Australian U/19 v. England

[Drew]

^ that doesn't seem right considering their form this year

 

[Albert]

I support randwick... Other randwick kids unlucky not to get a look in are Liam Fulton, who was picked on the train on u20s squad last year, a good organizing half with great decision making skills. Jesse roach was also in the train on squad and has been strong since his return. Zeb Holmes has been a handful for opposition defences all year and has a high work rate and is still running in the 80th minute. And finally mark bannon would be an excellent cover for half or wing with his speed and evasive running causing trouble for tiring defences.

Tom Connor has copped a lot of criticism, but I think some if it is very unfair.

Pretty sure a couple of these other lads are too old. Zeb has been killing it since switching to prop, and will be one to watch over the next three years in the Shute Shield, but is u/20s. Jess Roach spent the first half of this season playing rugby league, in the Dragons Toyota Cup squad, but didn't get a great deal of game time. He's back in myrtle green now. I think he will be cross-trained as a hooker, and is still u/19s. Marky Bannon is a good quality colts player. great kid, probably not yet at rep level (mind you, I didn't think Tim Donlan was an 'elite' level player in this age group when watching a Rats colts game). Liam Fulton is most certainly too old. He's just clocked up 150 first grade games for the Wests Tigers, and may be offloaded to free up room under the salary cap. My bet is that he'll head to England and continue his utility-back row-hard worker career in the Super League.

 

[Drew]

My mistake, Liam walker
If bannon is eligible then so is Zeb as they played A's together at school

 

[rugbyfan]

Team has been picked, if's and but's are silly

 

[Drew]

True the team has been picked, but the u20s this year was dissapointing. So the selectors had an opportunity of widening it's net and pick a team based on form as opposed to who was good at school and/or picked for an academy.I would be interested to see some sort of colts rep game(s) to give all these kids who play and train hard all year something to aim for.

 

[Rob]

Drew, agree that U20's were disappointing and this is really the hub of the problem because same system is used to pick them and most of U19s will probably just roll forward to U20s.

Re guys selected from WA and ACT does anyone know if they are getting exposed to any good standard rugby - what level are these boys are playing at and is it any good.

 

[Lee Grant]

Pardon my ignorance but which individuals chosen are not in any academy, amateur or pro, nor were in NTS in their school days?

 

[feedhimbra]

Luke Beauchamp from Brothers, no special treatment has done it the old fashioned hard way. Good on him.

 

[waves]

Forwards

Dominic Barrow (Prince Henry’s Grammar & Leeds Carnegie)
Joe Buckle (Bryanston & Bath Rugby)
Jack Clifford (RGS Guildford & Harlequins)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Truro College & Exeter Rugby)
Matt Hankin (Haileybury College & Saracens)
George Sandford (St Paul’s Catholic College & London Irish)
Danny Herriott (Moulton College & Northampton Saints)
Tom Jubb (Oaklands College & Saracens)
Max Crumpton (Oaklands College & Saracens)
Tom Price (Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth 1st & Leicester Tigers)
Kyle Sinckler (Epsom College & Harlequins)
David Sisi (St Paul’s Catholic College & London Irish)
Tom Smallbone (Harrow & London Irish)
Scott Spurling (Harrow & Saracens)

Backs

Jack Arnott (Ivybridge College & Exeter Chiefs)
Alex Day (St Joseph’s College & Northampton Saints)
Sam Hill (Ivybridge College & Exeter Chiefs)
Will Robinson (Twyford College & London Wasps)
Mark Jennings (Myerscough College & Sale Sharks)
Sam Jones (Ivybridge College & Exeter Chiefs)
James Lightfoot-Brown (St Paul’s Catholic College & London Irish)
Jack Nowell (Truro College & Exeter Chiefs)
Henry Slade (Plymouth College & Exeter Chiefs)
Tom Stephenson (Moulton College & Northampton Saints)
Anthony Watson (St George’s College & London Irish)
Marcus Webber (Manchester Grammar & Leeds Carnegie)

 

[Cat_A]

Pardon my ignorance but which individuals chosen are not in any academy, amateur or pro, nor were in NTS in their school days?

