2018 New Zealand U20s
-
@stargazer from memory he is a big powerful lock. Maybe Vaai, he was in the training squad but has only turned 18 do might be a bit green.
-
New Zealand U20 squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship:
Forwards:
John Akau'ola-Laula - Auckland
Sione Asi - Manawatu
Tom Christie (Captain) - Canterbury
Rob Cobb - Auckland
Devan Flanders - Hawkes Bay
Tom Florence - Taranaki
Ricky Jackson - Otago
Tevita Mafileo - Bay of Plenty
Laghlan McWhannell - Waikato
Xavier Numia - Wellington
Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa - Auckland
Hoskins Sotutu - Auckland
Flynn Thomas - Southland
Will Tremain - Hawkes Bay
Will Tucker - Canterbury
Kaliopasi Uluilakepa - WellingtonBacks:
Caleb Clarke - Auckland
Leicester Faingaanuku - Ta$man
Scott Gregory - Northland
Vilimoni Koroi - Otago
Harry Plummer - Auckland
Billy Proctor - Wellington
Jay Renton - Southland
Xavier Roe - Waikato
Jamie Spowart - Ta$man
Bailyn Sullivan - Waikato
Tanielu Tele'a -Auckland
Kaleb Trask - Bay of PlentyPlayers not considered due to injury
Tim Farrell - Hawke's Bay
Brayden Iose - Manawatu
Will Jordan - Ta$man
Bradley Slater - Taranaki
Cameron Suafoa - AucklandCaptain Tom Christie and Blues winger Caleb Clarke return from the champion 2017 team, while at the other end of the scale there are eight players that will be eligible for selection again next year. Experience also comes in the form of 12 players who have played at Mitre 10 Cup level and 27 of the 28 players having been involved in an Oceania Championship campaign.“Laghlan McWhannell was the standout lock at Oceania and he is complimented by the two-metre duo of Will Tucker and John Akau’ola Laula. Our captain, Tom Christie, leads an exciting loose forward trio that have been absolutely tireless in their efforts on the field. “Vilimoni Koroi adds a point of difference in the back three alongside the genuine size and speed in the likes of Caleb Clarke and Leicester Faingaanuku, we are looking forward to seeing what they can create on the field.”Under 20 Highlights • Two returning players from 2017 (Tom Christie and Caleb Clarke) • Eight players are eligible again in 2019 (Rob Cobb, Kaliopasi Uluilakepa, Devan Flanders, Kaleb Trask, Billy Proctor, Caleb Clarke, Leicester Faingaanuku and Scott Gregory) • 12 players have already played Mitre 10 Cup • 12 of 14 Provincial Unions represented • Only Xavier Numia (returning from injury) didn’t play at Oceania (Caleb Clarke played at the 2017 tournament • The World Rugby Under 20 Championship has run since 2008, with New Zealand winning six of the 10 titles • New Zealand Players have won the Junior Player of the Year on three occasions, Luke Braid in 2008, Aaron Cruden in 2009 and Julian Savea in 2010New Zealand Under 20 schedule (matches will be broadcast live on TVNZ Duke)
New Zealand v Japan
Thursday 31 May
7am (NZT)New Zealand v Wales
Monday 4 June
2.30am (NZT)New Zealand v Australia
Friday 8 June
7am (NZT)http://www.allblacks.com/News/32392/new-zealand-under-20-squad-named-for-world-rugby-championship
-
-
@bovidae said in 2018 New Zealand U20s:
Who has been dropped from the Oceania tournament? Price is one.
In addition to Price, these players have not returned (I may have missed one or two):
Suetena Asomua - Counties Manukau
Ciarahn Matoe - Taranaki
Ngane Punivai - Canterbury -
The squad is as predicted, still disappointing that Jordan has not recovered from concussion.
Numia back is good, he is solid prop.
Price for me was a big disappointment at the Oceania torny and happy to see Renton and Roe there who seemed more in control of game plan. Backs have dynamic all over them I just hope tight 5 can win ball and the weather in France plays ball. -
@98blueandgold The locks were the weakest link in the squad for the Oceania Champs. All made the team for the WR Championship. But both hookers, esp Ricky Jacson, and most loosies are very good; and some of the props aren't too bad either. Hopefully, our forward pack will be good enough this year.
Agree about Price.
-
@cgrant said in 2018 New Zealand U20s:
Exciting backline. It should look like this :
Koroi
Faingaanuku
Proctor or Telea
Plummer
Clarke
Trask
RentonPretty spot on there except I think the coaches prefer Plummer at 10 than at 12. Tele'a at 12 and Proctor 13. Tele'a plays the crash/bully role in the midfield with Proctor the distributor. Trask on the bench to cover 10 and 15. Really impressed by Trask. Reminds me of Ben Smith a bit with his speed and skillset.
