Douglas to co-captain Scotland U20 at 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship 

The championship kicks off on Sunday 29 June where Scotland will face England. They’ll then take on Australia on Friday 4 July, before rounding out their group stage fixtures against South Africa on Wednesday 9 July.

Back-row Freddy Douglas will co-captain the squad, a testament to his leadership skills shown during the 2025 U20 Six Nations. Douglas is no stranger to the professional game, having already made his Edinburgh Rugby professional debut last season.

His experience extends even further, as he earned a full international cap for Scotland against Portugal in the 2024 Autumn Nations Series. He’s not the only Edinburgh player with senior experience.

Winger Jack Brown also featured for Edinburgh Rugby in the URC during the past season, giving him valuable time in a professional environment.

A total of ten Edinburgh Rugby players have been selected for the 30-man squad, highlighting the club’s commitment to developing young talent.

Alongside Douglas and Brown, the following Edinburgh players will be looking to make their mark on the world stage: Ollie Blyth-Lafferty (prop) Oliver Duncan (number 8), Jamie Stewart (prop), Ben White (prop – joining this summer from Melrose RFC), Isaac Coates (stand-off), Jack Hocking (stand-off/full-back), Nairn Moncrieff (winger), and Hector Patterson (scrum-half).

Head Coach Kenny Murray expressed his excitement for the tournament, emphasising the importance of this experience for the players’ development.

Murray said: “It’s fantastic to be back in the U20 Championship having won the trophy last year, and it provides a really important chance for our best young talent to play against some of the best players in the world at this level, which will help their development massively.

“We’ve had a long preparation block with a wider squad, and we had a really strong group to pick from.

“The group took some confidence from beating Ireland in the friendly last week but there was also plenty for us to work on, and we know we’ll have to be better in the Championship.

“The group stage fixtures will obviously be tough, but we’ve trained well and the opportunity is there for the players to put in 80-minute performances that really show what we’re capable of.”

Scotland U20 Men squad for the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship

Forwards

Ollie Blyth-Lafferty (Edinburgh Rugby)
Dylan Cockburn (Melrose RFC)
Freddy Douglas – CO-CAPTAIN (Edinburgh Rugby)
Oliver Duncan (Edinburgh Rugby)
Oliver Finlayson-Russell (University of St Andrews)
Mark Fyffe (University of Edinburgh)
Bart Godsell (Loughborough University)
Dan Halkon (Glasgow Warriors)
Reuben Logan (Northampton Saints)
Oliver McKenna (Glasgow Warriors)
Charlie Moss (Montpellier)
Will Pearce (Cardiff Metropolitan University/Bristol Bears)
Joe Roberts (Glasgow Warriors)
Jake Shearer (Glasgow Warriors)
Seb Stephen (Glasgow Warriors)
Jamie Stewart (Edinburgh Rugby)
Ben White (Melrose RFC/Edinburgh Rugby)

Backs

Jack Brown (Edinburgh Rugby)
Isaac Coates (Edinburgh Rugby)
Noah Cowan (Brunel University/Ealing Trailfinders)
Jed Findlay (Exeter Chiefs)
Jack Hocking (Edinburgh Rugby)
Angus Hunter (Heriot’s Rugby)
Nairn Moncrieff (Edinburgh Rugby)
Hector Patterson (Edinburgh Rugby)
Matthew Urwin (Glasgow Warriors)
Cameron van Wyk (Ayr RFC)
Johnny Ventisei – CO-CAPTAIN (Glasgow Warriors)
Fergus Watson (Glasgow Warriors)
Kerr Yule (Glasgow Warriors)