Fifteen selected for Junior World Championship in Georgia

16 Jun 2026

Head coach Fergus Pringle has named 15 Edinburgh Rugby players in his 30-man Scotland Men U20 squad for the 2026 World Rugby Junior Championship in Georgia.

The squad heads to Kutaisi for pool stage fixtures against Italy, New Zealand and Japan at the AIA Arena, with further matches to follow to determine final standings.

Ross Wolfenden has been named as co-captain alongside Glasgow Warriors hooker Joe Roberts.

The versatile back, who can play stand-off, centre and full-back, has been one of Scotland U20’s standout performers and was a key figure throughout the Six Nations campaign.

In the forwards, prop Jamie Stewart is one of four returning props from last year’s tournament, bringing valuable experience to the squad.

He is joined in the front row by Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, with Sam Byrd and Christian Lindsay also making the squad as part of a flexible back-row and second-row contingent. Jack Utterson, a late call-up to the 2025 edition, is included from the start this time around.

The backs are well represented, with Hamish MacArthur and Matthew Fick competing for the scrum-half jersey alongside Asa Stewart-Harris.

Henry Kesterton, Harry Soboil, Nairn Moncrieff and Rory McHaffie complete the Edinburgh contingent in the backs, with Moncrieff returning having featured in last year’s squad.

Archie Appleby and Harry Jackaman are included among the forwards, while Dan Kelly is named in the backs. All three join the club’s academy this coming summer and will be hoping to make their competitive debuts at the tournament.

Scotland open their campaign against Italy on Saturday 27 June (10am UK time), before taking on New Zealand on Thursday 2 July (3pm) and Japan on Tuesday 7 July (12.30pm). All games can be watched live on Premier Sports and Rugby Pass TV.

Edinburgh Rugby players selected in the Scotland U20 Junior World Championship squad:

Forwards: Archie Appleby, Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, Sam Byrd, Harry Jackaman, Christian Lindsay, Jamie Stewart, Jack Utterson

Backs: Matthew Fick, Dan Kelly, Henry Kesterton, Hamish MacArthur, Rory McHaffie, Nairn Moncrieff, Harry Soboil, Ross Wolfenden (CC).

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