-
@stargazer
How come so down on the locks? I watched most of the 3 games and thought McWhannell really stood out for his all- round skills, catching, running, tackling. Some very good runs in open play. I don't think we will suffer too badly in comparison to other teams in that area. -
The English team look good again, a lot of premiership experience. Marcus Smith is an amazing player, too
England name 28 man U20s World Championship squad
England U20s head coach Steve Bates has named his 28-man squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship.
-
Article about loosie Will Tremain
Tremain looks to secure his own legacy Not knowing whether shoulder surgery he had undertaken would recover in time was on Will Tremain's mind for much of the summer but he has come through well and will be part of the New Zealand Under-20 team's bid to win the World Rugby Junior Championship in France next month. The squad has been preparing in Mt Maunganui ahead of flying out for the south of France and their base in Perpignan. QUICK TAP: NZ UNDER 20 SQUAD NAMED FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Tremain had surgery at the end of last rugby season on a shoulder that kept dislocating and he missed the side's first two camps while rehabilitation. "I thought it would be a little bit unlikely but I was lucky enough to get the call," he said. It helped that coach Craig Philpott lived in Hawke's Bay and he kept Tremain in the loop and let him know what the position was and that there was still an opportunity there. A product of Napier Boys' High School, Tremain played a few years in the 1st XV, and was told he had some potential in the game. He had a couple of years in the Hawke's Bay Under-16s. He attended the Hurricanes skills camp and made the Hurricanes Under-18 side. He also attended the New Zealand Schools' camp but missed out on that team due to injury. That injury has been fine since being back playing but during the final camp in Mt Maunganui he was recovering from a knock to his other shoulder suffered during the Oceania Cup tournament on the Gold Coast but it was progressing well and was nothing like the earlier injury, he said.The obvious question with his surname, he was expecting it to be asked, surrounded his grandfather, the All Blacks legend Kelvin Tremain, one of the top try scorers in Test match rugby of his 1960s era. "Obviously I take extreme pride from my family name but I'm not the first player to carry a famous family name into a rugby career so there's a little bit of expectation there in the name and having to carry that but I want to make my own legacy out of it," he said. While never having met his grandfather, who died in 1992, Tremain said he has heard bits and pieces, and read a bit, while his parents Chris and Angela have told him some stories but outside of his grandfather's reputation he said he didn't know a huge amount. Making a career out of rugby has been a goal and he acknowledged the support he had in Hawke's Bay, especially with the local rugby academy, but at the same time he has been working towards a career beyond rugby by doing a double major commerce degree in commercial law and economics at Victoria University in Wellington. With that in mind he has study to do while away as he faces exams two days after the side returns to New Zealand.In the meantime the concentration at the team's camp in Mt Maunganui has been on their development without looking too much at the opposition lying ahead. But the differences associated with northern hemisphere rugby sides would ensure some challenges ahead for the team. The Oceania tournament won by New Zealand had been an important step for the side, especially with the progress the side made through their three games. That had been most noticeable in the step up from playing Fiji to the final against Australia. He said the exercise from a personal viewpoint was outstanding and pulling on the black jersey for the first time had been an amazing experience. France will not be new to Tremain as the result of two visits there, the first on a family holiday in Spain, the south of France and Italy and secondly as part of the world schools' orienteering championships in Paris.Tremain took on orienteering to help with his fitness for rugby and was a member of the Napier Boys' High School team who won the New Zealand schools' championship and the right to travel to the world event in Paris where the school finished second. Tremain said he wasn't the top orienteer in the school but he got a ninth placing in the short and middle course event. "Orienteering is an amazing sport. Clearly it's not a huge sport but I love getting out and experiencing some pretty amazing countryside and especially around Hawke's Bay it is pretty beautiful some of the places you get to go and run round that not many people have experienced. "It's not just straight running, there's quite a lot of thinking to it as well and it's a huge sort of mental process being able to read a map, run and do it all at the same time and get it right," he said. New Zealand kick off their World Rugby Under 20 Championships campaign against Japan at 7am on Thursday 31 May. Watch live on TVNZ Duke.http://www.allblacks.com/News/32456/tremain-looks-to-secure-his-own-legacy
-
.
There's a strong Southland contingent both on and off the field in the New Zealand side for the upcoming Under 20 Rugby World Cup in France.The squad features two Southland players in hooker Flynn Thomas and halfback Jay Renton, while the coaching staff features former Southland players Willie Rickards and David Hill as well as current Stags coach Dave Hewett.
The squad completed its on-field preparation in an Oceania tournament held on the Gold Coast earlier in the month, the Baby Blacks went through the tournament unbeaten, accounting for Australia, Fiji and Tonga.
- News. Robyn Edie. SouthlandTimes/Stuff. Southland Stags rugby training at Surrey park grounds on Wednesday afternoon. Pictured Stag Flynn Thomas, 19, ex Southland Boys High school recruit.Robyn Edie
They team is currently in camp at Mount Maunganui, and Thomas said it was great to get a bit of heat prior to heading to France.
