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France plays over 30 Domestic and Europe Cup Competitive Games (add international on top) - twice as many as Super Rugby; makes sense some need a rest.

Interested to know the Gallagher Premiership and Top 14 Crowd numbers. But for URC agreed they are disappointing.

Australia A is also a good (cynical) way of 'capturing' players who have multiple 'passports' to different countries - once played for A you are blocked from representing any other country (subject to the usual time lapse rules). It used to be U20s that 'captured' but was changed in the last...

Hopefully Nathan Grey has finished his tenure as JWBs coach and selector. JWBs last in the inaugural U20 TRC this year and have ended up in the 5th to 8th section at each of the U20s WC since being coach. The benchmark for U20s WC is making into the top four (only top 4 can win the tournament...

In this proposed format (sorry if I missed it) they play your competition after Shute Shield / Hospital Cup etc. as opposed to instead of?

The problem is I doubt the Super Rugby Franchises would relinquish their control of the Academies - IMO Super Rugby should be focusing on the Elite Contracted players (i.e. those not on full pro contracts) rather than the wider academy which the Clubs have a way better handle on given the players are Colts...

Haven't had a chance to see the U19s NSW Game - but that said, Sid Harvey is pure class. Watched him play many times for Easts Colts and he is cool as a cucumber - time seems to stand still when he has the ball. IMO, we need a big dynamic #8 and a real grunt of a #6 to emerge from these games...

Agreed on your defence of the Clubs - they provide one of the few pathways for U20s to play 25+ games a year, with Coaching and S&C, against their age group piers. Those U20s either stay in Colts Sides or play Grade if they are good enough. If that (U20s Club) pathway was removed, where would...

We should steal/copy the UK approach in my opinion - support / align our Clubs and put academies in / on top of each of the Clubs. Exactly what England does (not putting them on a pedestal, but they have just won the U20s World Cup). That allows for more players in the academy system, and...

Not sure about the 23-25 games? Sydney AAGPS play 10 games each season (home and away for 6 teams). Couple of trial games, and a couple of rep games. 15 games if you are lucky? Or has the season expanded to more than home/away now?

It is a good idea - but I think you need to raise the age to maybe U23, as there are limited showcase opportunities after U20s as a group (some play Grade, some give up, some go to NRL etc.)

It's true - opposition will need to counter his pilfer skills - the flip side is he spends so much time hunting and waiting for the pilfer opportunity, that he is not tackling or counter rucking, which means other players need to do that work for him, and the knock-on effects are tangible. It...

I think they will both struggle against NSW, QLD and ACT. I expect ACT to be competitive, but this year's NSW backs look a league above last year. BackRow will be key - NSW Durbridge spends a lot of time looking for pilfers often to the detriment of support running and tackling. Interested to...

Ah - you answered it differently to the question - well that is curious then as #1 #2 #4 and #5 were strong, #6 and #8 were relatively weaker. Similar happened last year when the U19 side was Sydney Uni centric.

There's the [Forwards] U19 selection answer then, if 7 out of 8 Gordon Forwards were U20. Looks like Easts had 4 U19s in their pack.

The Gordon Front Five - how many were U20 rather than U19 though?

Seen him play - passing skills need to be worked on - very much a bash through the middle guy, except he has a phenominal step once he overcomes his weight inertia - very difficult to stop at pace.

Sounds more like the case that Colts is U20 - and the U20s were a very strong this year, with a number coming through keeping some U19s from last year out of the starting line-ups at the pointy end of the season. Gordon U20s players [mainly forwards?] were certainly strong, but no match for...

Was Syd H @ #15 on the rampage? He is one to keep an eye on.

"Well, one of them comes out of Gordons 2nds Colts in the forwards.... Played most of the year in 1sts Colts but doesn't fill you with confidence." I think this was a particularly strong year for U20s Colts - the 19 year olds that forced their way into their respective 1s were strong - sides...