The 2021 Under 20 Six Nations Championship will be played this summer between 19th June and 13th July at Cardiff Arms Park.
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.
Every match will be broadcast in Six Nations territories either on terrestrial TV, broadcaster streaming platforms or via Six Nations digital channels. Scotland and Ireland will get the Championship underway on 19th June, followed by England v France and Wales v Italy on the same day.
There was no winner of the 2020 Under-20s Championship. 2019 Champions Ireland had already secured a Triple Crown thanks to wins over Scotland, Wales and England and were vying for a repeat Grand Slam. Every other team had secured at least one win before the 2020 Championship had to be called to a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 2021 edition will conclude on 13th July with England v Italy, Ireland v France and Scotland v Wales.
Commenting on the announcement, Six Nations CEO, Ben Morel said: “We are delighted to be in a position to play the Under-20s Championship this year, having had to cancel it in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“The Under-20s Six Nations Championship is an important milestone in the life of many young players who will pursue a career in professional rugby and we would like to thank the unions for their hard work in making this Championship possible and our broadcasters for bringing it to the homes of rugby lovers. We are looking forward to some exciting rugby.”
WRU CEO Steve Phillips, added: “The Welsh Rugby Union is honoured to be hosting the 2021 Under 20s Six Nations Championship at the historic Cardiff Arms Park.
“The Under 20s Six Nations Championship is a crucial pathway for the players’ development as they begin their journey into senior professional rugby. A number of players currently playing for their respective unions at the highest level have come through this programme, so it will be exciting to see the next generation of stars in action here with us in Cardiff.”
The WRU’s head coach of transitional players, Gareth Williams added: ‘It’s great news that this cohort of players get an opportunity to compete at this important stage of their development.
“We’re all aware of the challenges the last year or so has thrown at our game, but this is something to look forward to and prepare for and provides our players a clear focus which they are eager to embrace.”
For the full fixture list click HERE
