 | ||
| Union | New Zealand Rugby | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Baby Blacks | |
| Coach(es) | Jarrad Hoeata Alex Robertson | |
| Top scorer | Trent Renata (59) | |
| Most tries | Zac Guildford andTevita Li (8) | |
| ||
| First international | ||
 New Zealand 48–9Tonga (6 June 2008;Cardiff Arms Park,Cardiff) | ||
| Largest win | ||
New Zealand 92–0Wales (14 June 2011;Rugby Rovigo Delta,Rovigo) | ||
| Largest defeat | ||
 Australia 24–0 New Zealand(5 May 2019;Bond Sports Park,Gold Coast) | ||
| World Cup | ||
| Appearances | 15 (First in2008) | |
| Best result | Champions (2008,2009,2010,2011,2015,2017) | |
TheNew Zealand national under-20 rugby union team, nicknamed theBaby Blacks, is the representativerugby union team fromNew Zealand. It replaced the two former age grade teams, theunder-19s and theunder-21s. Their first tournament was the2008 IRB Junior World Championship, which they won after defeating England (38–3) in the final.[1] They have gone on to also win theWorld Rugby Under 20 Championship in2009,2010,2011,2015 and2017. The New Zealand under-20s have been nicknamed the "Baby Blacks" after the youthful All Blacks side which played in 1986.
Summary of all matches played by the New Zealand Under-20s as of19 July 2025
| Opposition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | %Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Australia | 18 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 72% |
 England | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 83% |
 Fiji | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 France | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 57% |
 Georgia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Ireland | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 90% |
 Italy | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Japan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Samoa | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Scotland | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 South Africa | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 20% |
 Spain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Tonga | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Uruguay | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Wales | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 82% |
| Total | 100 | 80 | 2 | 18 | 80% |
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 242 | 28 |
| 2009 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 215 | 54 |
| 2010 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 262 | 52 |
| 2011 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 274 | 51 |
| 2012 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 148 | 49 |
| 2013 | Semi-finals | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 159 | 116 |
| 2014 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 196 | 107 |
| 2015 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 191 | 63 |
| 2016 | 5th place | 5th | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 223 | 86 |
| 2017 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 282 | 92 |
| 2018 | Semi-finals | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 173 | 84 |
| 2019 | 7th place | 7th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 161 | 96 |
| 2023 | 7th place | 7th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 188 | 150 |
| 2024 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 182 | 152 |
| 2025 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 170 | 95 |
| Total | 15/15 | 6 titles | 75 | 60 | 0 | 15 | 3,066 | 1,275 |
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 157 | 43 |
| 2016 | Champions | 1st | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 35 |
| 2017 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 186 | 32 |
| 2018 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 195 | 43 |
| 2019 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 140 | 43 |
| 2022 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 26 |
| Total | 6/6 | 5 titles | 17 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 907 | 222 |
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 58 |
| 2025 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 152 | 95 |
| Total | 2/2 | 2 titles | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 244 | 153 |
On 27 May, 2025, a 30-player squad was announced for the2025 World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy.[2]
Non-travelling reserves
Dylan Eti, Harry Irving, Raharuhi Palmer, Aio Keith, Mika Muliaina, Taniela Maisiri, Riley Tofilau, Ollie Burra, David Lewai, Randall Baker, Israel Time
The following New Zealand U20s players have been recognised at theWorld Rugby Awards since 2008:[3]
| Year | Nominees | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Luke Braid | Luke Braid |
| Chris Smith | ||
| 2009 | Aaron Cruden | Aaron Cruden |
| Winston Stanley | ||
| 2010 | Tyler Bleyendaal | Julian Savea |
| Julian Savea | ||
| 2011 | Sam Cane | — |
| Luke Whitelock | ||
| 2013 | Ardie Savea | |
| 2014 | Tevita Li | |
| 2015 | Akira Ioane | |
| Tevita Li (2) | ||
| 2016 | Shaun Stevenson | |
| 2017 | Tiaan Falcon | |
| Will Jordan |
Due to the U20 category only existing since the combining of the U19 and U21 age groups in 2007, the following table only includes coaches appointed since. In the inaugural tournament in 2008, Dave Rennie and Russell Hilton-Jones served as co-coaches in charge of the team. Craig Philpott is the longest serving coach.Jarrad Hoeata and Alex Robertson are the current co-head coaches.
Updated to:19 July 2025
| Coach | Tenure | P | W | D | L | W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Rennie | 2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Russell Hilton-Jones | ||||||
| Dave Rennie | 2009–2010 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Mark Anscombe | 2011 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Rob Penney | 2012 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 60% |
| Chris Boyd | 2013–2014 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 60% |
| Scott Robertson | 2015–2016 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 86.67% |
| Craig Philpott | 2017–2019 | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 79.17% |
| Tom Donnelly | 2022 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Clark Laidlaw | 2023 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 57.14% |
| Jono Gibbes | 2024 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 75% |
| Milton Haig | 2025 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% |
| Jarrad Hoeata | 2025– | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 80% |
| Alex Robertson |
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