The IRB Under 21 Rugby World Cup was the premier tournament for male
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
players under the age of 21, organised by the sports governing body the
International Rugby Board
World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...
(IRB) annually from 2002 through 2006. Both it and the
Under 19 Rugby World Championship
The IRB under-19 Rugby World Cup was the premier tournament for male rugby union players under the age of 19 organised by the sports governing body the International Rugby Board (IRB) annually from 2004 until 2007. Both it and the Under 21 Rugby Wo ...
were replaced by the
IRB Junior World Championship
The World Rugby Under 20 Championship (known as the IRB Junior World Championship until 2014) is an international rugby union competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, World Rugby, and is contested by 12 men's junior nat ...
for under-20 players beginning in 2008.
Finals
Format
Twelve teams take part in the tournament. They are split into four pools (labelled A-D) of three according to their past performance. Each team plays three matches against three teams of other pool (pool A plays against pool D and pool B plays against pool C). Four points are awarded for a win, two for a draw, and none for a loss. One bonus point is awarded for scoring four tries or more, and one bonus points is awarded for loss by seven points or less.
After all pool matches teams are ranked by total match points. Top four teams qualify for the semi-finals (1st against 4th and 2nd against 3rd). Likewise, other teams enter play-offs for positions 5–8 and 9–12.
External links
IRBU21.com
{{International rugby union
Defunct rugby union competitions for national teams
World Rugby competitions