USA becomes final team to qualify for World U20 Trophy set for Nyayo Stadium
By Collins Amanga, June 12, 2023The USA U20 have emerged as the final team to qualify for the highly anticipated World U20 Trophy, set to take place at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi from July 15 to July 30, 2023.
The North Americans secured their spot by defeating Canada with an impressive aggregate score of 82-35 across the two-legged play-off of the North Regional Qualifier.
In the first leg held in South Carolina on Tuesday, the USA claimed a convincing 43-21 victory. They followed it up with another strong performance in the second leg on Saturday, defeating Canada 39-14 to cement their qualification.
World U20 Trophy Pool A
As a result, the USA U20 team will join Pool A, which already includes Scotland, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe. In Pool B, Hong Kong, Kenya, Samoa, and Spain will battle it out for a place in the final stage of the tournament.
The African slot was filled by Zimbabwe Sables following a dominant 60-6 win against Tunisia in the semi-finals of the Rugby Africa Barthes U20 Trophy. They later defeated Kenya 28-7 at the packed Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, securing their place in the World Rugby U20 Trophy.
Kenya, on the other hand, qualified by being the host of the tournament. It will be the second time that Kenya will be hosting the tournament, having previously done in 2009.
How other teams qualified for World U20 Trophy
Scotland find themselves in the World U20 Trophy after their relegation from the World Rugby U20 Championship held in 2019. In a closely contested 11th-place play-off, Scotland suffered a 59-34 defeat against Fiji in Rosario, Argentina.
Spain on their part, were the first team to secure their place in the World Rugby U20 Trophy 2023 through regional qualifiers held in November. Their victories over Samoa, Uruguay, and Hong Kong ensured their spot in the tournament line-up.
Samoa emerged victorious in the Oceania Rugby U20 Trophy, securing their place in the World Rugby U20 Trophy 2023. After losing the first game 20-19, they bounced back with an 8-5 win in the second leg against Tonga, ensuring their qualification with a 27-25 aggregate score.
Uruguay qualified from South America, finishing as runners-up behind Sudamerica U19 champions Argentina. They overcame Chile with a commanding 62-14 victory on home soil in Paysandú.
Hong Kong China claimed their spot in the World Rugby U20 Trophy as winners of the Asia Rugby U19 Championship 2022. They clinched their seventh U19 title with impressive wins over Malaysia (43-9) and Chinese Taipei (19-12).
The teams will converge in Nairobi with 16 matches expected to be played across 15 days. The match schedule features three match days during the group stage, with each team playing three matches within their respective pools.
The final and ranking matches will take place on the last day of the tournament to determine the overall winner and final rankings.
The winner of the Tournament will be promoted to the World U20 Championship set for South in 2024.
World U20 Trophy Pools
Pool A: Scotland, Uruguay, USA and Zimbabwe
Pool B: Hong Kong, Kenya, Samoa, and Spain
World Rugby U20 Trophy Match Schedule:
Match Day 1 – Saturday, 15 July:
Match Day 2 – Thursday, 20 July:
Match Day 3 – Tuesday, 25 July:
Final and Ranking Matches – Sunday, 30 July:
- 7th Place Match: Fourth-placed team from Pool A vs Fourth-placed team from Pool B
- 5th Place Match: Third-placed team from Pool A vs Third-placed team from Pool B
- 3rd Place Match: Second-placed team from Pool A vs Second-placed team from Pool B
- Final: First-placed team from Pool A vs First-placed team from Pool B