On Saturday, the French U20 team will enter the competition in the Youth World Cup. In South Africa, Léo Carbonneau’s band will defend their title for the 3rd time in a row, the Covid having canceled the 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions, we remind you.
France U20: A new global epic begins, the composition against Spain revealedDespite the integration of executives like Mathis Castro-Ferreira or Hugo Reus, without Tuilagi, Attisogbe or Darricarère, the Bleuets will nevertheless have a lot to do to follow in last year’s footsteps. Where their team of Avengers had beaten everyone until the final, and this 50-14 victory over Ireland. Which begs the question: was this the best U20 team in history?
Jauneau’s gang stronger than Jordan’s or Barrett’s?
Last year, Baptiste Jauneau’s teammates impressed offensively, averaging no less than 51 points per game throughout the competition. An almost record statistic in the history of the U20 World Cup (competition launched in this form in 2008), only beaten by the Baby Blacks of 2017.
VIDEO. Author of a hat-trick in the final against England, Asafo Aumua sends the Baby Blacks to the roof of the worldThat year, the team of Will Jordan and Asafo Aumua catapulted the English to the final (64 to 17) and passed an average of 56.4 points to their opponents over the 5 matches of the competition. Giant.
But on paper and in terms of the proposed game, two other teams inextricably return to the equation. First, the Baby Blacks of 2011, winners of the best English U20 team (Farrell, Ford, Wade, Daly, Vunipola, Launchbury…) made history in the final 33 to 22. In their ranks, exceptional players at all levels, while the Independent was already talking at the time of “presentation of players of the future” to evoke Charles Piutau and Gareth Anscombe.
Except that from this team, would also and above all emerge the best player in the world in 2016 and 2017, Beauden Barrett, then placed at the back to make room for Anscombe in 10! But also Big Ben Tameifuna, one of the best right pillars on the planet for years, announced his withdrawal from the Top 14 final this Friday evening.
VIDEO – At 19, young Beauden Barrett was already terrorizing defensesBrodie Retallick, the reference in the 2nd row, Codie Taylor at the back, TJ Perenara at the scrum, the Brad Shields triplet, Sam Cane and Luke Whitelock in the 3rd row or even Francis Saili in the center. In short, an unplayable team, including the only member of the winning starting XV who ultimately did not have a top-ranked career is winger Mitch Scott, who started in the final to the detriment of Waisake Naholo…
2018, the year of the Blues of Ntamack and Carbonel
Finally, in 2018, Sébastien Piqueronies’ French U20 team won the title by defeating Marcus Smith’s England after a crazy match (33 to 25). A group which had grown in strength throughout the competition, and of which 11 boys are now international and 2 are preparing to become so this summer in Argentina.
FLASHBACK. VIDEO. In 2018, the Bleuets de Carbo and Ntamack twisted the necks of the Baby Blacks in the halfAmong them, above all, most of the starting XV for the final are now starters in the Top 14, when some have even become (or were at one time) “premium” players of the Blues: we obviously think to Romain Ntamack, but also Cameron Woki or Arthur Vincent. But their elders from the 2003/2004 generation, who should already be 6 or 7 internationals with the big Blues by the end of July, are well on their way to overtaking them…
Rugby. France U20. Are the Bleuets crowned in 2018 all playing in the Top 14?
