England U20 will bid for bronze against New Zealand on Saturday in the World Rugby Junior World Championship third-place playoff in Georgia — marking the first meeting between the two nations’ junior sides in almost a decade.
Andy Titterell’s Side Banking On Experience
England head coach Andy Titterell’s squad bounced back from a stinging 53-37 semi-final loss to South Africa to secure a second chance at hardware. The Baby Blacks, meanwhile, fell 26-22 to France in their last-four clash, leaving both sides with unfinished business.
“We’ll be out to strike fear into them,” Titterell said in comments reported by RugbyPass, flagging England’s intent despite Monday’s disappointment. England have won 4 of their last 6 matches and scored 179 points across four tournament games — a potent offensive platform going into Saturday’s consolation final.
New Zealand’s path to the playoff came via a narrower semi-final margin, though the Baby Blacks enter the match as perennial contenders in age-grade rugby. The encounter will serve as a genuine bronze-medal decider, with both squads hungry to salvage a respectable finish after falling short of the tournament final alongside France and South Africa.
Kick-off: Saturday, July 18 at 18:00 local time (17:00 BST) at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi. England’s efforts in the wider 2026 rugby calendar continue to capture the imagination of supporters worldwide.
