The South Africa national under-20 rugby union team (nicknamed the Junior Boks or the Baby Boks) are South Africa's junior team at national level. They have been competing in the World Rugby Under 20 Championship (formerly the IRB Junior World Championship) since its inception in 2008. This Under-20 tournament replaced the previously-held Under-19 and Under-21 Rugby World Championships. Prior to 2018, it had been the country's "next senior" (second-level) 15-man national side, but World Rugby no longer allows member unions to designate age-grade sides as "next senior" teams.
The following table summarises South Africa Under-20's head-to-head record against other national teams in the World Rugby Under 20 Championship. The Junior Springboks have historically been one of the strongest sides in the competition, regularly advancing to the knockout stages and claiming the title on multiple occasions in 2012 & 2025..
South Africa have played 73 matches in the tournament against 15 different nations, recording 51 wins, one draw and 21 defeats, giving them an overall win percentage of 70%. Their strongest records are against Fiji, Georgia, Scotland, Samoa, Tonga, Japan and the United States, against whom they maintain unbeaten records. Their most frequently played opponent is England, while they also share a long-standing competitive rivalry with New Zealand at Under-20 level.
<small>*Stats correct as of 11 February 2026</small>
South Africa Under-20 have participated in the World Rugby Under 20 Championship since 2008. The table below outlines their results by year:
<small>*Stats correct as of 11 February 2026</small>
The following South Africa U20s players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2008:
The table below highlights South AfricaâÂÂs U20 top all-time points scorers in the World Rugby Under 20 Championship:
<small>*Stats correct as of 4 February 2026</small>
The table below highlights South AfricaâÂÂs U20 top all-time most capped players in the World Rugby Under 20 Championship:
<small>*Stats correct as of 4 February 2026</small>
The table below highlights South AfricaâÂÂs U20 top all-time tries scored in the World Rugby Under 20 Championship:
<small>*Stats correct as of 4 February 2026</small>
<small>*Stats correct as of 8 February 2026</small>
<small>*Stats correct as of 24 March 2026</small>
The table below highlights South AfricaâÂÂs U20 top all-time points scorers at the SANZAAR Under 20 Rugby Championship:
<small>*Stats correct as of 8 February 2026</small>
The table below highlights South AfricaâÂÂs U20 top all-time tries scored in the SANZAAR Under 20 Rugby Championship:
<small>*Stats correct as of 8 February 2026</small>
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Pool stage
Final
South Africa went unbeaten to win the title. They defeated Australia 73âÂÂ17, Scotland 73âÂÂ14, and England 32âÂÂ22 to top the pool. They then beat Argentina 48âÂÂ24 in the semi-final before defeating New Zealand 23âÂÂ15 in the final.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Final
South Africa began with a 57âÂÂ7 win over Fiji and finished in seventh place after the 7th-place play-off.
Pool stage
Fifth-place Semi-final
Seventh-place final
South Africa opened with a 29âÂÂ14 win over Georgia and a 34âÂÂ21 win against Ireland. They lost 19âÂÂ24 to England in the semi-final before beating New Zealand 22âÂÂ15 in the third-place play-off.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Third-place final
South Africa opened with a 41âÂÂ16 win over Fiji, then defeated Australia 36âÂÂ19 and Italy 28âÂÂ12. They lost 21âÂÂ27 to England in the semi-final but won 31âÂÂ18 against France in the third-place play-off.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Third-place final
South Africa began in France with a 33âÂÂ27 win over Georgia and followed with a 29âÂÂ14 win against Ireland. They lost 32âÂÂ31 to England in the semi-final before finishing fourth after a 40âÂÂ30 defeat to New Zealand.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Third-place final
South Africa opened their campaign in Georgia with a 28âÂÂ17 win over France, followed by a 35âÂÂ20 victory against Italy and a 31âÂÂ22 win over Argentina to top their pool. They were narrowly beaten 22âÂÂ24 by England in the semi-final before securing third place with a 37âÂÂ15 win over New Zealand.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Third-place final
South Africa came from behind to beat Japan 59âÂÂ19 in their opening match in Pool C of the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Championship held in Manchester. They were beaten 13âÂÂ19 by Argentina in their second match, suffering only their fourth defeat ever in the pool stage of the competition, but bounced back to secure a 40-31 bonus-point victory over France in their final pool match to secure a semi-final place as the best runner-up in the competition. They faced hosts and three-time champions England in the semi-finals, who proved too strong for the visitors, knocking them out of the competition with a 39âÂÂ17 victory. South Africa's final match came against Argentina, who already beat them previously in Pool C, in the third-place play-off final. Argentina won again, with a very convincing 49âÂÂ19 scoreline, condemning South Africa to fourth place in the competition.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Third-place final
