Nearby lightning strikes forced the abandonment of the World Rugby U20 Championship Pool B opening match between New Zealand and Japan at the AIA Arena in Kutaisi, Georgia, on Saturday, June 27, 2026.
The international governing body determined the game would not restart, freezing the final score at 38-21 in favor of New Zealand according to tournament regulations.
The adverse weather conditions also forced schedule adjustments for subsequent tournament fixtures at the venue later that evening.
"Following lightning strikes close to the AIA Arena in Kutaisi the match between New Zealand and Japan was suspended and will not restart.
In accordance with the tournament rules the final score will stand as New Zealand 38-21 Japan," stated World Rugby.
Officials prioritized safety over completing the remaining minutes of the second-half contest.
"The welfare of the players, officials and fans must always come first," added World Rugby.
Organizers monitored the local radar before shifting the kickoff times for the remaining matches of the day.
"Following lightning close to the AIA Arena in Kutaisi, France v Fiji in the World Rugby Junior World Championship will now kick-off at 19:00 local time (GMT+4)," noted World Rugby.
The final match of the day also suffered delays from its original schedule.
"Australia v Spain will now kick-off at 21:10 local time (previously scheduled for 20:30 GMT+4)," reported World Rugby.
The remaining schedule remains contingent on weather developments in Georgia.
"Both kick offs are subject to any further adverse weather in the area," stated World Rugby.
Before the weather intervention, New Zealand established an early lead through a Dane Johnston try, created by breaks from Charlie Sinton and Micah Fale.
Japan responded via a maul try from Kise Shin, taking advantage of New Zealand's disciplinary issues after Mika Muliaina received a yellow card.
Shinnosuke Uchida scored from a kick-and-chase, and Sota Miura leveled the score at 21-21 before halftime.
New Zealand head coach Kane Jury selected midfielder Haki Wiseman as captain to lead a squad featuring All Blacks Sevens players Bradley Tocker and Kele Lasaqa.
"We’ve had a strong preparation here in Georgia and are feeling positive ahead of the first match.
Haki and the other leaders in the team have been great and are looking forward to getting the campaign under way," said Kane Jury, New Zealand Under 20s Head Coach.
The team adjusted to local conditions over the preceding week before facing their opening opponents.
"We’ve had a week to adapt to the heat and the facilities here in Georgia have been excellent.
We expect a tough first up match against Japan, who we expect to be very well drilled and play a fast-paced game, so we’ll need to be at our best," added Jury.
In the second half, Chris Boyd's side took control as Logan Williams and vice-captain Caleb Woodley scored tries before Muliaina added a final try at the 66-minute mark.
New Zealand holds six historical World Rugby Under 20 titles from 2008-2011, 2015, and 2017, and finished as runners-up in the 2025 edition.
New Zealand's next scheduled Pool B matches are against Scotland on July 3 and Italy on July 7.
