The International Rugby Board has confirmed the four venues that will host matches at the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy 2013, which will take place in Temuco, Chile, from May 28 to June 9.
Hosts Chile, Canada, Japan, Italy, Namibia, Portugal, Tonga and Uruguay will contest the sixth edition of this prestigious Under 20 tournament as it returns to the country which hosted the inaugural tournament back in 2008.
With a place in next year’s IRB Junior World Championship in New Zealand the prize that awaits the winners, and the nature of the competition it promises to be yet another exciting event.
Estadio Germán Becker will be the main venue and will host the final on June 9. Originally built in 1965 and re-inaugurated in 2008 after a major refurbishment, its modern facilities can now accommodate 18,125 spectators.
The stadium hosted the Rugby World Cup 2015 qualifying match between Chile and Brazil last month during the South American Championship and attracted a large, supportive crowd.
The main sporting arena in Temuco, a city of 250,000 inhabitants located 670 kilometres south of Santiago, will host six matches, including Tonga v Canada and Chile v Portugal on the opening day. It will also host two more matches in round two and the third place play-off and final.
The Estadio Municipal Freire, located in the outskirts of Temuco, and the Universidad de la Frontera, within walking distance of Estadio Germán Becker, will each host four matches. The two remaining matches will be played at the Estadio Municipal Pitrufquén on the outskirts of the city.
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“The goal of using four stadiums is to promote the Araucania region with player welfare in mind,” explained IRB Tournament Director Santiago Ramallo.
“We’ve secured venues with excellent playing surfaces and being able to play six matches in the Estadio Germán Becker makes it the best venue in the Junior World Rugby Trophy’s history.”
Kick-off times have been selected to allow rugby fans to move between venues and watch up to four matches in each round, with the exception of the penultimate round of pool matches on June 5.
“We can’t thank Mayor Miguel Becker and his staff enough,” added Ramallo. “They have worked tirelessly against the clock to ensure this is the best IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy ever.”
