2015 IRB Junior Rugby World Cup - Italy

[Sideline Eye]

He was 17 as of 1 January 2015, turned 18 since but as he will not turn 20 until 2017 I beleive that makes him eligible for 2015,2016,2017. Happy to be corrected. He was eligible for the under 18 rugby 7s nationals on the weekend just gone and is available for selection for the youth Commonwealth Games in Samoa in September.

Wow, fantastic birthday timing for young Jamie if that's the case As you say, getting this far in year one of three is experience you can't buy...

 

[Hugh Jarse]

The Rebels web site has the DOB of Sione Tuipuloto as Feb 11 1997. That makes him 18 years and not much now, but importantly on the DOB cutoff of 1 Jan 2015 he was only 17 (2015 Under 18).

He will also be eligible for 3 seasons in Under 20's (like Sean McMahon was).

 

[Uncle Joe]

Wow, fantastic birthday timing for young Jamie if that's the case As you say, getting this far in year one of three is experience you can't buy.

He had to play his entire final year of schoolboy Rugby against boys older than he was though. However what you loose on the swings you pick up on the roundabout. I am confident that he will relish all that comes his way in the coming weeks. Congrats to Sione Tuipuloto for making this side at a young age too. Playing with guys that have Super Rugby contracts can only improve these boys.

 

[WestsAP]

Brodie Leber is another 17 year old with a May 1997 birthday that is in the Aussie Barbarians, so he has three years at 20s as well, just like Jamie. Brodie is at uni so no schoolboys and I would expect with the WA boys leaving school at 17, they will be in the same boat.

 

[Charlies son Bob]

Any word on when the Qld and NSW final squads for National Championships will be announced?

Hugh, understand a number of "unwanted" phone calls made yesterday - and that the NSW Colts team is now been pared down to 25. I assume we will see the team list sooner than later.

 

[Uncle Joe]

Brodie Leber is another 17 year old with a May 1997 birthday that is in the Aussie Barbarians, so he has three years at 20s as well, just like Jamie. Brodie is at uni so no schoolboys and I would expect with the WA boys leaving school at 17, they will be in the same boat.

My point was that this is a huge achievement for the guys that have made it this far and don't get an Aussie Jersey, some of these boys have time on their side. They need to take this chance to learn and come back next year bigger and better. For a few they get a chance to do that twice. Congrats to Brodie and I hope he makes every post a winner.

 

[WestsAP]

My point was that this is a huge achievement for the guys that have made it this far and don't get an Aussie Jersey, some of these boys have time on their side. They need to take this chance to learn and come back next year bigger and better. For a few they get a chance to do that twice. Congrats to Brodie and I hope he makes every post a winner.

Great opportunity for Brodie, Jamie and all the other 17/18 y/olds in teams, just wanted to flag that for some of the young players, schoolboys is not always an option as not an U18 comp but whether still at school. Savour the experience as you say...

 

[Lee Grant]

How good is the dialogue in this thread compared to 2013 when players were selected for two camps based on the recommendations of clubs and trusted snouts?

Thompson and Sutherland were at national schools tournaments before that but there were always sniping by pundits that this and that player was overlooked - and I'm talking about Sydney only.

Boy, were we bitching about the horrible system, if it could be described as such?

Pity the young fellows who had a step up in ability since their school days and didn't have a recommendation - or those who were overlooked by the schools system a year or two before, rightly or wrongly, and others got the nod for the first camp in tight calls because of their scrapbook.

Now these blokes have to assessed to get into a local squad. The players from outside the Reds and Tahs have to prove themselves in their squad to go to a tournament in Adelaide. From there the best are assessed in three matches; then a combined squad called the Aus Barbarians Under 20s competes against the Reds and Tahs outfits.

And the players from the two big rugby states get a programme that Ming the Merciless would be proud of, before they get the picked for the nationals.

What a difference; some of us were talking about such a theoretical system back in the day that we thought was pie-in-the-sky.

It is still not perfect: the Country lads from the two big States struggle to get access to a proper selection vehicle and training together has to happen in Adelaide or maybe on a single visit to Brisbane or Sydney beforehand.

