The New Zealand national under-20 rugby union team, nicknamed the Baby Blacks, is the representative rugby union team from New Zealand. It replaced the two former age grade teams, the under-19s and the under-21s. Their first tournament was the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship, which they won after defeating England (38–3) in the final.[1] They have gone on to also win the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2017. The New Zealand under-20s have been nicknamed the "Baby Blacks" after the youthful All Blacks side which played in 1986.
 | ||
| Union | New Zealand Rugby | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Baby Blacks | |
| Coach(es) | Jono Gibbes | |
| Top scorer | Trent Renata (59) | |
| Most tries | Zac Guildford and Tevita Li (8) | |
| ||
| First international | ||
 New Zealand 48–9 Tonga  (6 June 2008; Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff) | ||
| Largest win | ||
New Zealand 92–0 Wales  (14 June 2011; Rugby Rovigo Delta, Rovigo) | ||
| Largest defeat | ||
 Australia 24–0 New Zealand (5 May 2019; Bond Sports Park, Gold Coast) | ||
| World Cup | ||
| Appearances | 14 (First in 2008) | |
| Best result | Champions (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2017) | |
Overall
editSummary of all matches played by the New Zealand Under-20s as of 19 July 2024
| Opposition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | % Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina |
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Australia |
17 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 76% |
 England |
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 83% |
 Fiji |
7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 France |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 50% |
 Georgia |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Ireland |
9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 89% |
 Italy |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Japan |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Samoa |
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Scotland |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 South Africa |
8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 13% |
 Spain |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Tonga |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Uruguay |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Wales |
11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 82% |
| Total | 92 | 74 | 1 | 17 | 80% |
World Rugby U20 Championship record
edit| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 242 | 28 |
| 2009 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 215 | 54 |
| 2010 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 262 | 52 |
| 2011 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 274 | 51 |
| 2012 |
Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 148 | 49 |
| 2013 |
Semi-finals | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 159 | 116 |
| 2014 |
Semi-finals | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 196 | 107 |
| 2015 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 191 | 63 |
| 2016 |
5th place | 5th | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 223 | 86 |
| 2017 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 282 | 92 |
| 2018 |
Semi-finals | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 173 | 84 |
| 2019 |
7th place | 7th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 161 | 96 |
| 2023 |
7th place | 7th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 188 | 150 |
| 2024 |
Semi-finals | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 182 | 152 |
| Total | 14/14 | 6 titles | 70 | 56 | 0 | 14 | 2,896 | 1,180 |
Oceania Rugby U20 Championship record
edit| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |
Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 157 | 43 |
| 2016 |
Champions | 1st | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 35 |
| 2017 |
Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 186 | 32 |
| 2018 |
Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 195 | 43 |
| 2019 |
Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 140 | 43 |
| 2022 |
Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 26 |
| Total | 6/6 | 5 titles | 17 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 907 | 222 |
U20 Rugby Championship record
edit| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
Champions | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 58 |
| Total | 1/1 | 1 titles | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 58 |
Players
editRecent squads
edit2024
editOn 10 April 2024, Head Coach Jono Gibbes announced the squad for the inaugural U20 Rugby Championship in Australia.[2]
Non-travelling reserves named were:
- Logan Wallace (Hurricanes, Manawatū)
- Nathaniel Pole (Blues, Auckland)
- Riley Williams (Blues, Auckland)
- Tai Cribb (Chiefs, Waikato)
- Tofuka Paongo was initially named as a non-travelling reserve but was subsequently selected to play in the match against Argentina U20.[3]
After winning the inaugural U20 Rugby Championship title, Jono Gibbes named the squad for the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship on 31 May 2024.[4]
Non-travelling reserves:
- Nathaniel Pole (Blues, Auckland)
- Josh Whaanga (Highlanders, Otago)
- Toby Bell (Crusaders, Canterbury)
- Tofuka Paongo (Hurricanes, Wellington)
- Tristyn Cook (Blues, North Harbour)
- Mosese Bason was initially considered unavailable due to injury and Senio Sanele was named as a non-travelling reserve, but they were subsequently added to the squad as injury replacements for Kurene Luamanuvae and Malachi Wrampling-Alec.[5]
Award winners
editThe following New Zealand U20s players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2008:[6]
| Year | Nominees | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Luke Braid | Luke Braid |
| Chris Smith | ||
| 2009 | Aaron Cruden | Aaron Cruden |
| Winston Stanley | ||
| 2010 | Tyler Bleyendaal | Julian Savea |
| Julian Savea | ||
| 2011 | Sam Cane | — |
| Luke Whitelock | ||
| 2013 | Ardie Savea | |
| 2014 | Tevita Li | |
| 2015 | Akira Ioane | |
| Tevita Li (2) | ||
| 2016 | Shaun Stevenson | |
| 2017 | Tiaan Falcon | |
| Will Jordan |
Coaches
editDue to the U20 category only existing since the combining of the U19 and U21 age groups in 2007, the following table only includes coaches appointed since. In the inaugural tournament in 2008, Dave Rennie and Russell Hilton-Jones served as co-coaches in charge of the team. Craig Philpott is the longest serving coach. As of 2024, the current Head Coach is Jono Gibbes.
Updated to: 19 July 2024
| Coach | Tenure | P | W | D | L | W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Rennie
|
2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Russell Hilton-Jones
|
2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Dave Rennie
|
2009–2010 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Mark Anscombe
|
2011 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Rob Penney
|
2012 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 60% |
| Chris Boyd
|
2013–2014 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 60% |
| Scott Robertson
|
2015–2016 | 15 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 93% |
| Craig Philpott
|
2017–2019 | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 79% |
| Tom Donnelly
|
2022 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Clark Laidlaw
|
2023 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 57% |
| Jono Gibbes
|
2024– | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 81% |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Clutton, Graham. "Final: New Zealand 38–3 England". irb.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
- ^ "Rising stars named in New Zealand Under 20 Rugby Championship squad". allblacks.com. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "New Zealand U20 team named to play Argentina". allblacks.com (Press release). 6 May 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ "New Zealand Under 20 squad named for World Rugby U20 Championship". New Zealand Rugby (Press release). 31 May 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ @nzrugbyofficial (16 June 2024). "Mosese Bason and Senio Sanele come into the New Zealand U20 squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship in Cape Town". Retrieved 30 June 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Awards Roll of Honour - World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
