Three-time winners France will face England within the 2024 U20 World Championship last this week, after beating New Zealand in a high-scoring conflict in Cape City on Sunday.
The French’s title defence continues in an all-northern hemisphere showpiece at Cape City Stadium on Friday, after the English noticed off the problem of final 12 months’s finalists Eire in a hard-fought sport on the identical venue.
New Zealand and Eire will meet within the third-place playoff. Australia, in the meantime, overcame Wales to arrange a fifth-place last in opposition to Argentina, who bought the higher of hosts South Africa.
SA and Wales will face off within the seventh-place last with Italy assembly Georgia within the ninth-place last and promoted Spain taking up Fiji within the survival playoff.
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U20 World Championship playoff outcomes:
Semi-finalsFrance 55-31 New ZealandEngland 31-20 Eire
Fifth-place semi-finalsSouth Africa 24-34 ArgentinaAustralia 36-29 Wales
Ninth-place semi-finalsItaly 28-15 SpainGeorgia 40-36 Fiji
Finals fixtures, Friday, 19 July:
Athlone StadiumSpain vs Fiji, 12pmItaly vs Georgia, 2:30pmAustralia vs Argentina, 5pm
Cape City StadiumWales vs South Africa, 2pmIreland vs New Zealand, 4:30pmEngland vs France, 7pm
Photograph: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Pictures/Getty Pictures