Under-20 Competitions including Oceania & World U20s

[kiap]

Match thread here, guys :

Under 20s Australia v Argentina

Australia U20 versus Argentina U20 1. Trevor King (Reds, Souths) 2. Lipina Ata (Brumbies, Gungahlin Eagles) 3. Kaleb Ah-Colt (Waratahs, Randwick) 4. Joe Mangelsdorf (Waratahs, Sydney Uni) 5. Eamon Doyle (c) (Waratahs, Sydney Uni) 6. Charlie Brosnan (Reds, Brothers) 7. Tom Robinson (Reds, Uni of...

greenandgoldrugby.com

(allows posters catching a replay to better avoid spoilers)

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

NZ v SA highlights

 

[Major Tom]

NZ 48 - 45 SA. Defence - optional.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Some heavy legs and sore bodies in the squads by this final round. Defence is the first thing to go

 

[Rudderless]

Would have liked to have seen Marshall Le Maître (Capt of Shore in 2024 - winners of the school GPS title) chosen.

He’s been carving it up at no.7 for Norths 1st Grade this season.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

He’s been very good for a guy so young.

I was always a bit skeptical of how he’d go out of School as he’s not the biggest bloke height wise but he’s performing. Straight to First Grade from School in the Forwards is a big effort.

It’s a crazy comparison given the status of the player but his comparison has to be Michael Hooper. Shorter, strong and very fast.

He may push into contention for a spot but other wise he’s a dominant player come next year.

 

[Bob_Jones]

@The Ghost of Raelene

Based on what you saw, what does your World Cup starting XV look like?

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

1. Baxter
2. Ata
3. King
4. Manglesdorf
5. Doyle
6. Brosnan
7. Langi
8. Morrison
9. Sharples
10. Fowler
11. Wilcox
12. Pakeho - Didn't play but would be a starter
13. Goldsbrough - Didn't play but would be a starter
14. Watters
15. Harvey

16. Langi
17. Hill
18. Ah-Colt
19. Aylmer
20. Veiru
21. Martens
22. Grover
23. Fakafanua

Hard to split some guys on the bench like Veiru and Brial but I'll take the guy a year older right now in the age group stuff. It makes a difference. Didn't put another 10 on the bench but you likely would. I just think Fakafanua and Harvey could foreseably slot in at first reciever if required. You have Wilcox who can shift to 15. Grover covers 11-15 so holds good value. 10 is a hard selection as all 3 could get the gig and I still think Dillon the best pure play maker but Fowler deserves credit for the NZ game.

 

[Homer]

Pakeho would be a huge plus if they can get him but without a doubt the one guy they need is Goddard.
Otherwise, hard to go past Ghosts selection.

 

[FNC Rugby]

1. Baxter
2. Ata
3. King
4. Manglesdorf
5. Doyle
6. Brosnan
7. Langi
8. Morrison
9. Sharples
10. Fowler
11. Wilcox
12. Pakeho - Didn't play but would be a starter
13. Goldsbrough - Didn't play but would be a starter
14. Watters
15. Harvey

16. Langi
17. Hill
18. Ah-Colt
19. Aylmer
20. Veiru
21. Martens
22. Grover
23. Fakafanua

Hard to split some guys on the bench like Veiru and Brial but I'll take the guy a year older right now in the age group stuff. It makes a difference. Didn't put another 10 on the bench but you likely would. I just think Fakafanua and Harvey could foreseably slot in at first reciever if required. You have Wilcox who can shift to 15. Grover covers 11-15 so holds good value. 10 is a hard selection as all 3 could get the gig and I still think Dillon the best pure play maker but Fowler deserves credit for the NZ game.

what is the obsession with Hwi Sharples? To me he is an ordinary player who has been on the "pathway" and the selectors refuse to acknowledge others have surpassed him.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

If he's fit and has even 1 game behind him in SS I'm picking Goddard for the 23 and likely starting.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

what is the obsession with Hwi Sharples? To me he is an ordinary player who has been on the "pathway" and the selectors refuse to acknowledge others have surpassed him.

Martens is a good player and wouldn't blink if he's picked.

I tend to agree about Sharples but off what we have just seen it's hard to pick a side with others as only two 9s played right? Not really an obsession when picking from 2. He's always going to be in selections when you come out of NSW systems who win 90% of there games. Gets to ride the teams success.

The best young 9s IMO are younger (Blank and Grover) but not going to be picked for this squad when Grover is still at School. There will be many that get picked at this level that won't go onto pro careers but due to the age restrictions you get higher honours right now. If your Sharples guess who he has ahead of him... Teddy Wilson at 22 and Angus Grover at 17.

