The 2025 U18 International Series is an international schools rugby union competition, part of the Under-18 International Series. The latest series was held in South Africa between 8 August and 16 August 2025. It featured under-18 national teams from South Africa, England, France, Georgia, and Ireland.
South Africa’s U18 team dominated the round-robin fixtures, winning all their matches against France, Ireland, and England. The competition showcased the strength of South Africa’s youth development system, with highly competitive matches across all five nations.
Competition rules and information
Each team played three matches in a round-robin format. Teams were awarded four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded for scoring four or more tries in a match and for losing by seven points or fewer. Rankings were determined by total log points, then points difference (points scored minus points conceded). There were no semifinals or finals; the overall winner was the team with the highest points at the end of the round-robin.
Teams
Locations of European U18 teams
The teams that played in the 2025 U18 International Series are:
2025 U18 International Series teams Team Country South Africa U18 South Africa England U18 England France U18 France Georgia U18 Georgia Ireland U18 Ireland
Series summary
South Africa went unbeaten across all three matches in the series, demonstrating a dominant performance against top European and Georgian youth teams. The round-robin format ensured that each team played competitive matches against multiple nations, highlighting the growing standard of under-18 international rugby in South Africa.
Final standings The final log for the 2025 U18 International Series was:
2025 U18 International Series standings Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD 1 South Africa U18 3 3 0 0 169 64 +105 2 France U18 3 2 0 1 92 86 +6 3 Ireland U18 3 1 1 1 65 52 +13 4 Georgia U18 3 1 1 1 67 108 −41 5 South Africa ‘A U18 3 1 0 2 107 98 +9 6 England U18 3 0 0 3 75 158 −83
Matches The results from the 2025 Under-18 International Series were:
Standouts The standouts for the 2025 U18 International Rugby Series were as follows:
2025 Top Performers Top side: SA Schools Top Points Scorer: Liyema Nela (26), SA Schools Top try Scorer: Markus Muller (3), SA Schools
References