Tickets Now On Sale For World Rugby U-20 Championship In France
The Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) and World Rugby have announced details of the ticketing programme for the 2018 World Rugby Under-20 Championship in France from May 30 to June 17.
Tickets for the World Rugby Under-20 Championship, which showcases the future stars of world rugby, are on sale now via www.ffr.fr, www.ticketmaster.fr and www.francebillet.com with prices reflecting the FFR’s ambition to attract new fans to the sport.
Tickets for the pool stages and the first positional play-off round range from €;5 to €;25, while tickets for the finals day range from €;15 to €;35.
The world’s best Under-20 teams, including Noel McNamara’s Ireland side, will play across three venues – Stade Aimé Giral in Perpignan, Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers, and the Stade d’Honneur du Parc des Sports et de l’Amitié in Narbonne.
The Ireland U-20s will renew rivalries with tournament hosts France in Perpignan on Wednesday, May 30 (kick-off 9pm local time/8pm Irish time), facing them in the opening round as they did in the current U-20 Six Nations campaign. They lost out 34-24 in Bordeaux but second half tries from Jonny Stewart and James McCarthy, coupled with a penalty try, showed where they could hurt the French.
McNamara’s charges will move on to Narbonne for their other two Pool C games, taking on 2017 bronze medallists South Africa on Sunday, June 3 (kick-off 4.30pm local time/3.30pm Irish time) and meeting Georgia for the third successive year on Thursday, June 7 (kick-off 6.30pm local time/5.30pm Irish time).
FFR President Bernard Laporte said: “The FFR is aiming to make the World Rugby U-20 Championship a great success. During the pool stages, each of the three venues of the tournament will welcome a match with the French team and matches with defending champions New Zealand and former champions England.
“I encourage all rugby fans to come and see the best young players in the world who represent the generation that will shine at Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.”
World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont added: “The World Rugby U-20 Championship is a proven platform for the future stars of rugby to showcase their talent. With two matches in every venue on any given match day, it is a real treat for fans and we are delighted that the FFR’s ticketing strategy is designed to be as accessible as possible to attract a new fan-base to the sport.”
Ten years on from the inaugural Under-20 Championship in Wales in 2008, the number of players to graduate from the tournament to the Test arena now stands at 570. Ireland have given senior debuts to 15 players in the last 13 months, including the likes of Jacob Stockdale, James Ryan, Andrew Porter and Jordan Larmour who have all played U-20 international rugby in the last two years.