World Rugby U20 Trophy day one fixtures, kick-off times
By Collins Amanga, July 15, 2023
Excitement fills the air at Nyayo Stadium as the World Rugby U20 Trophy gets underway this Saturday, July 15, with a thrilling lineup of four matches starting at 10:00 am.
The tournament begins with a clash between Scotland and Zimbabwe at 10:00 am. Scotland’s participation in the U20 Trophy follows their relegation from the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be their first appearance in the competition.
Zim in World Rugby U20
For the Zimbabwe Junior Sables, their victory in the Barthés U20 Trophy final against Kenya, with a scoreline of 28-7, secured their place in the World Rugby U20 Trophy.
As the hosts, Kenya automatically qualified, allowing Zimbabwe to claim their spot following a convincing 60-6 victory over Tunisia in the semi-finals.
The hosts, Kenya, will take on Samoa in the second match at 12:00 PM. Kenya displayed promising performances in the Barthés Trophy earlier this year.
After a 44-20 quarter-final win over Uganda, they secured a place in the final by defeating Namibia 24-13 in the semi-finals. Despite their strong showing, Kenya fell short in the final against Zimbabwe, losing 28-7.
Samoa secured their place in the tournament with a 27-25 aggregate victory over Tonga in the Oceania Rugby U20 Trophy 2022. T
hey overcame a first-leg defeat with a narrow 8-5 win in the second match, earning their fourth U20 Trophy appearance.
World Rugby U20 match 3
Uruguay will face the USA in the third match of the day, scheduled for 2:00 pm. The USA secured their place in the tournament after a convincing two-leg victory against Canada in the North American qualifying round in June. They won the opening match 43-21 and followed it up with a 39-14 victory.
Having finished as runners-up behind Sudamérica Rugby champions Argentina, Los Teritos claimed their spot in the World Rugby U20 Trophy for the 11th time in the tournament’s history.
In the final match of the day, Spain will go head-to-head with Hong Kong China at 4:00 pm EAT. Hong Kong China qualified for the U20 Trophy by winning the Asia Rugby U19 Championship in December.
They secured their place with a 19-12 victory over Chinese Taipei following an opening 43-9 win against Malaysia.
Spain, on the other hand, became the first team to qualify for this year’s U20 Trophy after successfully defending their Rugby Europe U20 Championship title.
Their journey included a 51-13 win against Czechia and a 25-6 victory over Belgium in the semi-finals. In the final against the Netherlands, Spain secured a 13-6 triumph.
World Rugby U20 Trophy, Nyayo National Stadium
Match Day 1 | Saturday 15 July 2023
Scotland v Zimbabwe | 10.00am
Samoa v Kenya | 12.00pm
Uruguay v USA | 2.00pm
Spain v Hong Kong China | 4.00pm