NZ Under 20 team named to play Scotland

New Zealand U20

1 hour ago

New Zealand Under 20s Head Coach Kane Jury has named his team to play Scotland in the second round of the 2026 Under 20 Junior World Championship.

Three changes to NZ Under 20 team following win against Japan

There are three changes to the side that started the opening Pool B match with a 38-21 win over Japan in a match that was cut short due to the threat of lightening around AIA Arena in Kutaisi.

In the forwards, Hurricanes and Hawke’s Bay loose forward Patrick Mauga comes into the squad at No.8 after missing the first match due to injury, while Ethan Webber and Cohen Norrie move into the starting XV at tighthead prop and fullback respectively.

Webber and Norrie swap roles with Dane Johnston and Logan Williams respectively who will provide impact off a bench that features a six forward, two back split.

Where to watch

New Zealand has a short turnaround for its second match which kicks-off at 2.00am NZT on Friday 3 July and will be available to watch live and exclusive on Sky.

The

changes

to

the

squad

reflected

the

expectations

of

a

fast

and

physical

Scotland

side

scored

six

tries

in

a

38-32

win

over

Italy

in

their

opening

match.

We’ve

gone

with

an

extra

loose

forward

on

our

bench

because

we

expect

a

tough

battle

around

the

field

from

a

very

good

Scotland

team

that

showed

against

Italy

they

have

threats

across

the

park.

The

first

up

match

against

Japan

was

valuable

to

get

into

the

tournament

against

a

competitive

opponent

and

in

difficult

conditions.

It

was

great

reminder

that

you

can’t

take

anything

for

granted

in

this

tournament

and

we’ll

need

to

be

disciplined

and

clinical

against

Scotland.
Kane Jury, NZ U20s Head Coach

The New Zealand Under 20s team to play Scotland is:

1 Henry Stuart (Highlanders/Otago)
2 Josh Findlay (Crusaders/Canterbury)
3 Ethan Webber (Highlanders/Otago)
4 Max Fale (Crusaders/Canterbury)
5 Jake Frost (Crusaders/Canterbury)
6 Bradley Tocker (Chiefs/Taranaki)
7 Caleb Woodley (vc) (Blues/Auckland)
8 Patrick Mauga (Hurricanes/Hawke’s Bay)
9 Charlie Sinton (vc) (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
10 Mika Muliaina (Highlanders/Southland)
11 David Lewai (Chiefs/Waikato
12 Haki Wiseman (c) (Chiefs/Taranaki)
13 Siale Pahulu (Blues/Auckland)
14 Kele Lasaqa (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
15 Cohen Norrie (Blues/Auckland)
Reserves
16 Alani Fakava (Hurricanes/Manawatū)
17 Dane Johnston (Chiefs/Taranaki)
18 Alex Hewitt (Hurricanes/Wellington)
19 Johnny Falloon (Hurricanes/Wellington)
20 Micah Fale (Chiefs/Waikato)
21 Jackson Hughan (Highlanders/Southland)
22 Logan Williams (Crusaders/Canterbury)
23 Kobe Brownlee (Crusaders/Tasman)

Match Highlights: NZ Under 20 v Japan Under 20

The New Zealand Under 20 JWC 2026 pool match schedule:

Saturday, 27 June: New Zealand v Japan, AIA Arena Kutaisi, kick-off, 11.30pm NZT (W – 38-21)
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

New Zealand U20