Whole U20s Six Nations to be played at Arms Park

THE entire 2021 U20s Six Nations Championship will be staged in Cardiff this summer.

The 15 games will be played at Cardiff Arms Park between June 19 and July 13, the tournament having been switched from its usual slot in February and March.

It has been decided to hold the rescheduled Championship in one venue to reduce the risk around travel amid the pandemic.

It will also ensure greater rest periods during what is a condensed programme, with all the matches being played inside 24 days.

That schedule will see games in midweek as well as on weekends, with all five match days seeing three games played consecutively.

Every match will be broadcast in Six Nations territories either on terrestrial TV, broadcaster streaming platforms or via Six Nations digital channels.

All but one of Wales’s matches will kick off at 8pm.

They begin their campaign against Italy in that slot on Saturday June 19, with further games to follow versus Ireland (8pm, Friday, June 25), France (5pm, Thursday, July 1), England (8pm, Wednesday, July 7) and Scotland (8pm, Tuesday, July 13).

It remains to be seen what crowd levels will be permitted.

Six Nations CEO Ben Morel said: “We are delighted to be in a position to play the U20s Championship this year, having had to cancel it in 2020 due to the pandemic.

“The U20s Six Nations Championship is an important milestone in the life of many young players who will pursue a career in professional rugby and we would like to thank the unions for their hard work in making this Championship possible and our broadcasters for bringing it to the homes of rugby lovers.”

WRU CEO Steve Phillips, added: “The Welsh Rugby Union is honoured to be hosting the 2021 Under 20s Six Nations Championship at the historic Cardiff Arms Park.

“A number of players currently playing for their respective unions at the highest level have come through this programme, so it will be exciting to see the next generation of stars in action here with us in Cardiff.”