Rugby: Five players to watch at the World Rugby U20 Championship 2025
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Lyam Akrab - France (Hooker)
France is set to return to the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship, hoping to go one better than they did last year when they were beaten by England 21-13 in the final. Les Bleuets are among the tournament favourites, and you can check out our expert’s thoughts on their chances this year via our in-depth rugby predictions over the coming weeks.
The French have won the Championship in three of the last four editions. One name that has caught attention in the last couple of years is Montpellier hooker Lyam Akrab, who was recently named the 2025 U20 Six Nations Player of the Championship.
Akrab finished as the second-highest points scorer in the tournament with 35 points, while claiming three lineout steals, completing 43 tackles with a tackle success rate of 88.81%, which was the highest in the competition. He made eight appearances for Montpellier in 2024 and recorded his first try against Ospreys in the EPCR Challenge Cup.
Ben Redshaw - England (Full-back)
England will be seeking their fourth U20 Championship title this year, and Ben Redshaw could be key to their success, having already gained a wealth of experience with the Newcastle Falcons in the Gallagher Premiership and previous U20 competitions, including their World Cup-winning squad.
Redshaw’s performances in the Premiership have seen Gloucester Rugby sign him for next season, while he was handed the armband for England U20 in their recent warm-up match against Wales. He will be eager to make an impression this year after missing out on last year’s final against France due to injury.
Gino Cupido - South Africa (Centre)
While the South African senior team has dominated world rugby for the best part of the last decade, the Junior Springboks have struggled to make an impact in the U20 realm, having only ever won the Championship once, which was back in 2012.
However, now under the leadership of Kevin Foote and skippered by Riley Norton, the junior Boks are aiming for a better showing this year, given the wealth of talent they are taking to Italy, perhaps none more so than speedster Gino Cupido.
The 20-year-old from Western Province has already donned the famous Green and Gold, albeit not in the 15s game, but for the Blitzboks 7s, where he debuted in Hong Kong and scored with his very first touch. He is an absolute unit for his age and has speed to burn, making him a nightmare for opposing defenders.
Trevor King - Australia (Prop)
Standing at 1.93m tall and weighing 127kg, Queensland Reds’ prop Trevor King is an absolute beast of a man, but extremely mobile for his size. Born in Fiji before moving Down Under to join Downlands College, he is one of the most highly rated prospects in all of Australian rugby.
While he did not feature for the squad at the U20 Rugby Championship, the 20-year-old did play in last year’s World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa, starting against Italy, where he produced a dominant performance, while also coming off the bench against Ireland, Wales and Argentina.
The Junior Wallabies are drawn into the “Group of Death” for the World Rugby U20 Championship alongside England, South Africa and Scotland. They kick off their tournament against the Junior Springboks on June 29, and you can keep up with all the action using our rugby livescore tool.
Ciaran Mangan - Ireland (Centre)
No list of ones to watch in rugby can be completed without mentioning Ireland, and the player we are most keen to see for Shamrocks this year is their versatile back, Ciaran Mangan, who currently plays for Blackrock College.
Mangan is a product of the highly-rated Leinster Academy and is known for his electric turn of foot, while possessing the ability to play anywhere across the backline, having already featured on both wings, while also filling in at full-back when required to.
Neil Doak is expected to unleash the 20-year-old alongside another exciting prospect, Connor Fahy, in midfield at the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship, in what on paper looks like the most formidable centre pairing headed to Italy later this month.
