Nitesh Raniga 
[Source: World Rugby]
An exhilarating performance by Fiji guaranteed their place in the World Rugby Under 20 Championship next year.
The Junior Flying Fijians defeated Italy 41 – 26 in the 9th place semi-final to register their first win of the championship and claim a spot in the final.
Fiji will now face Argentina in the 9th place final.
🎯
A beautiful cross-field kick from Ravula and Sireli Masiwini does the rest for Fiji 😤#WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/sTJEY8AVoS
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 9, 2023
Italy now face another relegation battle on the final day to avoid relegation to the World Rugby U20 Trophy in 2024.
Basiyalo goes over in the corner 🙌
He extends @fijirugby into the lead#WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/2yC8WgOXgp
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 9, 2023
Fiji’s Mesake Vocevoce was named the player of the match.
He never fails to impress 🙌
Mesake Vocevoce is the @Mastercard Player of the Match #Priceless | #POTM | #WorldRugbyU20s | @fijirugby pic.twitter.com/GKhvW20AqE
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 9, 2023
Italy will face Japan, who lost 45-20 to Argentina in Paarl in the 400th match in U20 Championship history.
Pulling the strings 🤌
Isaiah Ravula sets up Nalasi beautifully!#WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/GZQcIWIAwT
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 9, 2023
Los Pumitas are also assured of their place in the 2024 Championship and will now play Fiji for ninth.
Wales earned a hard-fought 40-21 victory against Georgia in the final match in Paarl.
Mark Jones’ side will now face Australia for fifth place after the Junior Wallabies came out on top of an entertaining fifth-place semi-final battle with six-time champions New Zealand 44-35 at Athlone Sports Stadium in Cape Town.
Attention then turned to the race to lift the coveted trophy with Ireland the first to book their place in the final after a hard-fought 31-12 defeat of hosts South Africa in the first semi-final.
They will face either defending champions France or England, the side who beat them in their only previous final in 2016.
[Source: World Rugby]
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