"VAN" (Sports Desk - 18.07.2024) :: Scotland secured promotion to the World Rugby U20 Championship 2025 after beating USA 48-10 in the final at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh, as Japan, the Netherlands and Hong Kong China ended on a winning note to finish third, fifth and seventh respectively.
Triumphant Scotland captain Liam McConnell held aloft the World Rugby U20 Trophy at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh on Wednesday after a 48-10 victory over USA in the final secured promotion to the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2025.
Scotland were made to work hard by a USA side that battled to the end, but ultimately were punished by their more clinical hosts.
“It means a lot,” admitted McConnell afterwards. “The last two years there have been some tough days. The whole squad are really happy, the management as well. It is a light at the end of the tunnel.
“It means everything [to be back in the U20 Championship]. We pride ourselves on being up there with the tier one nations and we think we are one of them and it is a good opportunity for the boys next year to go out there, wherever it is, and compete with the best sides in the world.
"They USA were up for it, it was a proper game at half-time but then we came out the second half and kept doing our thing and sort of broke them down.”
Japan – one of four former U20 Trophy winners in the tournament – finished third after beating 2008 champions Uruguay 73-22. They started quickly and never let up on the intensity to run out comfortable winners.
Earlier, the Netherlands rounded off their debut tournament appearance in style with another high-octane performance producing a 46-29 win in the fifth place play-off against former champions Samoa.
The Dutch ran in six tries to take their overall tally for the tournament to 20, their attack-minded approach bringing them two victories, having also beaten Kenya in the pool stage.
In the first game of the day, Hong Kong China ended a 12-game losing streak at the World Rugby U20 Trophy with a dominant 34-14 defeat of Kenya in the seventh place play-off.
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