pm, with Italy against host nation Wales rounding off the first weekend at 8pm.
The teams will then have six days to prepare for the second round of games, which are scheduled for June 25.
Where can I watch it?
Every match will be broadcast in Six Nations territories either on terrestrial TV, broadcaster streaming platforms or via Six Nations digital channels.
BBC iPlayer will stream every match in the Championship for fans in the UK, while in addition Italy v Wales will be broadcast on BBC Two Wales. The final game of the Championship on July 13, Scotland v Wales, will also be shown by the channel.
RTÉ will show all of Ireland’s matches to fans in the Republic of Ireland, while France TV will show Les Bleuets’ contests in France. Italy’s matches will be on Sky Italia.
Fans in Ireland, France and Italy will be able to watch matches not involving their home sides on YouTube and Facebook Live, while these platforms will also be available to fans worldwide.