"It's good to get away from the cold for a wee bit, up into the warmer part of the country.
"I suppose since we are heading up to France, it's going to be a lot hotter than Invercargill, so it's good to have a wee bit of an adjustment period."
For hooker Thomas, having Hewett a former front rower and a man he will be spending a lot of time with in the Southland set-up heading away to France with him suits Thomas down to the ground.
"It's quite exciting we will be able to work in well together before establishing a few things with him, and utilising those skills during the Southland season."
While halfback Renton has spent a bit of time with the Highlanders, he has eyes on another couple of halfbacks when he looks at how he models his game.
"I really like the way Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall plays, while I'm also a fan of the way new All Black Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi plays, they're both very energetic and I like to feel as if I bring a lot of energy to the game."
Both Renton and Thomas have played for the Stags and have had stints in camp with the Highlanders, and Renton said being in those camps helps remove the mystique around some of the top players.
"I'm normally quite talkative, can even be pretty annoying, but I found it quite intimidating in those environments, especially the Highlanders as I didn't know anyone, but by the time I went up to the second camp I felt like I could be myself."
Renton said in the lead up to a top tournament like the Under 20 World Cup, having the experience of being around top players helps with nerves.
Both the former Southland Boys' alumni are predicting the side will play an expansive style, although how they go about that, they're keeping close to their chest.
New Zealand's first game of the tournament will be against Japan next Wednesday.
- News. Robyn Edie. SouthlandTimes/Stuff. Southland Stags rugby training at Surrey park grounds on Wednesday afternoon. Pictured Stag Flynn Thomas, 19, ex Southland Boys High school recruit.Robyn Edie
-
Five New Zealand players to watch at the JWC
With the JWC just around the corner in France, RugbyPass looks at five standout candidates to keep an eye on from the defending champions, New Zealand. The JWC has launched a number of careers since its inception in 2008 and this year will be no different.Devan Flanders – Number 8 One of the youngest members of the squad, Devan Flanders was man-of-the-match in the schoolboys test match last year for New Zealand, picking up the Bronze Boot. “I was surprised by that. It was a big accomplishment, but I was quite happy with that,” he told RugbyPass. His size and power will be an asset to the pack, providing a lineout option and solid ball carrying. He was the school 100m sprint champ in Year 12 but he says “all the fast boys came back in Year 13”, an impressive feat for a loose forward. In just six months since leaving school, he has put another 10kgs of size. Expect Flanders to gain valuable experience at the tournament and return next year as one of the key members.Billy Proctor – Centre Billy ‘The Kid’ Proctor is the younger brother of Hurricanes centre Matt Proctor and gets his chance to join the New Zealand under-20s after making the schoolboys side in 2016. He was a highly sought after schoolboy prospect and Wellington made moves to keep him around. After a full season of club rugby under his belt and a provincial debut in 2017, Proctor will be ready for the international stage at the Junior World Cup. He can play at 12 or 13 and will likely be a regular starter in the midfield alongside Bailyn Sullivan or even Caleb Clarke.Vilimoni Koroi – Fullback The ‘star’ of this New Zealand’s under-20 squad is Koroi who is an established New Zealand Sevens player and Otago provincial player. A shock selection in the national Sevens squad as an 18-year-old propelled the ex-Fielding High student onto the international stage last year. He showed his potential on the Sevens circuit, impressing with his speed and stepping ability. Otago and the Highlanders will be watching with interest as their prodigy looks to push for Super Rugby contention.Caleb Clarke – Wing We couldn’t leave a player of his caliber off this list – just last week he was playing Super Rugby for the Blues and lining up against Julian Savea. Clarke will return to the JWC after attending last year’s tournament in Georgia. He will feature prominently again on the left wing with his blistering pace but could also be used as a centre, a position he played in high school and for the New Zealand schoolboys. He scored six tries last year and has a chance to break the all-time record of most tries at the JWC set by Tevita Li (13). Having made his Super Rugby debut in 2018, he will enter the tournament with plenty of confidence.Kaliopasi Uluilakepa – Prop Kaliopasi Uluilakepa represented Fiji u18’s as a schoolboy and attended Marist Brothers High in Suva. As a member of the Hurricanes youth academy, ‘Pasi’ has been playing club rugby in Wellington since. The Tongan-born prop is a force to be reckoned with and will power the front row for the New Zealand under-20’s. His strong ball-carrying will set a solid platform for the side and is a dark horse to provide some special highlights at the tournament. -
@stargazer said in 2018 New Zealand U20s:
Is Flanders from Hawkes Bay? Will he play for them in the Mitre 10 Cup?
-
@tim Yes, he has a Magpies contract. Not sure whether it's a full or a development contract. He might play for the Magpies in the Mitre 10 Cup, although I'd expect him to play in the U19s tournament first (unless injuries strike again, and he's needed for the senior squad).
Stuff