Scotland will take nothing for granted in U20 World Trophy promotion battle

A HOME tournament, the familiar surroundings of Edinburgh Rugby’s Hive Stadium, sea level, cool summer conditions and a large Scottish support. It should all add up to the outcome of Scotland winning the World Rugby U20 Trophy in just two weeks’ time, and, in so doing, regaining their place in the top tier U20 Championship for the 2025 iteration. 

But all the favourable factors have to be harnessed and that means Scotland getting it right in all of their matches. Age-grade rugby in Scotland will be on trial and for the players that is a massive responsibility to carry. This will be Scotland’s second attempt to regain their place at the high table of under-20 rugby and surely one which the Scots will not want to blow.

So how did it come to this? How did we reach this cliff edge. To recap: Scotland lost their membership of the elite group of countries when they finished last in the 2019 Championship after losing heavily to an inspired Fiji side in the 11th/12th place play-off . Then following three years of cancelled tournaments during the 2020-2022 Covid period, Scotland made a bid to climb back into the Championship  by competing in the second tier Trophy event held last year in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

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History records that despite being favourites to win in Kenya last year, Scotland scuppered their chance of re-entry to the big boys club when they lost to a feisty Uruguay team in the group stage, resulting in a second pool-place finish. And with only the top two from each group able to qualify for promotion, Scotland were left contesting the 3rd/4th match and contemplating another year in the Trophy.

Because Scotland are this year’s hosts of the Trophy, they were exempt from a qualification process. Similarly Japan, relegated from the Championship last year, were automatic entrants to the tournament. The other six countries competing, Samoa, Hong Kong China, USA, Uruguay, Kenya and newcomers Netherlands, all had to win regional competitions for the right to compete in the Trophy.

Finishing top of the regional piles gives the other six countries more than a dash of kudos: these are teams that have proved themselves against worthy opponents, who if not household names in the world order, are not to be disrespected. For their part, Scotland come into the 2024 Trophy event having been exposed to the Six Nations U20 Championship earlier this year, against sides currently competing in World Rugby’s top tier competition.

Although it was a whitewash for Scotland there were indications of recovery, notably in positive second half performances against both England and France at The Hive. Moreover, Super Series, making a defiant last stand before disappearing from Scottish Rugby’s books, offered many in the squad a toughening-up experience ahead of the Trophy competition.

Scotland open their campaign against Samoa and while the Scots’ 83-10 result against the Pacific Islanders last year would suggest a winning start, the team from the South Seas – different, of course,  from last years contingent – can be hugely unpredictable. Samoa, who have twice won the Trophy competition (2011 and 2016) qualified for the Edinburgh tournament following a 40-14 win over their Pacific rivals, Tonga.

Undoubtedly one of the potential barriers to Scotland fulfilling their promotion ambitions will be Japan, whom the Scots face in their third and final pool match a week on Friday. Japan have confirmed their pedigree at this level by winning the Trophy three times in the past ten years, playing a brand of fast rugby which should be ideally suited to the artificial surface at The Hive. And, of course, they have the comparatively recent, albeit losing, experience of the 2023 U20 Championship. Completing the Pool A is line-up is Hong Kong China, the form of whom is difficult to judge.

Looking at Pool B, Uruguay should be the stand-out team, inspired by the senior team’s showing in the pool matches of last year’s World Cup, and of course confident after that victory at U20 level over Scotland in Nairobi twelve months ago. The North American challenge will again come from USA , who qualified with back-to-back wins over Canada, and who finished seventh in Nairobi last year. But you have to back to 2012 to map the high-water of American under-20 rugby, when they hosted and won the Trophy.

Back again are last year’s hosts, Kenya, who showed last year that when it comes to pace they are not lacking in this commodity, only to be failed by naivety in defence when it mattered. The Kenyan team qualified by defeating their habitual East African rivals, Zimbabwe.

Providing a hight degree of intrigue will be the Trophy debutants, Netherlands, who came through a rigorous European group last autumn to claim their place in the competition after defeating Belgium in the final, following a fine win over Portugal. Given their prowess in football, hockey, track and field, swimming and cycling, and the fact that the Dutch provided a considerable share of South Africa’s gene pool, it might be expected that their athleticism and ball skills could be channelled into rugby. We shall see.

The tournament opens tomorrow [Tuesday 2nd July] with Japan playing Hong Kong China (11.45am kick-off) followed by Uruguay v Kenya (14.30pm) and then Scotland v Samoa (17.15pm), the first day concluding with USA v Netherlands (19.45om).

• Pool A:  Hong Kong China, Japan, Samoa, Scotland
• Pool B:  Kenya, Netherlands, Uruguay, USA

U20 World Trophy: Scotland v Samoa: Kenny Murray names team for campaign opener