New Zealand U20s on patchy start to 2026 ahead of Junior World Championship

In a four-20-minute quarters hitout, with neither team wearing numbers and rolling substitutions, Georgia beat New Zealand 22-19 in a warm-up before this week’s World Rugby Junior Championship.

New Zealand coach Kane Jury was more concerned about trialling new combinations and ideas than the score.

“For me, it was important we had a hitout,” Jury told RugbyPass.

“It was important that we knew where our game stood and how our new players fit into it. We know how good we are and where we want to.”

New Zealand was a mixed bag in the Under 20 Rugby Championship (TRC) held at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa.

Two tries from talismanic fullback Cohen Norrie of Auckland helped New Zealand scramble to a 34-29 victory against Australia. New Zealand scored three tries when Australia had fewer players, including two against 13, recovering from a 24-14 deficit.

Against Argentina, New Zealand was suffocated 25-17 by the pugnacious Pumas in a below-par, error-strewn effort.

Pride salvaged a 29-29 draw against World Champions South Africa. In the 77th minute, New Zealand was down a player and trailing 29-22 as it attacked directly through the forwards. When the chance to expand came, they created an overlap that South African winger Jack Benade spotted. His attempt to intercept was ruled a deliberate knock on, and a penalty try was rightly called.

Jury believes greater continuity was achieved over the three weeks together, and that identity as a team, both on and off the field, was a massive “growth area.”

“We took a lot of confidence away from the TRC,” agreed Captain Haki Wiseman.

“We’ve got eight new guys in the team and a couple of Sevens boys (Bradley Tocker & Kele Lasaqa) who have added their international experience. Competition and time together are what we’ve needed. The boys are pushing each other and getting the best out of each other.”

One new challenge for Under-20 internationals is that it’s their first time playing rugby under constant video surveillance by the referees. Incidents from several minutes earlier can be detected and punished. Cards were prevalent in the TRC, with Siale Pahulu sent off against South Africa, while Ethan Webber and Jake Frost were yellow-carded against Argentina. Players are told to express themselves. How can they when being watched by Big Brother?

“Whatever we’ve done, it’s done, it’s put away, we can’t influence it. But what we can influence is the next moment. We talk about that all the time, being world-class in the next moment,” Jury responded.

“Sometimes calls go against you and unpredictable things happen. That’s a unique part of our game. What we want to do is normalise the idea that whatever we do next is the most important thing. So we’ve worked hard with John Quinn, our performance and mental skills coach, around breathing, visualisation, and being world-class in the next moment.”

Quinn’s clients include the Crusaders, Kubota Spears Rugby, New Zealand Cricket, and world-champion athletics legends Tom Walsh, Dame Val Adams, and rowing super-mum Emma Twigg.

Are concepts like “breathing” and “visualisation” a bit heavy for 20-year-olds? To help process such lessons, a leadership group of six has been appointed. The merits of this socialist approach are better measured after the tournament, but Jury is thoughtful in describing the dynamic between the official captain, Haki Wiseman, and his five deputies, Charlie Sinton, Caleb Woodley, Micah Fale, Cohen Norrie, and Josh Findlay.

Wiseman is selected as the official skipper because of his experience, diligent work with the Chiefs, including a solid relationship with proven leaders Liam Messam and Luke Jacobson, and his respect in the group.

Bay of Plenty halfback Sinton is outspoken and has a strong grasp of tactics. Fale is a “vibe guy,” checking in on how players are doing personally and organising group activities outside of rugby, like “Club Nights,” where players compete against each other in their club uniforms. This idea was successfully adopted by the Black Ferns under Sir Wayne Smith during their 2022 Rugby World Cup win. Findlay is eligible to return next year, a naturally “quiet boy” with an increasingly assertive voice.

The New Zealand Under-20s last world title was in 2017 in Georgia. From that team, Asafo Aumua, Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papalii, Caleb Clarke, Braydon Ennor and Will Jordan became All Blacks.

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