For 2015, the IRB Junior World Championship was rebranded as the World Rugby Under 20 Championship. South Africa started the competition with a 33âÂÂ5 win against hosts Italy and recorded a 40âÂÂ8 win against Samoa and a 46âÂÂ13 win over Australia in their remaining pool matches to finish top of Pool B to qualify for the semi-finals with the best record pool stage of all the teams in the competition. They came up against an England side that beat them in the 2014 final and were eliminated by the same opponents again, losing 20âÂÂ28 to be eliminated from the competition. They restored some pride by winning their third-place play-off match against France 31âÂÂ18 to win the bronze medal.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Third-place final
In the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship held in New Zealand, South Africa beat Scotland 61âÂÂ5, hosts New Zealand 33âÂÂ24 and Samoa 21âÂÂ8 to finish top of their pool. They again met New Zealand in the semi-finals and beat them again, this time by a 32âÂÂ25 scoreline, to qualify to their second final. However, they lost the final 20âÂÂ21 to England to finish the competition in second spot.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Final
South Africa won all three their pool matches at the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship held in France; they beat the United States 97âÂÂ0, England 31âÂÂ24 and hosts France 26âÂÂ19 to top their pool to qualify to the semi-finals. They lost their semi-final match 17âÂÂ18 to Wales before winning their fourth third-place play-off match in six seasons, beating New Zealand 41âÂÂ34.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Third-place final
South Africa hosted the tournament in 2012, but the hosts got off to a bad start, losing 19âÂÂ23 to Ireland in their first match. However, they recovered to beat Italy 52âÂÂ3 and previously-unbeaten England 28âÂÂ15 to finish top of the log. They easily dispatched Argentina in the semi-final, winning 35âÂÂ3, before beating New Zealand 22âÂÂ16 in the final in Cape Town, winning the competition for the first time and ending the latter's four-year reign as champions.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Final
Victories in South Africa's first two matches at the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship held in Italy â beating Scotland 33âÂÂ0 and Ireland 42âÂÂ26 â were followed by a defeat at the hands of England, losing 20âÂÂ26 to finish second in the pool and failing to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time. Instead, they went into the fifth-placed play-off series, where a 57âÂÂ15 win over pool rivals Ireland and a 104âÂÂ17 win over Fiji saw them finish the competition in fifth spot.
Pool stage
Fifth-place semi-final
Fifth-place final
A 40âÂÂ14 victory over Tonga in the opening match of Pool C in the 2010 IRB Junior World Championship held in Argentina was followed up by a 73âÂÂ0 victory over Scotland, before South Africa suffered their first ever pool stage defeat in the competition, losing 35âÂÂ42 to Australia. Although finishing in second position in the pool, they still qualified for the semi-finals by virtue of having the best record of the second-placed teams across the three pools. They were eliminated 7âÂÂ36 by New Zealand in the semi-finals, but managed to win the third-place play-off for the third year in a row, avenging their previous semi-final exists at the hands of England by beating them 27âÂÂ22.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Third-place final
South Africa were placed in Pool C of the 2009 competition held in Japan. They emulated their 2008 form, winning all three of their pool matches â they beat Fiji 36âÂÂ10, Italy 65âÂÂ3 and France 43âÂÂ27 to finish top of the pool. They again lost to England in the semi-finals (losing 21âÂÂ40), but again bounced back by winning the third-place play-off match, this time beating Australia 32âÂÂ5.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Third-place final
South Africa took part in the inaugural edition of the competition in 2008 held in Wales, where they were drawn in Pool B. They beat the United States 108âÂÂ18 in their very first game. A 72âÂÂ3 victory over Scotland and a 16âÂÂ11 win against Samoa saw them top the pool to qualify for the semi-final stages. They lost their semi-final match 18âÂÂ26 to England, but returned to winning ways with a 43âÂÂ18 win over hosts Wales in the third-place play-off match.
Pool stage
Semi-final
Third-place final
The following players were named in the South Africa Under-20 squad for the 2026 tour to Georgia.
<small>(c) denotes the team captain. For each match, the player's squad number is shown. Starting players are numbered 1 to 15, while the replacements are numbered 16 to 23. If a replacement made an appearance in the match, it is indicated by . "App" refers to the number of appearances made by the player, "Try" to the number of tries scored by the player, "Con" to the number of conversions kicked, "Pen" to the number of penalties kicked, "DG" to the number of drop goals kicked and "Pts" refer to the total number of points scored by the player.</small>
The following players played at previous editions of the World Rugby Under 20 Championship:
South Africa U20's Pool A fixtures for the 2026 World Rugby Junior World Championship:
Fixtures for the U20 Rugby Championship were announced alongside the tournament venue and dates (March 2026).