The New Zealand national under-20 rugby union team, nicknamed the Baby Blacks, is the representative rugby union team from New Zealand. It replaced the two former age grade teams, the under-19s and the under-21s. Their first tournament was the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship, which they won after defeating England (38–3) in the final.[1] They have gone on to also win the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2017. The New Zealand under-20s have been nicknamed the "Baby Blacks" after the youthful All Blacks side which played in 1986.
 | ||
| Union | New Zealand Rugby | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Baby Blacks | |
| Coach(es) | Milton Haig | |
| Top scorer | Trent Renata (59) | |
| Most tries | Zac Guildford and Tevita Li (8) | |
| ||
| First international | ||
 New Zealand 48–9 Tonga  (6 June 2008; Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff) | ||
| Largest win | ||
New Zealand 92–0 Wales  (14 June 2011; Rugby Rovigo Delta, Rovigo) | ||
| Largest defeat | ||
 Australia 24–0 New Zealand (5 May 2019; Bond Sports Park, Gold Coast) | ||
| World Cup | ||
| Appearances | 14 (First in 2008) | |
| Best result | Champions (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2017) | |
Overall
editSummary of all matches played by the New Zealand Under-20s as of 11 May 2025
| Opposition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | %Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina |
7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Australia |
18 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 72% |
 England |
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 83% |
 Fiji |
7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 France |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 50% |
 Georgia |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Ireland |
9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 89% |
 Italy |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Japan |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Samoa |
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Scotland |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 South Africa |
9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11% |
 Spain |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Tonga |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Uruguay |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Wales |
11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 82% |
| Total | 95 | 76 | 2 | 17 | 80% |
World Rugby U20 Championship record
edit| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 242 | 28 |
| 2009 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 215 | 54 |
| 2010 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 262 | 52 |
| 2011 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 274 | 51 |
| 2012 |
Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 148 | 49 |
| 2013 |
Semi-finals | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 159 | 116 |
| 2014 |
Semi-finals | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 196 | 107 |
| 2015 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 191 | 63 |
| 2016 |
5th place | 5th | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 223 | 86 |
| 2017 |
Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 282 | 92 |
| 2018 |
Semi-finals | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 173 | 84 |
| 2019 |
7th place | 7th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 161 | 96 |
| 2023 |
7th place | 7th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 188 | 150 |
| 2024 |
Semi-finals | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 182 | 152 |
| 2025 |
TBD | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 14/14 | 6 titles | 70 | 56 | 0 | 14 | 2,896 | 1,180 |
Oceania Rugby U20 Championship record
edit| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |
Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 157 | 43 |
| 2016 |
Champions | 1st | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 35 |
| 2017 |
Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 186 | 32 |
| 2018 |
Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 195 | 43 |
| 2019 |
Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 140 | 43 |
| 2022 |
Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 26 |
| Total | 6/6 | 5 titles | 17 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 907 | 222 |
U20 Rugby Championship record
edit| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
Champions | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 58 |
| 2025 |
Champions | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 152 | 95 |
| Total | 2/2 | 2 titles | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 244 | 153 |
Players
editRecent squads
edit2025
editOn 7 April 2025, Head Coach Milton Haig announced the squad for the 2025 U20 Rugby Championship in South Africa.[2]
Unavailable due to injury: Logan Wallace, Aisake Vakasiuola, Jayden Sa.
Award winners
editThe following New Zealand U20s players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2008:[3]
| Year | Nominees | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Luke Braid | Luke Braid |
| Chris Smith | ||
| 2009 | Aaron Cruden | Aaron Cruden |
| Winston Stanley | ||
| 2010 | Tyler Bleyendaal | Julian Savea |
| Julian Savea | ||
| 2011 | Sam Cane | — |
| Luke Whitelock | ||
| 2013 | Ardie Savea | |
| 2014 | Tevita Li | |
| 2015 | Akira Ioane | |
| Tevita Li (2) | ||
| 2016 | Shaun Stevenson | |
| 2017 | Tiaan Falcon | |
| Will Jordan |
Coaches
editDue to the U20 category only existing since the combining of the U19 and U21 age groups in 2007, the following table only includes coaches appointed since. In the inaugural tournament in 2008, Dave Rennie and Russell Hilton-Jones served as co-coaches in charge of the team. Craig Philpott is the longest serving coach. As of 2025, the current Head Coach is Milton Haig.
Updated to: 11 May 2025
| Coach | Tenure | P | W | D | L | W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Rennie
|
2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Russell Hilton-Jones
|
2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Dave Rennie
|
2009–2010 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Mark Anscombe
|
2011 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Rob Penney
|
2012 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 60% |
| Chris Boyd
|
2013–2014 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 60% |
| Scott Robertson
|
2015–2016 | 15 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 93.33% |
| Craig Philpott
|
2017–2019 | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 79.17% |
| Tom Donnelly
|
2022 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Clark Laidlaw
|
2023 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 57.14% |
| Jono Gibbes
|
2024 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 75% |
| Milton Haig
|
2025– | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Clutton, Graham. "Final: New Zealand 38–3 England". irb.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
- ^ "2025 New Zealand Under 20 squad and coaching group announced". nzrugby.co.nz. April 7, 2025.
- ^ "Awards Roll of Honour - World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
