WR U20 Championship 2025
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With the likely return of Josh Tengblad for the semi-final against the French U20s, a few changes will be required to the NZ U20 back five. Xavier Treacy, Jayden Sa, Finn McLeod, Caleb Woodley and Mosese Bason all started against Ireland, with one of them having to make way for Tengblad’s return to the starting line-up.
It seems likely that both Bason and Woodley will retain their starting jerseys for the semi-final clash, with Fale taking the number 20. The Bason/Fale-double act at number 8 has been a staple of the side throughout the 2025 campaign so we can expect it to continue. Woodley at openside has been the defensive anchor of the side, bringing plenty of intensity with his tackles and breakdown pressure. Oli Mathis is a prodigiously talented 7 in his own right but he’s such a different player to Woodley that the coaches might think that his inclusion would upset the balance of the back 5. [Sidenote: Mathis would be a great option on the bench, though, especially if the coaches were to opt for a 6/2-bench split. Seeing how the midfield bench players have consistently lacked impact when coming on throughout the season, this might not be a bad idea.]
Another certainty, I believe, is Xavier Treacy. A mostly unknown player in NZ rugby circles before this season’s U20 campaign – due to his upbringing in Melbourne – Treacy has quickly cemented his place in the starting line-up, thanks to his reliability at set-piece and his endless work-rate around the field. His 80-minute performance against Ireland was a good example of Treacy’s appetite for work, with a total of 53 involvements (ruck attendances, carry, tackle) throughout the match.
With Tengblad and Treacy on the field, the NZ U20s will have taken an important step towards properly resourcing the attacking breakdown. That leaves the side with just two more spots available, one starting and one on the bench, with 3 lock/6’s to fill those spots. All three players – Sa, Vakasiuola and McLeod – have strong arguments to be involved in the 23.
Sa provides bulk, work-rate and a low turnover-rate through the middle. Vakasiuola gives you more mobility around the field while also presenting a breakdown threat. McLeod, finally, has the most minutes on the field, so he’d give the side cohesion while giving the team another dynamic carrier on the edge.
An important factor to take into account, I think, is the stye of the opponent, with France, as I’ve previously mentioned, lethal in transition off opposition mistakes. I’ve gathered some relevant (if very limited) stats of Sa, Vakasiuola, and McLeod – turnovers conceded (TC), penalties conceded (PC), turnovers won (TW), tackle percentage, lineout rate per 80 minutes (LO%), and defenders beaten (DB) – with that in mind. All numbers are from the games against Italy, Georgia and Ireland in the group stages.
Someone like Jayden Sa has performed well in this regard during the tournament so far, as he hasn’t conceded a turnover while only giving away the solitary penalty in his 76 minutes of gametime across the pool games. But if he were to start against France U20, that would mean a considerable reshuffling of the back 5, with Tengblad most likely playing at 4 and Treacy moving to blindside and taking up a wider role. The question remains, however, how effective this repositioning would be, as Treacy has excelled in his locking play while making very rare appearances on the edge.
Players like McLeod and Vakasiuola, on the other hand, are very comfortable out wide, both on attack and on defence. They’re more dynamic on attack than Sa, having greater mobility and more swift footwork which they can use to beat their defenders. Furthermore, both McLeod and Vakasiuola have shown an ability to get breakdown steals, which could be a handy trait to combat the French pick-and-go within the attacking 22.
Potential back 5 for France U20
4. Tengblad, 5. Sa, 6. Treacy, 19. Vakasiuola, 20. Fale, [21. Mathis?]One way the NZ U20s could potentially approach the game is to focus on playing tight and emphasizing accuracy around set-piece and the breakdown in the opening stanzas. From this perspective, it would make sense to start with Sa, before eventually turning to Vakasiuola in the 2nd half while looking to attack in a more expansive manner. Another interesting addition would be someone like Mathis in the 21-jersey, covering the flankers and the wingers, while providing plenty of X-factor and attacking vision off the bench.
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Treacy has been really impressive - a huge engine. He won't be a lock going forward due to his height, so back to 6 at higher levels. He has been the main lineout target though, and the lineout hasn't always functioned when he is off the field.
I haven't seen France yet at the RWC but did see a couple of their games in the 6N U20s. I would think NZ will want to have some size in their pack to match them in the forward exchanges. We could play Sa at 6 and keep Treacy at lock as he has excelled in the tighter role. I doubt the coaches will deviate too much from their pool selections and substitutions which seems to be very pre-planned, e.g., Bason being replaced early in the 2nd half by Fale, and not dependent on the game situation. The back three combination will also be of interest if Simpson remains at fullback.
