Increasingly, what you may see in a Six Nations decider, a Rugby Championship shoot-out or even a World Cup final may be predicted on the under 20s scene, five or six years before it ever happens.Īs World Rugby’s own website observes, “In the 15 years of its existence, the World Rugby U20 Championship has played an integral part in the player development pathway, as well as being a brilliant tournament in its own right.
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The available GPS data has shown that essential categories like distances run, accelerations, decelerations, high metabolic load and sprints made in top under 20s rugby provide an excellent stepping-stone to full professional level. The vast majority are already attached to professional clubs via academies, and sometimes they have already had a substantial taste of senior rugby.īuilding the younger generation along the right physiological and mental-emotional guidelines, before they ever play club rugby, is far more energy-efficient than trying to reclaim older professional minds and bodies: ‘It’s easier to build strong kids than it is to repair broken men,’ as one recent England Under 20s strength and conditioning coach memorably put it. Why? Consider this: 42 of 48 players who represented the full England team in 2022 had played under 20s rugby previously. The Under 20s World Championship has made for some enthralling contests. The Under 20s World Championship has moved from the periphery to the centre of rugby thinking, and it has become another precious tool for evaluation. Remembering those at key moments will help keep All Black feet on the ground.īut perhaps the most dynamic development in recent times is to be found in the game played at age-group levels. There will of course be an exhaustive analysis of previous recent matches between the two nations, via both team and individual profiles, tactical and psychological assessments.
Clues about what to expect are invaluable, and they can come from a variety of sources. It can be intimidating stuff, even for experienced international players. The sound of La Marseillaise will rumble around the arrondissement of Saint-Denis, like a low thunder beyond the stadium. It will be pedal-to-the-metal right from the ‘off’: hosts France versus New Zealand at a full Stade de France containing 81,000 baying supporters. There will be no gradual build-up to full speed. The opening match of the Rugby World Cup is no gentle ‘loosener’ for sterner tasks ahead.
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