2023 New Zealand U20s

[SouthernMann]

It is a bit unpleasant in Lower Hutt at the moment. Suspect it is the same up the road

[Wurzel]

1 through 25, for some reason

*Ben Ake (Auckland)
Vernon Bason (Manawatū)
Maliu Niuafe (Auckland)
Dominic Ropeti (Wellington)
Tom Allen (Hawke’s Bay)
Malachi Wrampling-Alec (Waikato)
Cooper Flanders (Hawke’s Bay)
Peter Lakai (Wellington) – Co-captain
Riley Williams (Auckland)
Taha Kemara (Waikato) – Co-captain
Codemeru Vai (Bay of Plenty)
Xavi Taele (Auckland)
Essendon Tuitupou (Auckland)
Isaac Hutchinson (Canterbury)
Payton Spencer (Auckland)
Raymond Tuputupu (Manawatū)
Malakai Hala (Manawatū)
Bradley Crichton (Wellington)
Rory Woods (Northland)
Sam Hainsworth-Fa’aofo (Auckland)
Che Clark (Auckland)
Nic Shearer (Canterbury)
Ajay Faleafaga (Otago)
Aki Tuivailala (Waikato)
Finn Hurley (Otago)

[Duluth]

Match thread for the first NZ v Aus game is here:
https://www.forum.thesilverfern.com/topic/6013/nz-u20-v-junior-wallabies-i

[SBW1]

[Stargazer]

@SBW1 See the post above yours.

[SBW1]

This post is deleted!

[98blueandgold]

Jeepers! set piece is terrible!!!!! It does not look like much of a squad. I know a few more players possible but on that performance will struggle to make out of pool against NH/Sth Africa. Obviously want them to succeed but did not look good.

[bobily2]

@98blueandgold I think most of those players won't be in the starting XV, so hard to tell how we'll go based on that. Still, it'd be nice to have a bit more depth

[Grooter]

Timestamp for Finn Hurley's try? please and thanks

[Steven Harris]

@98blueandgold if they cant handle the Australian set piece , god knows whats gonna happen when they meet the NH teams or even South Africa and Argentina ..NZ looks very light on size

[SouthernMann]

@FakatavaAllBlack said in 2023 New Zealand U20s:

Timestamp for Finn Hurley's try? please and thanks

1.33

[Dolamite]

When is the squad being announced for the U20 World Cup?

[Stargazer]

@Dolamite The squad was meant to be announced yesterday!

[Bovidae]

You'd have to assume that the delay is due to injury concerns over a number of players who weren't involved in the two games against Aust.

[Stargazer]

@Bovidae Yeah, or new injuries, whether they played against Australia, or not.

[Stargazer]

Squad:

[SouthernMann]

Finn Hurley dropped. Thought he was quite tidy in the first game.

[Stargazer]

Media release:

https://www.allblacks.com/news/new-zealand-under-20-squad-named-for-the-world-rugby-u20-championship/

Unavailable due to injury:
Payton Spencer (Auckland), Fiti Sa (Taranaki), Maliu Niuafe (Auckland), Cody Nordstrom (Waikato), Toby Bell (Canterbury)

[Bovidae]

I am surprised that Essendon Tuitupou missed out, as I had thought he and Leo Gordon would be the midfielders (having also played for the Blues U20s and NZ U19s together).

The tight five will still be an issue. A year too early for a couple of them IMO.

[Stargazer]

The wider squad members, or other players used for the matches against Australia, who didn't make the squad and are NOT listed as injured:
Finn Hurley
Will Martin
Sean Ralph
Dominic Ropeti
Nic Shearer
Essendon Tuitupou
Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa
Rory Woods