- A key event in the rugby pathway for the next generation of rugby talent, coaches and match officials the festivals will feature all Six Nations Rugby unions as well as Georgia and Portugal in the Men’s Festival.
- The Women’s Festival will be hosted by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) in Colwyn Bay, Wales (29th March – 6th April)
- The Men’s Festival will be hosted by the Federazione Italiana de Rugby (FIR) in Parma, Italy (30th March – 7th April)
Six Nations Rugby has today announced the staging of Under-18 Festivals for Men and Women in Parma, Italy and Colwyn Bay, Wales, respectively this spring.
The third successive staging of the festivals will feature all Six Nations Unions in both festivals as well as Georgia and Portugal in the Men’s Festival for the first time.
A key step on the development pathway for our athletes, the festivals provide an opportunity for some of the brightest young talent in the game to feature on the international stage. The festivals will also provide a programme of development opportunities for coaches, analysts and match officials from all Six Nations Unions, officiating during the festival (including Georgian and Portuguese officials in the men’s festival).
Each festival will be played under the community tackle height framework and all matches will be available to watch on Six Nations channels.
Parma’s Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi will host the Six Nations Under-18’s Men’s Festival, the first to be hosted in Italy. Tickets to all three match days (MD1 – Saturday 30th March, MD2 Tuesday 3rd April & MD3 Sunday 7th April) will be free of charge.
Colwyn Bay’s Stadiwm CSM, will host the Six Nations Under-18 Women’s Festival, the first to be hosted in Wales. Tickets will be available at all three matchdays, with adult tickets £10 and £5 for spectators Under-16.
Commenting on the Six Nations Under-18 Festivals, Julie Paterson, Director of Rugby at Six Nations Rugby said: “The Six Nations Under-18 Festivals are a hugely important development platform for our players, coaches, support staff and match officials. They provide an opportunity to gain valuable experience at international level, whilst exposing our best young athletes to different cultures and experiences that are unique in our game.
“The festivals are taking place for a third successive year, and are a real testament to the commitment Six Nations Rugby has to deliver an accelerated development pathway for all involved. We are delighted to welcome both Georgia and Portugal to the Men’s Festival this year too, as they will add to the competition, providing opportunities for all teams involved to test themselves against new opposition, and will benefit from the festival pathway in the same way as our six unions.
“We would like to thank both the FIR and WRU for hosting the respective Festivals which we believe will be a great showcase of rugby this Spring.”
FIR President Marzio Innocenti said: “The Under 18’s Festival marks a crucial turning point in the development pathway of the Championship’s future stars.
“We’re glad to host the 2024 edition in Parma. The Lanfranchi Stadium hosts Zebre’s home matches and our Women 6 Nations matches, and I couldn’t think of a better venue for our youngsters to live a thrilling competition that will create bonds and memories of a lifetime”
Huw Bevan, WRU Interim Performance Director, adds, “We are delighted that Six Nations Rugby have chosen Colwyn Bay to host the Women’s U18s festival this year.
“We have fantastic history of bringing high profile events to North Wales and we’re excited to continue our relationship with Conwy Council, and would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support.
“RGC is hot bed for women’s rugby, 12 players from this region have already been named in the extended U18s training squad earlier this month.
“We see the Six Nations Women’s U18s festival as an essential stepping stone in the female rugby pathway, and there will be no better opportunity for players to use this as an opportunity to benchmark themselves against the very best talent in Europe.”
Under-18 Women’s Festival Fixtures
Each team will play 2 x 35min matches on MD1 and MD2, followed by 1 x 70min match on MD 3. (MD1 – Friday 29th March, MD2 Tuesday 2nd April & M3 Saturday 6th April).
Matchday 1 (Friday 29th March) (35min matches)
KO 12:00 ENGLAND v IRELAND
KO 13:00 ITALY v ENGLAND
KO 14:00 IRELAND v ITALY
KO 15:00 FRANCE v SCOTLAND
KO 16:00 WALES v FRANCE
KO 17:00 SCOTLAND v WALES
Matchday 2 (Tuesday 2nd April) (35min matches)
KO 12:00 WALES v IRELAND
KO 13:00 IRELAND v FRANCE
KO 14:00 ENGLAND v WALES
KO 15:00 FRANCE v ITALY
KO 16:00 SCOTLAND v ENGLAND
KO 17:00 ITALY v SCOTLAND
Matchday 3 (Saturday 6th April) (70min matches)
KO 12:00 FRANCE v ENGLAND
KO 14:15 WALES v ITALY
KO 16:30 SCOTLAND v IRELAND
Under-18 Men’s Festival Fixtures
Each team will play 1 x 70min match on each match day, with four matches taking place each day.
Matchday 1 (Saturday 30th March)
KO 11:00 – Georgia v Scotland
KO 13:15 – Italy v Portugal
KO 15:30 – Ireland v France
KO 17:45 – England v Wales
Matchday 2 (Wednesday 3rd April)
KO 11:00 – Wales v Portugal
KO 13:15 – Scotland v England
KO 15:30 – Georgia v France
KO 17:45 – Italy v Ireland
Matchday 3 (Sunday 7th April)
KO 11:00 – Portugal v Ireland
KO 13:15 – France v Wales
KO 15:30 – England v Georgia
KO 17:45 – Scotland v Italy
With thanks to 6 Nations Rugby
