2021 Under-20 Six Nations Fixtures Announced
Six Nations have today confirmed the fixtures for the 2021 Under-20 Six Nations Championship.
The age-grade Championship will be played this summer between Saturday 19 June and Tuesday 13 June in Cardiff.
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 each of the Six Nations territories either on terrestrial TV, broadcaster streaming platforms or via Six Nations digital channels.
Scotland will play host to the opening fixture of the tournament against Celtic counterparts, Ireland, on Saturday 19 June (kick-off 2pm) followed by England on Friday 25 June (kick-off 2pm), Italy on Thursday 1 July (kick-off 2pm) and France on Wednesday 7 July (kick-off 5pm). Scotland will then conclude their tournament when they play the hosts, Wales, in the closing fixture on the Championship on Tuesday 13 July (kick-off 8pm).
Commenting on the announcement, Six Nations CEO, Ben Morel said: “We are delighted to be in a position to play the Under-20 Championship this year, having had to cancel it in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“The Under-20 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.”
Scotland U20 Head Coach Sean Lineen said: “The announcement today, of the Under-20 Six Nations fixtures, is really exciting. There’s one month to go before the opening game against Ireland, as a coaching team we have been really impressed with the attitude of the squad over our last few camps.
“This week we’ve noticed the intensity go up a notch with a number of players continuing to hold their hand up for final selection to the Six Nations Championship squad.”
Scotland U20 Head Coach, Sean Lineen
WRU CEO Steve Phillips, added: “The Welsh Rugby Union is honoured to be hosting the 2021 Under 20 Six Nations Championship at the historic Cardiff Arms Park.
“The Under 20 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.”
2021 Under-20 Six Nations Fixtures
Round1 Saturday 19 June
Scotland v Ireland (kick-off 2pm)
England v France (kick-off 5pm)
Italy v Wales (kick-off 8pm)
Round 2 Friday 25 June
England v Scotland (kick-off 2pm)
Italy v France (kick-off 5pm)
Wales v Ireland (kick-off 8pm)
Round 3 Thursday 1 July
Scotland v Italy (kick-off 2pm)
France v Wales (kick-off 5pm)
Ireland v England (kick-off 8pm)
Round 4 Wednesday 7 July
Italy v Ireland (kick-off 2pm)
France v Scotland (kick-off 5pm)
Wales v England (kick-off 8pm)
Round 5 Tuesday 13 July
England v Italy (kick-off 2pm)
Ireland v France (kick-off 4:45pm)
Scotland v Wales (kick-off 8pm)