- England to face defending champions South Africa and France clinch New Zealand showdown as two huge semi-finals are confirmed after an enthralling conclusion of the World Rugby Junior World Championship 2026 pool stage in Georgia "VAN" (Sports Desk - 08.07.2026) :: The race for the World Rugby Junior World Championship 2026 title is intensifying after the final round of pool matches on Tuesday saw the four most successful teams in history all emerge victorious to reach the semi-finals. In two thrilling matches that went right down to the wire, England edged Argentina 40-38 in Tbilisi to top Pool C before France beat Australia 34-29 in the Pool D decider in Kutaisi. Defending champions South Africa overpowered Wales 52-33 and New Zealand defeated Italy 45-15 to claim top spot in Pool A and B respectively as all 368 players in action wore distinctive shirts in support of the tournament's Keep Rugby Clean Day. France will take on New Zealand in the first semi-final at 18:00 local time (GMT+4) on Monday, 13 July before the Junior Springboks face England at 20:30 local time, the quartet bidding to all reach the title decider at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi on 18 July.
On Wed, Jul 8, 2026