World Rugby has confirmed Romania and Brazil will host the next two editions of its U20 Trophy national team youth tournament in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
This year’s U20 Trophy rugby union competition will take place at the Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest, Romania, from August 28 to September 9.
The eight-team tournament will feature host Romania alongside Canada, Fiji, Hong Kong, Namibia, Portugal, Samoa and Uruguay. The winning country will be promoted to the top-tier U20 Championship in 2019, hosting rights to which were granted to Argentina last week.
Alin Petrache, president of the Romania Rugby Union, said: “Our passion for organising competitions and the past experiences we had with the Nations Cup tournaments are complimented a very special opportunity.
“We hope that, with the support of World Rugby, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and all our partners, this will be the event we all hope for, a memory for a lifetime about Romania and high-quality rugby.”
World Rugby said the 2019 U20 Trophy will run from July 9-21 at Estádio Martins Pereira in São José dos Campos, Brazil. The country has never before hosted a World Rugby 15s tournament.
Agustín Danza, chief executive of the Brazilian Rugby Union, said: “The U20 Trophy is a tournament of great tradition that gathers the future stars of our game.
“To have it here in Brazil represents a unique opportunity for us, as rugby is a fast-growing sport in Brazil and hosting international events is a very important part of our strategy to keep the game growing. This event will prove invaluable to bring new fans to the game and to showcase Brazil to the world.”