The International Rugby Board ( IRB ) has announced the pools, seedings and schedule for the IRB Under 19 World Championship 2007. The Tournament, which will take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland from April 4-21, is spilt into two divisions of two teams.


Defending champion and top seed Australia will begin its title defence against Ireland on April 5 as part of a mouth-watering Round One double-header at Ravenhill that also includes number two seed New Zealand against France.


Other Round One matches see South Africa open against newly promoted Fiji, Scotland take on France, Argentina tackle Japan and Samoa against number three seed England.


In Division B, Romania, relegated from Division A in 2006, is seeded top and will play Georgia, USA and Canada in the Pool stages, while Tonga, runners up this year, plays Uruguay, Italy and the yet to be determined South American qualifier in the pool stages.


The seedings of all teams in Division A and the top six teams in Division B are based on the final standings at the 2006 Tournament.


Seeds 7 - 12 inclusive in Division B represent teams who have qualified for 2007 via regional tournaments and their seeding was drawn at random.


All 24 participating teams will be confirmed by January 2007.


Click here to view the seedings, pools and schedule

Follow up:

"The 2006 IRB Under 19 World Championship in Dubai was a huge success, serving up some exceptionally high quality Rugby on the field, whilst also achieving strong attendance and record broadcast figures and leaving a lasting legacy in the Arabian Gulf,"

said Tournament Director Simon Jelowitz.

"Belfast has a tremendous opportunity to raise the bar. The city has a strong heritage of hosting world class sporting events and has a close association with Rugby and I am sure that next year's Tournament will be an impressive showcase of world-class Rugby and local hospitality,"

added Jelowitz.


The 24 teams will play across six match venues in and around Belfast. Division A matches will be played at Ulster Rugby's Ravenhill Ground (a host venue for Rugby World Cup 1999), Belfast Harlequins and Shaw's Bridge. The three match venues for the Division B fixtures will be announced shortly along with the full broadcast schedule and ticketing
details.


For more details on the IRB Under 19 World Championship go to the

official IRB Under 19 World Championship website: www.irbu19.com.