 

[FNC Rugby]

Martens is a good player and wouldn't blink if he's picked.

I tend to agree about Sharples but off what we have just seen it's hard to pick a side with others as only two 9s played right? Not really an obsession when picking from 2. He's always going to be in selections when you come out of NSW systems who win 90% of there games. Gets to ride the teams success.

The best young 9s IMO are younger (Blank and Grover) but not going to be picked for this squad when Grover is still at School. There will be many that get picked at this level that won't go onto pro careers but due to the age restrictions you get higher honours right now. If your Sharples guess who he has ahead of him... Teddy Wilson at 22 and Angus Grover at 17.

My obsession comments stem from the fact he is continually picked for NSW..... this is a player who has been placed on a pathway since he was 15 and nobody wants to look past the fact that others have overtaken him as a player. My point being these gurus who identify these 14/15 year olds and place them in academies will never stray too far as if they did it would mean that have to admit they arent that good at identifying talent.

 

[Major Tom]

Pakeho would be a huge plus if they can get him but without a doubt the one guy they need is Goddard.
Otherwise, hard to go past Ghosts selection.

Leota over in France would be helpful too!

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

My obsession comments stem from the fact he is continually picked for NSW..... this is a player who has been placed on a pathway since he was 15 and nobody wants to look past the fact that others have overtaken him as a player. My point being these gurus who identify these 14/15 year olds and place them in academies will never stray too far as if they did it would mean that have to admit they arent that good at identifying talent.

Could be right and probably are mate. There's a couple in the 18s right now I think fit that exact bill.

Not really the topic for this specific thread but I think we'd all agree to a point. I do think it becomes a Rugby resource problem in general and the fact Rugby has to be very specific. At times it allows us to keep a guy like Angus Bell as well....

Team just went undefeated so I'd rather go on about that. If there's a better player I hope the Force, Brums can find them and bring them through to make a better future for Aus Rugby.

 

[House is on Fire]

My backline would be:

Martens, Prass, Wilcox, Pakeho / Fakafanua, Goldsbrough/ Grover, Watters, Harvey

Fron what I've seen Martens is a step up over Sharples. I like what I see with Prass, he's definitely not as natural a 10 as the other blokes but he's calm, a steady hand, excellent kick, and he's a big mature body who can not only hold his own at this level but dominate physically. I'd have Fowler off the bench.

I'm not sure about front row, pick the best scrummagers.

Second row picks itself.

Back row could be anyone. Genuinely every back rower who went to South Africa performed well. Hard to pick here, there's very little between them all.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Ata nailed the Hooker spot in my mind. I know he can cover Prop but he's the best Hooker and it's such a key position in the spine of a side.

King back in his preffered spot and it's a good position to be to have locked in 4 of your tight 5.

 

[Braveheart81]

My obsession comments stem from the fact he is continually picked for NSW..... this is a player who has been placed on a pathway since he was 15 and nobody wants to look past the fact that others have overtaken him as a player. My point being these gurus who identify these 14/15 year olds and place them in academies will never stray too far as if they did it would mean that have to admit they arent that good at identifying talent.

I think they are good at identifying and developing talent. Sharples is still clearly one of the best halfbacks in this age group nationally and certainly isn't out of place in the Australia under 20s.

Whether or not there are other players in NSW that are really close is neither here nor there in my view. We are far better off investing our limited resources in getting the players we have identified doing more training and playing more games.

Over the last few years we have transitioned age group rep teams into teams in their own right that play more games and broadly move up through the age groups together rather than the old model of effectively spending all the money having a national carnival involving more teams to then select the national rep team and then them barely playing any rugby together.

I would argue that the new approach is far more suited as a pathway to the professional game.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Over time I'd expand the pathway comps to include a second side from NSW & QLD like they do in the 18s which would allow for two more Halfbacks per side gain exposure and selection but right now it is a far stronger system than it was 10 years ago where it still ran the amateur environment.

 

[Major Tom]

Over time I'd expand the pathway comps to include a second side from NSW & QLD like they do in the 18s which would allow for two more Halfbacks per side gain exposure and selection but right now it is a far stronger system than it was 10 years ago where it still ran the amateur environment.

Over time? I'd do it next year. Ideally, you'd have a QLD Country and NSW Country team. But not sure they would have enough numbers to make these teams. Just as long as it's not a REDS A/B or TAHS A/B team setup