Sanzaar has announced the match schedule and venue for the inaugural U20 Rugby Championship in Australia in May.

The Championship will see the up-and-coming stars of Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa rugby do battle.

The tournament will be played at the Sunshine Coast Stadium, Bokarina on Australia’s eastern seaboard in May and will comprise a round-robin format where all teams will play each other once.

The top team after the three-round, six-match tournament will be declared the U20 champion.

The Junior Springboks will kick off the Championship against New Zealand on Thursday, 2 May at 9am (South Africa time).

Bafana Nhleko’s side will then play hosts Australia on Tuesday, 7 May at 11am, before finishing the tournament against Argentina on Sunday, 12 May at 5.30am.

Nhleko and his coaching staff have been busy with preparations for the U20 Rugby Championship and World Rugby U20 Championship with a series of alignment camps.

Recently, the team played a number of matches against senior provincial sides as part of the camps, to get the training group further aligned and battle ready for the two international events.

According to Nhleko, they are well on course with their preparation programme.

“We are demanding a lot from our group in terms of learning and application, and the players have responded well,” said Nhleko.

“They are aligning to the coaching, how we want to play, and what is required for them to perform at this level.

“Crucially for us, the U20 Rugby Championship will give us time to play against quality opposition, test the group combinations and help us identify the right guys before the final squad selection.

“The Championship will also help bridge the previous gap between the preparation period and the World Rugby U20 Championship. We are excited for this opportunity to play in Australia, which will be a great experience for the players and a fantastic opportunity for us to continue to grow as a group.”

The first-ever tournament will provide the southern hemisphere giants with much-needed preparation for the World Rugby U20 Championship, which will once again be held in Cape Town between 24 June and 14 July.

Rugby Championship U20 schedule (SA kick-off times):
Thursday, 2 May
9am: Junior Boks vs New Zealand
11am: Australia vs Argentina
Tuesday, 7 May
9am: New Zealand vs Argentina
11am: Junior Boks vs Australia
Sunday, 12 May
5.30am: Junior Boks vs Argentina
7.30am: Australia vs New Zealand

Photo: World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images