ENGLAND

Seeding for 2016: 2
Best finish: Champions (2013, 2014)
Worst finish: Eighth (2012)
U20 Championship match record: Played 40 / Won 30 / Lost 10
U20 Championship points/tries scored: 1,312 / 162

U20 graduates: 34
Most capped U20 graduate: Ben Youngs (60 tests, including two for the British and Irish Lions)

Did you know…? Eighteen members of England’s Six Nations Grand Slam winning side of 2016 have come through the U20 Championship, including the likes of Billy Vunipola, Maro Itoje and George Ford.

Coach: Martin Haag
Captain: Jack Walker

One to watch: Joe Marchant
The centre was in scintillating form in the Six Nations last year with six tries as England won the title, but injury meant he missed out on the U20 Championship in Italy. A black belt in karate, he evokes memories of another English outside centre in Jonathan Joseph. Blessed with good vision and aerial ability, not to mention great balance which is perhaps not surprising given he was an England Schools finalist in gymnastics!

AUSTRALIA

Seeding for 2016: 5
Best finish: Runners-up (2010)
Worst finish: Eighth (2012)
U20 Championship match record: Played 40 / Won 25 / Lost 15
U20 Championship points/tries scored: 1,319 / 187

U20 graduates: 32
Most capped U20 graduate: James Slipper (74 tests)

Did you know…? Australia’s U20 graduates have accumulated more test caps than any other nation to date with 704 at the start of June 2016 with half of the eight players to have reached 60 caps to date being Wallabies.

Coach: Adrian Thompson
Captain: James Tuttle

One to watch: Mack Mason
The fly-half played a pivotal role in Australia’s historic first-ever victory over New Zealand at this age during the Oceania Rugby U20 Championship last month, holding his nerve to slot the last-minute winning penalty. A player with plenty of tricks and the skills necessary to unleash a dangerous backline, he will be a key figure if Australia are to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2011.

SCOTLAND

Seeding for 2016: 8
Best finish: Eighth (2015)
Worst finish: 10th (2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014)
U20 match record: Played 40 / Won 14 / Lost 26
U20 points/tries scored: 797 / 104

U20 graduates: 33
Most capped U20 graduate: Richie Gray (57 tests, including one for the British and Irish Lions)

Did you know…? Scotland’s Jamie Farndale was the leading try-scorer at the 2012 U20 Championship in South Africa, despite his side finishing ninth.

Coach: John Dalziel
Captain: Scott Cummings

One to watch: Robbie Nairn
A big, powerful winger who will soon be challenging Tim Visser for a place on the Harlequins’ wing. He helped Scotland achieve their best ever finish at the U20 Championship in 2015 and has since gained a lot more experience at club level in the Premiership A League as well as representing Scotland in two rounds of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and the U20 Six Nations.

ITALY

Seeding for 2016: 11
Best finish: 11th (2008, 2011, 2014, 2015)
Worst finish: 13th (2009 – last year of 16 teams)

U20 Championship match record: Played 30 / Won 8 / Lost 22
U20 Championship points / tries scored: 426 / 47

U20 graduates: 33 (28 from Championship and five from Trophy)
Most capped U20 graduate: Edoardo Gori (50 tests)

Did you know…? Italy have avoided relegation on the final day of the last two U20 Championships, surviving against Fiji and Samoa. In 2015 they did so only after Samoa missed a long-range penalty with the last kick of the match.

Coach: Alessandro Troncon
Captain: Davide Fragnito

One to watch: Marco Riccioni
A player that new Italy coach Conor O’Shea has labelled a rising star who could make the transition to test rugby before too long, Riccioni captained his country’s U18 side last year when they recorded wins over Argentina, France, Ireland and Wales. The prop came on after 20 minutes of the domestic Eccellenza Championship final last weekend but couldn’t prevent his Calvisano side slipping to defeat against Rovigo.