2022 NZ Schools
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New Zealand Under 18 Quadrangular Tournament
Location: St Paul’s Collegiate, Hamilton
Date: Tuesday 11 October and Saturday 15 OctoberTuesday 11 October
NZ Barbarians vs. Fiji Schools – 12.30pm
NZ Māori Under 18 vs. NZ Secondary Schools – 2.30pmSaturday 15 October
NZ Barbarians vs. NZ Māori U18 – 12.30pm
NZ Secondary Schools vs. Fiji Schools – 2.30pmA pity that the NZ Schools and Barbarians U18s aren't playing each other. That would be the most competitive game.
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From a selfish perspective I hope the Highlanders Talent Development Manager, and NZ Schools Head Coach Kane Jury can twist the arms of some of these lads... If they aren't already locked into contracts.
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Berkett made the Barbarians last year as a halfback so you would have thought that being able to play 1st 5 too, would be an asset in a squad.
The backline selections in the NZ Schools team doesn't appear to have a specialist 1st 5 outside of Stanley Solomon. I assume that means Spencer is an option there too. Heaps of players who can play in the midfield and back three.
The Barbarians have a lot of players who have already left school. I intend to go and watch the games.
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@Bovidae said in 2022 NZ Schools:
A pity that the NZ Schools and Barbarians U18s aren't playing each other. That would be the most competitive game.
I find this really, really strange. A missed opportunity. Why only two games, anyway? If they had an Australia Series as pre-Covid, they would have played three games, too.Generally speaking, I wonder why there is no Australia Series. The Australia Schools and Australia Schools Barbarians teams have been selected and play each other IIRC. Financial reasons?
Oh, and for who missed it in the media release (or didn't read it):
LIVESTREAM
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@Stargazer The only time in recent years when the NZ Schools and Barbarian Schools have played each other was in 2020, in the covid period. And then, they tried to select (in theory) two evenly-matched teams (the Haden and Whetton XVs).
Back in 2019, when Australian Schools were last involved, the teams only played twice. NZ Schools and the Barbarian Schools both played Australian Schools and Fiji Schools U18s. As to the reason why the NZ teams don't play each other, a cynic would say that the selectors wouldn't want to be shown up by the supposed 2nd XV beating the best.
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I was more thinking of the usual Australian Series in Australia, when NZ Schools played three games: v Fiji/Tonga/Japan, v Australian Barbarians Schools and v Australian Schools. The last time was in 2018.
NZ Barbarians Schools and NZ Maori U18 teams played games in NZ.
When the Aussies come to NZ, the schedule is always different. In 2019, there was a NZ Schools v NZ Schools Barbarians v NZ Maori U18 game of three halves, before the NZ Schools' games v Fiji and Australia.
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@Bovidae said in 2022 NZ Schools:
Time and money. NZR have had the U18 camps and games, and then those players selected will prepare and play in these two games over the 2-week holiday break. Then they can be students again for the last term.
I think you are right, but it's amusing to pretend that most of those kids really care about their studies so much.
I only know one of them personally and, despite being reasonably clever, he would willingly lower his grades for a tour.
Yes, yes, there is one or two who are both good at rugby and academic.
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It's worth watching the stream of the NZ Schools vs Māori U18s. Often the games the NZ Schools team play against non-international teams can be one-sided but this was anything but.
Results from the two games below:
##spoiler
NZ Barbarians U18s 50 - 14 Fiji Schools (HT: 24-14)
NZ Schools 27 - 24 Māori U18s (HT: 17-21)The Māori had opportunities to win the game in the last 2-3 mins and would have been deserved winners if they had.
##endspoiler -
@Bovidae Don't get too carried away with the Schools result as there were no players from the traditional powerhouses of Fijian schoolboy rugby in QVS (Queen Victoria school and limited representation from other powerhouse Ratu Kadavulevu School. This trip co-insided with the Fijian equivalent of the NZ Top 4 and some boys elected to stay behind and try and win the Deans Trophy for their school (thus taking themselves out of consideration for he NZ tour), the finals of which were played in Latutoka last weekend. As it turned out QVS and RKS only got as far as the quarterfinals this year. For the record, Suva Grammar (who had four boys electing to take the national Team option) lost to Marist Brothers HS (Suva) in the Under 18 (the most prestigious division) 9 - 8.
My namesake's Ratu Navula College (Narewa Village Nadi) got upset in the Under 19 final so he is not happy!
For the record the original Deans Trophy was donated by the Maori All Blacks team that toured Fiji in 1938 to be competed for by the Secondary Schools of Fiji. -
@Higgins I was told that the Fijian team that played the Hurricanes U18s was very different to the team that played on Tuesday, which was different again to the team that played today. This team had more NZ-based players.
To be honest, the most impressive of the 4 teams was the Māori U18s, and they obviously didn't have the first choice of players.
