We bring you some interesting statistics on past finals at the World Rugby U20 Championship to whet your appetite for the 2016 decider between Ireland and England at the AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday.

  • Ireland are the sixth team to have reached an U20 Championship final, the others being New Zealand, England, Australia, South Africa and Wales.
     
  • Three teams have lifted the coveted trophy in New Zealand (2008-11 and 2015), South Africa (2012) and England (2013-14).
     
  • This will be a record seventh appearance in the final for England, although their win ratio is only 33.33 per cent after losing four times to New Zealand in the title decider.
     
  • This will be only the second all-northern hemisphere final after England beat Wales in 2013.
     
  • The eight captains to have lifted the coveted trophy are Chris Smith (New Zealand, 2008), Aaron Cruden (New Zealand, 2009), Tyler Bleyendaal (New Zealand, 2010), Luke Whitelock (New Zealand, 2011), Wiaan Liebenberg (South Africa, 2012), Jack Clifford (England, 2013), Maro Itoje (England, 2014) and Atu Moli (New Zealand, 2015)
     
  • Only three times has an U20 Championship final not featured New Zealand – in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
  • Iconic rugby venues to have hosted a World Rugby U20 Championship final include Newlands in 2012 and Eden Park in 2014.
     
  • The 2016 final will be the 290th match in U20 Championship history.
     
  • A total of 401 points have been scored in the eight previous finals.
     
  • Forty-three tries have been scored in finals, all bar 19 of them by five-time champions New Zealand. Thirty of these tries – or 73.17 per cent – have been turned into seven pointers.
     
  • The only player to score a hat-trick in an U20 Championship final is Telusa Veainu in New Zealand's 62-17 win over Australia in 2010.
     
  • New Zealand duo Aaron Cruden and Zac Guildford both scored braces in the 2009 final, as did England winger Christian Wade in their 2011 loss to New Zealand, winger Ashley Evans in Wales’ loss to England in 2013 and centre Jesse Kriel (pictured above) in the Junior Springboks’ defeat by England in 2014.
     
  • The first player to score a try in an U20 Championship final was New Zealand wing Kade Poki, after 17 minutes of the 2008 title decider with England at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea, Wales.
     
  • The last player to score a try was New Zealand number eight Akira Ioane (below) in their 21-16 defeat of England in the 2015 final in Cremona.
  • The fastest try in an U20 Championship final was scored by New Zealand hooker Liam Coltman within the first minute in 2010.
     
  • By contrast, the longest wait for a try in an U20 Championship final was 34 minutes in 2012, the time it took for New Zealand's Milford Keresoma to dot down at Newlands.
     
  • Thirty-six players have scored a try in an U20 Championship final to date.
     
  • The first points scored in an U20 Championship final were by New Zealand full-back Trent Renata with a penalty after five minutes in 2008.
     
  • Ten is the most tries scored in an U20 Championship final during New Zealand's 44-28 win over England in 2009. The champions scored seven of them.
     
  • The winning team has scored the most tries in five of the eight finals. Ironically the three exceptions – in 2011, 2013 and 2014 when tries where level – all involved England.
     
  • The most points scored in a single U20 Championship final is 79 in New Zealand's scintillating 62-17 defeat of Australia in 2010. The lowest total is 37 in 2015. 
     
  • The fewest points scored by any team in an U20 Championship final are the three England managed against New Zealand in the inaugural final in 2008.
     
  • The smallest winning margin in an U20 Championship final is the single point that separated England and South Africa in 2014.
     
  • Dave Rennie is the most successful coach in U20 Championship final history, overseeing New Zealand’s first three titles from 2008-10.
     
  • Ten players have won more than one winners' medals: Zac Guildford (2008-09), Willie Ioane (2009-10), Luke Whitelock and Glen Robertson (2010-11) for New Zealand and England’s Callum Braley, Joel Conlon, Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi, Ross Moriarty, Harry Sloan and Tom Stephenson (2013-14).
     
  • The top point scorer in an U20 Championship final is Tyler Bleyendaal, the New Zealand captain in 2010 contributing 28 points to their cause in the 62-17 win over Australia.
     
  • There have also been 41 penalties kicked with the most in a single final being six in 2010, 2012 and 2015.
     
  • The only person to slot a drop goal between the posts in an U20 Championship final is South Africa fly-half Handré Pollard in 2012.
     
  • There have been three red cards and five yellow cards in U20 Championship finals. Two of the red cards came in 2012 with New Zealand’s Ofa Tu’ungafasi and South African Paul Willemse dismissed just before the hour mark. The other came in the inaugural final in 2008 when England’s Calum Clark saw red.

Who do you think will emerge victorious at AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday, join the conversation @WorldRugby by using the #WorldRugbyU20s