With 336 players in Georgia for the World Rugby U20 Championship 2017, there are a whole host of new names hoping to star on the global stage. However, if you take a closer look at those squad lists, there are also a few names you will have seen before.

The World Rugby U20 Championship has seen 485 players go on to play test rugby since it was introduced in 2008, so it comes as no surprise that it has become a family affair over the years, but in 2017 two teams are linked by an All Blacks legend.

England and New Zealand both have a nephew of former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga in their ranks in Jacob Umaga (main picture) and Thomas Umaga-Jensen respectively. Umaga, who was assistant coach when New Zealand last won the U20 Championship in 2015, played 74 tests for the All Blacks – 24 as captain – from 1997-2005 and played in two Rugby World Cups.

That isn’t the only family connection for Jacob Umaga, though, as his father Mike wore the Manu Samoa jersey on 13 occasions across a four-year spell which included RWC 1995 in South Africa. His mother also played rugby league for Great Britain.

Another player with a rugby league and New Zealand connection is England captain Zach Mercer, whose father Gary won 22 caps for New Zealand and also captained Leeds Rhinos in England. Alex Mitchell’s brother James, meanwhile, played in all five matches of England’s run to the U20 Championship final in 2015.

CRICKET AND KISSES

England’s Pool A opponents in Georgia also boast family connections in their squads, not least Wales with James Botham’s grandfather being former cricketer Ian, who scored 5,200 test runs and took 383 wickets for England in his career. James’s father Liam also played rugby for Cardiff.

Australia have reached the U20 Championship final once, back in 2010, and the coach that year was David Nucifora, the former Wallaby hooker and RWC 1991 winner, whose nephew Harry returns for his third tournament after being one of their best players in the recent Oceania Rugby U20 Championship on home soil.

His team-mate Angus Scott-Young’s father Sam is another former Wallaby, having played seven tests for Australia in the 1990s, famously winking and blowing kisses during the haka in one of his four Bledisloe Cup encounters with New Zealand.

One iconic image in Samoa rugby history is the sight of Darren Kellettt being carried from the field at Apia Park on the shoulders of fans after helping Manu Samoa beat the mighty Queensland team in the old Super 10 competition in 1993. Fly-half Kellett also played 13 tests for Samoa from 1993-95. The father of Ivan Fepuleai, Samoa’s captain on their return to the U20 Championship, also played for Manu Samoa in four tests from 1988-89. Vincent Fepuleai is currently the Chief Executive of the Samoa Rugby Union.

TRIO OF NATIONS

Moving into Pool B and Umaga-Jensen isn’t the only New Zealand player with a family connection as three other players have fathers who played test rugby – for three different nations. Orbyn Leger’s father Gus played 15 tests for Tonga from 2001-03, ironically coming on against New Zealand at RWC 2003. Isaia Walker-Leawere’s father Kele captained Fiji on five of his 26 test appearances and also played twice for the Pacific Islanders, while Caleb Clarke’s father Eroni scored six tries in his 10 tests for the All Blacks from 1992-98, including one against the British and Irish Lions in Wellington in 1993.

Gordon Falcon, the father of fly-half Tiaan, played for the Hurricanes and the Brumbies in Super Rugby, while captain Luke Jacobson played alongside his older brother Mitchell in the back-row last year and will hope to become the second member of his family to lift the trophy after Mitchell did in 2015 (pictured on right) in the second of his three U20 Championships.

Moving on to Ireland, who stunned New Zealand last year en route to their first U20 Championship final, also boast a number of connections, including Gavin Mullin who plays in the same position as his father Brendan, the former Ireland centre who scored 15 tries in his 55 tests from 1984-95 and appeared in three World Cups. He also played one test for the Lions in 1989.

Mullin is also the cousin of scrum-half Luke McGrath, who captained Ireland at the U20 Championship in 2013 and made his test debut last November. The Leinster number nine currently has two test caps and is part of Ireland’s squad for their June tour of USA and Japan.

Another player to play in the same position as his father is Conor Dean, whose father Paul made 32 appearances for Ireland between 1981-89 and played in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, while Ronan Kelleher’s brother Cian played at full-back at the U20 Championship in 2014. Changing sports, Jack Regan’s father Daithi is a former hurler for Offaly and an All-Ireland champion.

TREADING THE SAME PATH

Moving on to Scotland and Matt Fagerson and Fergus Bradbury are following in the footsteps of their brothers Zander and Magnus, who have both graduated to the test stage since their U20 Championship days and will tour with the senior squad in June. Magnus made his debut last November and also played for Scotland in two tournaments on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in 2015-16, while prop Zander has started Scotland's last eight matches.

Charlie Shiel is the son of Graham, who played 18 tests for Scotland from 1991-2000, and his grandfather Douglas Morgan also played for Scotland and the Lions in the 1970s. Meanwhile Darcy Graham’s uncle Scott MacLeod also played for Scotland at RWC 2007 among his 24 tests.

There are fewer family connections among the Pool C teams with France responsible for most of them, including Romain Ntamack, one of the stars of their Six Nations campaign, the son of Emile, who played 46 tests for Les Bleus from 1994-2000 and appeared at two Rugby World Cups. His last World Cup was in 1999, the same tournament the fathers of Youth Olympic Games gold medallist Alexandre Roumat and Daniel Brennan played at, albeit for different countries with the latter’s father Trevor wearing the green of Ireland.

Sélévasio Tolofua is also the younger brother of Christopher, who played in the U20 Championship in 2013 and now has seven test appearances for France to his name, including three in this year's Six Nations.

France’s Pool C opponents Georgia are coached by Ilia Maisuradze, whose brother Simon played 33 times for the Lelos, including a replacement appearance against world champions New Zealand at RWC 2015. Junior Lelos captain Ilia Spanderashvili's twin brother Nugo has also represented his country, playing age-grade football for Georgia.

The U20 Championship gets underway on 31 May with matches in Tbilisi and Kutaisi. Click here to find out where you can watch the action or join the conversation @WorldRugby using #WorldRugbyU20s.