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Treacy has been really impressive - a huge engine. He won't be a lock going forward due to his height, so back to 6 at higher levels. He has been the main lineout target though, and the lineout hasn't always functioned when he is off the field.
I haven't seen France yet at the RWC but did see a couple of their games in the 6N U20s. I would think NZ will want to have some size in their pack to match them in the forward exchanges. We could play Sa at 6 and keep Treacy at lock as he has excelled in the tighter role. I doubt the coaches will deviate too much from their pool selections and substitutions which seems to be very pre-planned, e.g., Bason being replaced early in the 2nd half by Fale, and not dependent on the game situation. The back three combination will also be of interest if Simpson remains at fullback.
@Bovidae said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
if Simpson remains at fullback.
I have such mixed feelings about Simpson at 15. Sometimes I can see the appeal - like when he plucked those Irish cross-kicks out of thin air like it was nothing - but his scramble defence does worry me. And the French transition attack will really test the NZ scramble defence.
My preference would still go to Solomon, I think. I really like the way he combines with Cole, switching roles and kicking duties. It feels very seamless with them. But it does seem more likely that they'll go with Simpson at the back.
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If Mathis is on the bench, a 6/2 split could be considered. What worries me most is the scrum where the loss of Wallace has put a big load on Falatea. I also fear that Pole could not match Megherbi's power. Hopefully, there won't be too many scrums played if the weather is not too hot.
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If Mathis is on the bench, a 6/2 split could be considered. What worries me most is the scrum where the loss of Wallace has put a big load on Falatea. I also fear that Pole could not match Megherbi's power. Hopefully, there won't be too many scrums played if the weather is not too hot.
@cgrant said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
What worries me most is the scrum where the loss of Wallace has put a big load on Falatea. I also fear that Pole could not match Megherbi's power. Hopefully, there won't be too many scrums played if the weather is not too hot.
Megherbi is a big boy (138+ kg) but his scrummaging technique is awful. When binding, his hips are already pushing outwards while his right shoulder pops up, immediately indicating his intention for angling in and targeting the bind between the opposition loosehead and hooker.
You can see how Megherbi’s back isn’t straight but angled in a diagonal fashion
Megherbi’s tendency is to scrum high at an inward angle, turning the contest into a battle of strength rather than techniquehttps://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExc2tiOGMzMHFlMjRjbDdqYnVhNXQ1anYwbTV4N3N5dXp2NnY4a3VkaCZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/y1JMxdo3z6VRxmK477/giphy.gif
Megherbi starts at an inward angle and, unsurprisingly, the scrum starts moving sideways with the French pack walking across. Unbelievably, the ref awards the French scrum a penalty despite there being nothing legal about their scrum.While Megherbi has a lot of power, any referee worth his salt will first penalize his faulty technique when the scrums inevitably collapse or start moving sideways. The French, much like the South Africans, have the advantage of reputation and physique: they’re big guys so referees often award them in the scrum, even when their dominance has an illegal basis.
Hopefully, a set-piece capable ref is appointed for the semi-final who can force Megherbi to scrum straight and make it a fair contest.
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https://www.world.rugby/u20/en/match/a1b0612f-884b-4d2d-a1aa-1a941cd300cb
1 SJ. Uamaki Pole
2 Manumaua Letiu
3 Robson Faleafa
4 Xavier Treacy
5 Jayden Sa
6 Finn McLeod
7 Caleb Woodley
8 Mosese Bason
9 Dylan Pledger
10 Rico Simpson
11 Maloni Kunawave
12 Jack Wiseman
13 Cooper Roberts
14 Frank Vaenuku
15 Stanley Solomon
Substitutes
16 Eli Oudenryn
17 Israel Time
18 Dane Johnston
19 Aisake Vakasiuola
20 Micah Fale
21 Jai Tamati
23 Tayne Harvey
23 Harlyn Saunoa
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@Kiwidom said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
No Will Cole or Ollie Mathis
No Tengblad either...
Well, I'm fully invested in the Rico Simpson redemption arc now.
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@Mauss Who plays 10 and goal kicks if Rico goes down?
@Daffy-Jaffy said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
@Mauss Who plays 10 and goal kicks if Rico goes down?
Solomon can play 10, so if Simpson goes down, he would move to first five while Kunawave would go to fullback.
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Looks like Mathis is injured:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DL5RP_DsBs2/?utm_source=ig_embed
