MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB

Chipu face Spain, Samoa and Hong Kong in World U-20 show

The team, also known as Chipu, will be up against Spain, Samoa and Hong Kong.

In Summary

•Pool 'A' will see Scotland, Uruguay, the USA,  Canada, and the second team from Africa face off.

•The country will be playing in the championship for the third time having taken part in 2009 and 2019.

Kenya Under 20 rugby team celebrate after winning the 2021 Barthes Cup tournament
Kenya Under 20 rugby team celebrate after winning the 2021 Barthes Cup tournament

 Kenya have been drawn into a tricky pool for the World Under-20 rugby Championship slated for July in Nairobi.

The team, also known as Chipu, will be up against Spain, Samoa and Hong Kong.  The country will be hosting the event for the second time having hosted it in 2009 at the RFUEA ground.

Pool 'A' will see Scotland, Uruguay, the USA,  Canada and the second team from Africa face off.

The eight teams will battle over four days at Nyayo Stadium with the winner of the tournament being promoted to the World U-20 championship in 2024.

The country will be playing in the championship for the third time having taken part in 2009 and 2019.

The team better known as Chipu finished fourth in the 2009 edition with the USA winning the tournament. The hosts lost to Namibia 22-17 but stunned the USA 33-32 and thrashed the Cayman Islands 67-0. In the semifinal, Kenya lost 19-17 to Chile. In the 2019 edition, Kenya finished sixth overall

The 2009 edition launched the careers of Oscar Ouma and Patrice Agunda who went on to have distinguished careers with  Shujaa in the shorter version of the game.

In a press release from World Rugby, the governing body added that South Africa will host U20 Championship for the next two years (2023 and 2024).

The 2023 edition will be the second time South Africa will welcome the future stars of the game after 2012 when the Junior Springboks won on home soil.

The age-grade tournament will be held from June 24 to  July 14 in the Western Cape Wineland regions of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Wellington.

The world’s best 12 nations have been placed into three pools and will all hope to clinch the coveted title and succeed two-time defending champions France.

The team finishing last will be relegated to the World Rugby U20 Trophy next year.

The two age-grade tournaments are a key part of the international federation’s investment in increasing global rugby competition by providing a meaningful pathway to the elite level for talented young players.

The showpiece tournaments, first held in 2008, have seen almost 1,500 players go on to make their test debut after playing on this stage, including 28 Rugby World Cup winners.

World Rugby chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We are thrilled to unveil our two exciting hosts for the World Rugby U20 Championship and U20 Trophy taking place later this year.

"South Africa and Kenya will provide the perfect stage for the return of our flagship U20 competitions that play such a crucial role in the development of young talents within our unions."