World Rugby U20s Championship Final Preview

The World Rugby U20 Championship will come to a conclusion this Saturday, when New Zealand and England go head-to-head in the final for the fourth time since the tournament’s inception in 2008.

Four-time winners New Zealand will be slight favourites based on their dismantling of France in the semi-finals, but England, who have won the last two tournaments, have every chance of making it three in a row at Stadio Giovanni Zinni in Cremona.

New Zealand

The Baby Blacks squad is headlined by the trio of Akira Ioane, Tevita Li and Anton Lienert-Brown, all of whom have plenty of Super Rugby experience, and England will need to contain these players from the outset, otherwise they could spend much of the 80 minutes chasing the scoreboard.

Inside centre TJ Faiane is another lethal threat that New Zealand have at their disposal, and though his profile may not be as high as Li’s or Ioane’s, he is every bit as dangerous, particularly in the broken field that the Baby Blacks’ back line craves.

The half-back duo of Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi and Otere Black have given the squad a direction and calmness that it has been missing in recent years, but they will be hoping for an improved performance from their tight five on Saturday or else they could be playing off the back foot for much of the game.

New Zealand’s captain and tighthead prop Atunaisa Moli has had a good tournament so far, but the tight five has been outplayed by both Argentina and France, and they will need to step up significantly to contend with the England unit which ripped through a vaunted South African pack in the semi-finals.

England

Having established themselves as the dominant force in age-grade rugby over the last two years, this tournament was always going to be a tough ask for England, who have undergone much turnover this season and don’t have the star individuals that they have boasted at the last two tournaments.

The loss to France aside, which has proven to be a wakeup call, the side has been impressive, beating Japan and Wales comfortably, before clicking at just the right time to overpower and outplay South Africa in their semi-final.

For England, it all starts up front. The front row of Ellis Genge, Jack Walker and Paul Hill were in exceptional form against South Africa, as were locks Charlie Ewels and Will Witty, and this is an area where England should be confident about controlling come the final on Saturday.

The back line has been in good form, but containing the likes of Li, Faiane and Lienert-Brown will be a step up on the competition they have faced thus far at the tournament. They are well-drilled defensively and have worked together well as a unit, so they are as good a bet as any at the tournament to stop the free-running Baby Blacks back line.

Key Head-to-Head – Akira Ioane vs Lewis Ludlam

This pair should go up against one another a number of times on Saturday evening and it promises to be a ferocious encounter.

Ioane has been virtually unstoppable so far in the tournament, barnstorming his way through beleaguered defenders, and has proven to be the spearhead of New Zealand’s attack.

An early injury to Sekou Macalou in the semi-final denied the Frenchman his opportunity to see if he could stop Ioane, and now it’s the turn of Ludlam, who has been one England’s form men at the tournament.

Ludlam has done an excellent job of defending the gain line over the last few weeks, rarely, if at all, allowing players to cross it, and he will need to bring every ounce of his strength, work rate and nous to stop Ioane.

If Ioane can break the gain line with regularity and open up the game, New Zealand’s offloading and their clinical back line could quickly rack up an insurmountable score, just as they did against France.

If Ludlam can stop Ioane at the gain line, then England will slow New Zealand’s attack, allowing their well-organised back line to position themselves and their powerful pack contain the Baby Blacks around the fringes.

Prediction

History is working against England here, as the three times these sides have met in the finals of this competition, New Zealand have recorded a clean sweep of wins.

England will need to be disciplined and use their set-piece advantage to force penalties and control both possession and territory in the game. They cannot afford the discipline issues they showed against Wales in the Six Nations and against France in the pool stage.

There’s little doubt it will be a closer affair than both side’s comfortable semi-final victories, but the experience of some of New Zealand’s star players in Super Rugby may just turn the advantage their way. New Zealand by 3.