We bring you some interesting statistics on past finals at the World Rugby U20 Championship to whet your appetite for the 2019 decider between Australia and France at the Racecourse Stadium in Rosario on Saturday.
- Seven teams have reached an U20 Championship final in New Zealand, England, Australia, South Africa, Wales, Ireland and France
- Four teams have lifted the coveted trophy in New Zealand (2008-11, 2015 and 2017), South Africa (2012), England (2013-14 and 2016) and France (2018)
- This is the second final appearance for both Australia and France, but while Les Bleuets have now reached back-to-back title deciders, the Junior Wallabies’ finals have been nine years apart
- Australia reached the final when the tournament was first played in Argentina, but lost the title decider 62-17 to New Zealand in Rosario
- England have reached the final nine times, but their win ratio is only 33.3 per cent after losing five times to New Zealand and once to France in the title decider
- 2018 was England’s sixth successive appearance in a final, surpassing the record New Zealand set from 2008-12
- Last year was also the third all-northern hemisphere final. They have all have involved England, who beat Wales in 2013 and Ireland in 2016 but lost to France in 2018
- The 11 captains to have lifted the coveted trophy are Chris Smith (New Zealand, 2008), Aaron Cruden (New Zealand, 2009), Tyler Bleyendaal (New Zealand, 2010), Luke Whitelock (New Zealand, 2011), Wiaan Liebenberg (South Africa, 2012), Jack Clifford (England, 2013), Maro Itoje (England, 2014), Atu Moli (New Zealand, 2015), Harry Mallinder (England, 2016), Luke Jacobson (New Zealand, 2017) and Arthur Coville (France, 2018)* This will be only the fifth U20 Championship final in 12 years that has not featured New Zealand after 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018
- Iconic rugby venues to have hosted a World Rugby U20 Championship final include Newlands in 2012 and Eden Park in 2014
- The 2019 final will be the 380th match in U20 Championship history
- A total of 606 points have been scored in the 11 previous finals
- Seventy tries have been scored in finals, all bar 34 of them by six-time champions New Zealand. Thirty-nine of these tries – or 60 per cent – have been turned into seven pointers
- Two players have scored hat-tricks in an U20 Championship final – Telusa Veainu in New Zealand's 62-17 win over Australia in 2010 and Asafo Aumua in their 64-17 win over England in 2017
- New Zealand duo Aaron Cruden and Zac Guildford both scored braces in the 2009 final, as did England winger Christian Wade in their 2011 loss to New Zealand, winger Ashley Evans in Wales’ loss to England in 2013, centre Jesse Kriel in the Junior Springboks’ defeat by England in 2014 and England duo Harry Mallinder and Joe Marchant in the win over Ireland in 2016. New Zealand’s Luke Jacobson also scored a brace in 2017 as did England’s Jordan Olowofela in the 2018 final.
- The first player to score a try in an U20 Championship final was New Zealand winger Kade Poki, after 17 minutes of the 2008 title decider with England at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea, Wales
- The last player to score a try was England’s Jordan Olowofela in their 33-25 defeat by hosts France in the 2018 final
- All nine tries scored in the 2016 final were converted, the first time this has happened in an U20 Championship title decider
- The fastest try in an U20 Championship final was scored by New Zealand hooker Liam Coltman within the first minute in 2010 against Australia
- By contrast, the longest wait for a try in an U20 Championship final was 34 minutes in 2012, the time it took for New Zealand's Milford Keresoma to dot down at Newlands
- Fifty-seven players have scored a try in an U20 Championship final to date
- The first points scored in an U20 Championship final were by New Zealand full-back Trent Renata with a penalty after five minutes in 2008 against England
- Thirteen is the most tries scored in an U20 Championship final during New Zealand's 64-17 win over England in 2017. The champions scored 10 of them
- The winning team has scored the most tries in seven of the 11 finals. Ironically the exceptions – in 2011, 2013 and 2014 when tries where level and 2018 – involved England
- The most points scored in a single U20 Championship final is 81 in New Zealand's scintillating 64-17 defeat of England in 2017. The lowest total is 37 in 2015
- The fewest points scored by any team in an U20 Championship final are the three England managed against New Zealand in the inaugural final in 2008
- The most points scored by a losing team in an U20 Championship final is the 28 by England in their loss to New Zealand in 2009* The smallest winning margin in an U20 Championship final is the single point that separated England and South Africa in 2014
- Dave Rennie is the most successful coach in U20 Championship final history, overseeing New Zealand’s first three titles between 2008 and 2010
- Eleven players have won more than one winners' medals: Zac Guildford (2008-09), Willie Ioane (2009-10), Luke Whitelock and Glen Robertson (2010-11) for New Zealand and England’s Callum Braley, Joel Conlon, Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi, Ross Moriarty, Harry Sloan and Tom Stephenson (2013-14), and England’s Jack Walker (2014 and 2016)
- The top points-scorer in an U20 Championship final is Tyler Bleyendaal, the New Zealand captain in 2010 contributing 28 points to their cause in the 62-17 win over Australia
- There have also been 51 penalties kicked with the most in a single final being nine in the 2018 showdown between England and France. By contrast, none were kicked in the 2017 title decider
- The only person to slot a drop goal between the posts in an U20 Championship final is South Africa fly-half Handré Pollard in 2012
- There have been three red cards and seven yellow cards in U20 Championship finals. Two of the red cards came in 2012 with New Zealand’s Ofa Tu’ungafasi and South Africa's Paul Willemse dismissed just before the hour mark. The other came in the inaugural final in 2008 when England’s Calum Clark saw red
Who do you think will come out on top in the 2019 final? Follow the action as it unfolds on world.rugby/u20 and @WorldRugby using #WorldRugbyU20s