Chile stun Belgium 30-17 to claim inaugural World Rugby U20 Challenger title

Chile are the inaugural World Rugby U20 Challenger champions after beating Belgium 30-17 in a compelling final, with Portugal claiming third place at the expense of Romania on a dramatic finals day.

Chile 30-17 Belgium

The South Americans entered the tournament as underdogs but delivered when it mattered most, outscoring Belgium across a tense final to etch their names into the competition’s history as its first-ever winners. The 13-point margin reflected Chile’s control of the contest, though Belgium made them work throughout.

Portugal 3rd, Romania 4th

Portugal secured a podium finish by defeating Romania in the third-place playoff, rounding off a strong campaign for the Iberian side and denying their opponents a top-three finish.

Canada 61-24 Brazil

In the fifth-place playoff, Canada produced a dominant display to beat Brazil 61-24. Scrum-half Chris Rose set the tone early, throwing a sharp dummy to slice through the Brazilian defence for the opening score. Centre Liam Turnbull and winger Malin Hazl extended the lead before half-time, though Brazil responded with a try from Francisco da Ros, who forced his way over from close range.

Brazil briefly threatened a comeback in the second half, with Da Ros claiming a brace and winger Cauã Tenório adding a conversion and penalty to close to within seven points. But Canada steadied themselves at the set-piece and pulled clear through replacement hooker Porter Gook, who drove a maul over the line, before utility back Ronin Smith produced a stunning individual run — beating five defenders — to put the result beyond doubt. Canada ultimately ran in a total of nine tries.

Namibia 53-5 Hong Kong China

Namibia rounded off their tournament in style, recording their best performance of the competition with a 53-5 demolition of Hong Kong China. Fly-half William Beukes was outstanding throughout, contributing a penalty and five conversions in the first half alone as the U20 Welwitschias built a 17-0 half-time lead through tries from full-back Wesely Haukongo and winger Ethan Sinden.

Hong Kong China managed a solitary try through lock Fritz Mahn shortly after the restart, but Namibia responded immediately. Captain Jano Erasmus crossed twice in quick succession to push the lead to 31-5, and the African side added three further tries from Soobramoney Sammy, Bertus Narib, and Tjeripo Karuhumba to complete a comprehensive victory. Beukes missed only one conversion all afternoon, finishing with a near-flawless kicking display.