NZ Under 20 team named to play Japan

New Zealand U20

1 hour ago

The New Zealand Under 20s team to play Japan in their opening Pool B match of the 2026 Junior World Championship (JWC) has been announced.

Haki Wiseman named captain for NZ Under 20 v Japan

Midfielder Haki Wiseman will captain the side for their pool match at AIA Arena Kutaisi in Georgia in a side featuring the All Blacks Sevens pair of loose forward Bradley Tocker and wing Kele Lasaqa.

Openside Caleb Woodley and halfback Charlie Sinton will be the vice captains in a match kicks-off at 11.30pm NZT on Saturday 27 June and will be live and exclusive on Sky.

NZ Under 20s runner up in Rugby Championship in May

The New Zealand U20s finished runners up at the Under 20s Rugby Championship in South Africa in May and have made a number of changes to the squad for the JWC where they will play in Pool B with Japan, Italy and Scotland.

We’ve

had

a

strong

preparation

here

in

Georgia

and

are

feeling

positive

ahead

of

the

first

match.

Haki

and

the

other

leaders

in

the

team

have

been

great

and

are

looking

forward

to

getting

the

campaign

under

way.

We’ve

had

a

week

to

adapt

to

the

heat

and

the

facilities

here

in

Georgia

have

been

excellent.

We

expect

a

tough

first

up

match

against

Japan,

who

we

expect

to

be

very

well

drilled

and

play

a

fast

paced

game,

so

we’ll

need

to

be

at

our

best.
NZ Under 20 Head Coach, Kane Jury

NZ Under 20 Junior World Championship titles

New Zealand won the first four World Rugby Under 20 Junior World Championships between 2008-2011, then took the title again in 2015 and 2017.

New Zealand's six titles stand as the most by any nation in World Rugby Under 20 history.

New Zealand were runners up in the 2025 edition of the World Rugby U20 Junior World Championship in Italy.

The NZ Under 20 team to play Japan is:

Henry Stuart (Highlanders/Otago) (Hurricanes/Hawke’s Bay
Josh Findlay (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Dane Johnston (Chiefs/Taranaki)
Max Fale (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Jake Frost (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Bradley Tocker (Chiefs/Taranaki)
Caleb Woodley (VC) (Blues/Auckland)
Micah Fale (Chiefs/Waikato)
Charlie Sinton (VC) (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
Mika Muliaina (Highlanders/Southland)
David Lewai (Chiefs/Waikato
Haki Wiseman (C) (Chiefs/Taranaki)
Siale Pahulu (Blues/Auckland)
Kele Lasaqa (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
Logan Williams (Crusaders/Canterbury)

RESERVES

16. Alani Fakava (Hurricanes/Manawatū)
17. Ethan Webber (Highlanders/Otago)
18. Alex Hewitt (Hurricanes/Wellington)
19. Johnny Falloon (Hurricanes/Wellington)
20. Kobe Brownlee (Crusaders/Tasman)
21. Jackson Hughan (Highlanders/Southland)
22. Cohen Norrie (Blues/Auckland)
23. Ollie Guerin (Chiefs/Waikato)

Not considered due to injury: Patrick Mauga (Hurricanes/Hawke’s Bay)

The New Zealand Under 20 JWC 2026 pool match schedule is:

Saturday, 27 June: New Zealand v Japan, AIA Arena Kutaisi, kick-off, 11.30pm NZT
Friday 3 July: New Zealand v Scotland, AIA Arena Kutaisi, kick-off, 2.00am NZT
Tuesday 7 July: New Zealand v Italy, AIA Arena Kutaisi, kick-off, 9.00pm NZT

competition-season/2026 Junior World Championship