But at least they get a shot that they wouldn't have got two years ago.

End of positive rant for the ARU.
.

 

[kiap]

I like positive rants. And you didn't even mention the Oceania 20s Championships!

It is still not perfect: the Country lads from the two big States struggle to get access to a proper selection vehicle and training together has to happen in Adelaide or maybe on a single visit to Brisbane or Sydney beforehand.

But at least they get a shot that they wouldn't have got two years ago.

Maybe they should play each other home and away before the Southern States tournament - Battle of the Border Colts.

 

[Lee Grant]

I like positive rants. And you didn't even mention the Oceania 20s Championships!

No, my rant was long enough.

Athough they played Samoa last year after the nationals at Bond Uni (twice I think) to reduce a expanded squad to the touring party, the Oceania Champs are another new thing.

No doubt that is a Word Rugby funded event but my mail is that the ARU drove it.
.

 

[kiap]

Yep. Drove it through the door opened by NZ finishing 4th and 3rd (at home) in their last two outings, I'd reckon.

And while they may not be recent finalists, playing NZ in a regular tournament is good for us (+ good for them, and Samoa too). A fine tune match or two against Samoa is one thing, but this should now be better.

 

[kiap]

For interest's sake, they had an U19s comp until 2-3 years ago and it seems like that has morphed into the U20s version.

The good thing is that our sides will get to play in it now.

 

[Lee Grant]

Hugh, understand a number of "unwanted" phone calls made yesterday - and that the NSW Colts team is now been pared down to 25. I assume we will see the team list sooner than later.

Yeah there were a few phone calls and if my snouts are right I reconciled to 25. There was one surprise for me and another mild one, but it's all secret squirrel stuff.

I thought they would wait until after their last hit-out and announce next Monday because of the possibility of injuries, but it is what it is.
.

 

[Monty Python]

Carn Lee. Why is it secret squirrel, if they've already made the phone calls? What's a good snout for if you can't reveal all here first on Gaggerland and gazump the ARU media unit.

 

[Braveheart81]

Carn Lee. Why is it secret squirrel, if they've already made the phone calls? What's a good snout for if you can't reveal all here first on Gaggerland and gazump the ARU media unit.

If the squirrel isn't so secret, it might lose its nuts.

 

[Lee Grant]

Carn Lee. Why is it secret squirrel, if they've already made the phone calls? What's a good snout for if you can't reveal all here first on Gaggerland and gazump the ARU media unit.

Promises, promises - have to be kept.

It will be the Tahs media unit that will give the info.

.

 

[TOCC]

QLD U20's team will be having a trial against GPS Premier Grade at Ballymore this weekend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TSR]

QLD U20's team will be having a trial against GPS Premier Grade at Ballymore this weekend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If possible, could someone write up a match report? It is good to hear about how the up and comers are going.

 

[Forcefield]

Good rant Lee. I think it is great this new system. It sits in especially well with the new NRC. In WA I think we had 8 of our 2014 U20s play in the NRC. I also think it will help keep some players from going to league as well. In WA we have lost a lot of promising juniors (Curtis Rona for example) because there was no clear pathway to the senior rugby. U20s followed up by the NRC really clears that up.

Maybe they should play each other home and away before the Southern States tournament - Battle of the Border Colts.

In the interest of a competitive series, I wonder if it wouldn't be worth having the QLD Country and NSW Country play a tri-series with South Australia, pick a combined team to play against WA, ACT and VIC which would then feed the Southern States team. Or maybe that is too complicated.

 

[kiap]

In the interest of a competitive series, I wonder if it wouldn't be worth having the QLD Country and NSW Country play a tri-series with South Australia, pick a combined team to play against WA, ACT and VIC which would then feed the Southern States team. Or maybe that is too complicated.

Maybe. They (sorta) do half that already but just not in a timeframe that would allow another combined team to actually prepare.

The format now is the SS comp split in two groups with WA, ACT and VIC as the top tier (i.e. within Super academy systems) QC (Quade Cooper), NSWC and SA the second tier.

Each group plays their own tri-series and there is only one crossover match. - One is probably just enough as the second tier is not on par (yet) although the main reason would be saving time and dough.