Australia’s five Super Rugby franchises will compete in a regular weekly U20s competition for the first time in 2016.

Kicking off on Saturday 27 February, the six-week competition will see each side play each other across the country, with a final between the top two ranked teams to decide the inaugural Super U20s champion.

The five teams competing will be Queensland U20s, NSW Gen Blue U20s, Brumbies Colts (U20s), Melbourne Rebels U20s and the Western Force U20s.

The competition replaces the former Australian U20s Championship and will be the breeding ground for the Australian U20s side, as well as showcasing the next generation of Australian Super Rugby stars coming through the ranks.

All but two matches in the inaugural Super U20s competition will be played as curtain raisers to Super Rugby matches, adding to the match day experience for fans.

“The Super U20s Championship will be an exciting platform for the next generation of Australian players to enhance their abilities in the elite professional environments our Super Rugby clubs provide,” Ben Whitaker from the ARU said.

“The competition is an important addition to the BMW Pathway to Gold program in ensuring that we build sustainable elite success across our NRC and Super Rugby teams, as well as the BMW Australian U20s and ultimately the Qantas Wallabies and Qantas Australian Sevens team.”

2016 Super U20s Championship Draw

Round 1

Western Force U20s v Melbourne Rebels U20s
NSW Gen Blue U20s v Queensland U20s

Round 2

Brumbies Colts v NSW Gen Blue U20s 
Queensland U20s v Western Force U20s 

Round 3

Western Force U20s v Brumbies Colts
Melbourne Rebels U20s v Queensland U20s

Round 4

NSW Gen Blue U20s v Melbourne Rebels U20s
Queensland U20s v Brumbies Colts 

Round Five

Melbourne Rebels U20s v Brumbies Colts
Western Force U20s v Gen Blue U20s

Matches in bold to be played as curtain raisers to Super Rugby matches