IT
ENEvery summer there’s a tournament that works like a window into the future: it shows you the players you’ll be watching in a Six Nations or a senior World Cup three or four years from now. That tournament is the Under-20 World Championship, and the 2026 edition kicks off in Georgia.
On the eve of it, we played a near-impossible game: picking five players to keep an eye on. Five names, one per nation, from the most hotly anticipated Azzurro to a talent who already carries every stamp of approval across the Alps. We’ll be back here when it’s over to see how many we got right.
When and where is the 2026 U20 World Championship?
The Under-20 global showpiece — now rebranded as the Junior World Championship — runs in Georgia from 27 June to 18 July 2026, split between Tbilisi and Kutaisi, with a return to a 16-team format. Italy are in at the deep end straight away, facing Scotland on 27 June at the AIA Arena in Kutaisi.
Italy: David Luisato, the most anticipated of all
Let’s start at home, because that’s where you’re all looking first. The name is David Luisato: a Verona native, born in 2007, a wing who came through Benetton’s age-grade ranks, 1.89m and 89kg — a senior’s frame already.
His is also a story of patience: an injury cost him both the age-grade Europeans and last year’s World Championship. Now he’s the most talked-about Italian prospect, and for once the hype feels justified.
everyone has been talking about him non-stop for a couple of years now
The advice is to tread carefully — every story is its own — but the talent, seen up close in training and in the warm-up games, is there. What sets him apart is his timing in finding space when an overlap opens up: not just running, but reading the game.
France: Joachim Senga Kouo, the most “certified”
If you want the profile with the fewest question marks, here he is. Joachim Senga Kouo, a France full-back/wing born in 2007 and contracted to RC Vannes, arrives at the World Championship having just been named player of the U20 Six Nations, in a France side that completed the Grand Slam.
He’s not the classic full-back who lives off open-field running alone: he’s an involved player, one who touches a lot of ball and gets stuck into the build-up. His Six Nations numbers read like a highlight reel: 399 metres carried (more than any other full-back in the tournament), 14 defenders beaten, three tries, an assist and passes completed at 85%.
How he copes with a different setting like the World Championship remains to be seen, but the starting point is sky-high.
All Blacks: Mika Muliaina, a heavy surname
In New Zealand the number 10 tells you the health of a team. And the Baby Blacks hand the jersey to Mika Muliaina, a fly-half who is a product of Southland and — yes — the nephew of Mils Muliaina, a 100-cap All Blacks great.
The youngster already has his future signed off: a three-year deal with the Highlanders from 2027, after a development pathway inside the franchise. In a New Zealand Under-20 side no longer as dominant as it once was, his job will be to bring order, rhythm and, above all, game management.
It’s precisely there — steering the team with the boot and in his decisions under pressure — that the weight of that surname will be measured.
South Africa: Markus Muller, the can’t-miss kid
Markus Muller doesn’t carry the cumbersome surname of a Muliaina, but he might be the most precocious of the lot. A centre schooled at Paarl Gimnasium — one of South African rugby’s great production lines — he’s been flagged by World Rugby among the players to watch at the 2026 World Championship.
The stat that jumps out is this: on 25 April 2026 he became the youngest debutant in Stormers history, taking the field at 18 years, 9 months and 19 days against Glasgow Warriors, knocking a certain Damian Willemse off the record. Western Province U19, South Africa Schools, Junior Springboks: a pathway already fit for a can’t-miss prospect.
He’s a powerful centre, comfortable in contact, but not all muscle. The only risk, in a talent-dense environment like South Africa, is over-hype — and it’s no accident the staff are working hard not to burn him out.
shining at school level in Under-20 is one thing; becoming an international centre is another
Wales: Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, the talent already seen at Monigo
The last call goes to a player we’ve already watched up close in Italy. Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, a Scarlets fly-half and a product of the Carmarthen academy, made his first URC start in early 2026 at Monigo, against Benetton. 1.72m and 81kg, born in 2007.
For a Wales side searching for a new identity — and one beaten by Italy in the last U20 Six Nations match — a 10 this young and already launched among the pros counts for plenty. He’s the kind of prospect who leaves a mark: live at Monigo, the impression was one of those that lift you out of your seat.
And Italy? The faith doesn’t stop at Luisato
Five names, one game. But the real bet, for us, is a collective one: this Italy Under-20 has plenty to dream on well beyond its brightest jewel. Luisato is the cover star, not the whole team — and in rugby, in the end, you win with 23.
It starts right away, with the young Azzurri out on 27 June against Scotland, in Kutaisi. From there we’ll find out what this generation is really worth.
Who are your five? Tell us in the comments on the channel, and we’ll meet back here at the end of the tournament for the verdict. Subscribe to DanPat Rugby so you don’t miss the young Azzurri live.
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