England ended France’s quest for a record-equalling fourth consecutive U20 World Championship crown with a hard-fought win in Cape Town on Friday.

It was England’s first title since 2016 and their fourth overall. Mark Mapletoft’s charges produced an accomplished second-half performance for a 25-13 win at Cape Town Stadium to snap Les Bleuets’ unbroken run of titles dating back to 2018.

New Zealand also recovered from a slow start to beat Ireland 38-24 in the third-place playoff.

Earlier at the same venue, hosts South Africa finished the competition on a positive note, with a thrilling 47-31 win against Wales to confirm a seventh-place finish.

The most dramatic match of the day was Spain’s extra-time 24-19 win over Fiji, which has relegated the Islanders to the U20 Trophy in 2025. Also at Athlone Stadium, Georgia beat Italy 24-13 to claim ninth place, and Argentina got the better of Australia 14-6 to finish fifth.

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France had gone into the showpiece looking to create a piece of history as they sought to match New Zealand’s achievement in winning four consecutive titles, having claimed the silverware on offer in 2018, 2019 and 2023.

That would have been the perfect send-off for head coach Sebastien Calvet, who is set to take charge of French club Agen.

However, it was not to be for Les Bleuets who, for all their pace and guile in attack, were up against it for long periods as England held the upper hand physically.

Siya Kolisi was watching on from the stands, and the two-time World Cup-winning Springbok captain would have been impressed with how England played to their strengths.

The lowest-scoring final in the championship history may not have been a classic but the English did what was needed to get the job done and end their eight-year wait for silverware.

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images

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