France to host the U20 Championship in 2018

World Rugby has today announced that France will host next year's U20 Championship with host cities being Béziers, Perpignan and Narbonne for the five match days (30 May, 3 June, 7 June, 12 June and 17 June).

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “The World Rugby U20 Championship is a proven finishing school for aspiring international players, with some of the biggest names in the game having graduated amongst a group of more than 550 internationals, including double World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year Beauden Barrett.

“Following the success of Georgia, which broke all social media records, we are delighted to be heading to France and the rugby cities of Narbonne, Béziers and Perpignan. I am sure that the championship will capture the imagination and it will be fascinating to see who graduates to Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan."

Pool matches will be played Stade Aimé Giral in Perpignan, Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers and the Stade d’Honneur du Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié in Narbonne. The semi-final and final venues will be announced in due course.

Pool A: New Zealand, Australia, Wales, Japan
Pool B: England, Scotland, Italy, Argentina
Pool C: South Africa, France, Ireland, Georgia