World Rugby U20 Championship 2016: Pool C preview
Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
We conclude our series by looking at the four teams in Pool C at the World Rugby U20 Championship 2016, which features former champions South Africa, France, Argentina and Japan.
SOUTH AFRICA
Seeding for 2016: 3
Best finish: Champions (2012)
Worst finish: Fifth (2011)
U20 Championship match record: Played 40 / Won 31 / Lost 9
U20 Championship points/tries scored: 1,597 / 217
U20 graduates: 18
Most capped U20 graduate: Pat Lambie (50 tests)
Did you know…? Handré Pollard endured a whirlwind eight days in June 2014 as he went from heartbreak of losing the U20 Championship final 21-20 to England and being named World Rugby Junior Player of the Year to the elation of making his Springbok debut against Scotland.
Coach: Dawie Theron
Captain: Jeremy Ward
One to watch: Curwin Bosch
A player blessed with natural talent and expected to have a very bright future in the game, Bosch has already starred for South Africa Schools and was named Craven Week Player of the Year in 2014. The fly-half cum full-back has been snapped up the Sharks and will hope to have a double reason to celebrate on his 19th birthday on 25 June with a second U20 Championship title for South Africa. A former 100m and 200m sprinter, Bosch helped South Africa win sevens gold at the Youth Commonwealth Games last year.
FRANCE
Seeding for 2016: 4
Best finish: Fourth (2011, 2015)
Worst finish: Sixth (2008, 2012, 2014)
U20 Championship match record: Played 40 / Won 26 / Lost 14
U20 Championship points/tries scored: 1,064 / 128
U20 graduates: 30
Most capped U20 graduates: Yoann Maestri (47 tests)
Did you know…? Pierre Bernard holds the record for the most points scored in a single U20 Championship match with 33 against Wales in the fifth place play-off in 2009.
Coach: Olivier Magne
Captain: Clément Castets
One to watch: Martin Laveau
A gold medallist at the Youth Olympic Games in 2014, Laveau returns for his second U20 Championship and coach Olivier Magne has high hopes for him. The Aviron Bayonnais winger has speed in abundance and knows his way to the try-line. He has also played on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, most recently in Sydney earlier this year, and is another player who has benefitted from playing both sevens and 15s.
ARGENTINA
Seeding for 2016: 9
Best finish: Fourth (2012)
Worst finish: 11th (2009)
U20 match record: Played 40 / Won 19 / Lost 21
U20 points/tries scored: 837 / 93
U20 graduates: 54
Most capped U20 graduate: Martín Landajo (52 tests)
Did you know…? Argentina have seen the most players graduate from the U20 Championship to the test arena with 54, including Nicolás Sánchez, Martín Landajo, Pablo Matera and Santiago Cordero.
Coach: Nicolás Fernández Lobbe
Captain: Benito Paolucci
One to watch: Marcos Kremer
This second-row is tipped for a very bright future and could, sooner rather than later, be making the familiar pathway from Los Pumitas to Los Pumas. He won’t be the tallest of second-rows in this year’s tournament at 195cm but he is a strong, combative and efficient player who will be very busy around the pitch.
JAPAN
Seeding for 2016: 10
Best finish: 10th (2015)
Worst finish: 15 (2008)
U20 Championship match record: Played 15 / Won 3 / Lost 12
U20 Championship points/tries scored: 259 / 38
U20 graduates: 19 (14 from Championship, five from Trophy)
Most capped U20 graduates: Michael Leitch (47 tests)
Coach: Ryuji Nakatake
Captain: Masato Furukawa
One to watch: Ataata Moeakiola
Standing 185cm tall and tipping the scales at 110kg, the winger is one of the powerhouses of this Japanese side who have set an ambitious target of a top eight finish in 2016. Moeakiola has already made an impact at test level, scoring three tries – including a double against Hong Kong last weekend – in his three appearances in a new-look Japanese side during the Asia Rugby Championship. This will be his second U20 Championship, having come off the bench in every match last year as Japan secured their best-ever ranking of 10th.
Courtesy of World Rugby
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