I can only speak for Sam Reiser & Con Foley. [Foley's been called in due to an injury to one of the centres):
Neither of them would be considered superstar schoolboys and from what I understand, they've had no prior NTS or academy experience. Reiser is a 198+cm 98kg former schoolboy centre turned 2nd rower (the + are because he's 17 and still growing, but he
hasn't checked since a few months ago).

Con Foley was called up from Colts to sit on the Prems bench a couple of times last year as a 17-18 yo and has now cemented a starting place in the Prems side alongside the likes of Davies, Morahan, Lance et al. He's an exceptional talent who has really only come into his own since leaving school (like so many others!). Specialises in running the right lines at the right time at the right place a nd getting to where he needs to be. Solid defender, as you would expect from a 18-19yo playing Premier rugby. He's now involved with the 7s programme.

Both come from humble backgrounds and have no fanfare surrounding them- really good kids with impeccable manners!

 

[country rugby]

Any news on how the training sessions have been going?

 

[Doc]

Reiser has definitely not come through the NTS or any Academy. That said he was an Aus Schoolboy ahead of a number of NTS players by the end of school and obviously very few forwards go straight into academies as colts. QLD had 1 this year in Big Red. He has had offers, for the past two years but is yet to move on any (that I'm aware of).

 

[country rugby]

Can anybody who attends the game today put up a brief game report. Many are interested as to how these young men, who have been thrown together at short notice, have been able to perform.

 

[Lee Grant]

Will do so after dinner.

England Schools 19 Oz U/19 8.

England superior in England type things and had better rugby brains than the Aussies who were a year older, on average. It was a good effort by the young Poms but this is probably their dirt-tracker team; so Oz Schools will have their work cut out. To be honest it wasn't the best England Schools team I have seen but they were too well drilled for our U/19 lads.

More later.

 

[Tireless Backrower]

Will do so after dinner.

England Schools 19 Oz U/19 8.

England superior in England type things and had better rugby brains than the Aussies who were a year older, on average. It was a good effort by the young Poms but this is probably their dirt-tracker team; so Oz Schools will have their work cut out. To be honest it wasn't the best England Schools team I have seen but they were too well drilled for our U/19 lads.

More later.

I would think their scrum would be a big issue for the Schools teams based on what I saw.

 

[grievous]

I would think their scrum would be a big issue for the Schools teams based on what I saw.

we just cant seem to compete at this level anymore

 

[Lee Grant]

England 19 Oz 8

Some more thoughts on the game.

• The young Poms were well drilled and looked a couple of years ahead of the Aussies in coaching though they were a year younger and lost nothing in physicality. Unfortunately two of their lads were badly hurt and had to be assisted off.

• The Oz players were badly disciplined and suffered in points, possession and territory when they were penalised – often in favourable positions. The Poms were always challenging the offside line at the rucks and adjusted when they had to. The Aussies tended to stand around to wait, see and react.

• As a rugby lover it was good to see the level to which U/18 lads can be coached. Unfortunately they were wearing black jerseys. [Yes, the same as the England RWC away strip.]

• The Aussie strength was when the ball was whipped out wide or otherwise when the outside backs got the pill but poor handling, supports running in front of the ball carrier and wingers repeatedly stepping outside touch, after their mates crabbed across the park, put paid to a lot of promising moves. The forwards were also guilty of clumsiness near the England goal line.

• Oz was free-kicked and penalised repeatedly in the scrums although they did well at the beginning of the game. It was a windy day but Oz had more not straight throws than England and it would have been better to throw shorter. Also, the Pom lineout jumpers were routinely lifted higher than the Oz boys when either side was defending.

• It was only one try each but England kicked 4 penalty kicks to 1 taking advantage of Oz indiscipline. Oz left 6 and possibly 9 points on the park by eschewing penalty kicks at goal to go for the try. All that makes it seem a close run thing, but you had to be there.

• Oz got a yellow card early in the 2nd half for repeated infringments, but when Oz went down to the Pom goal line after that the Poms infringed cynically against an Oz maul. There could have been a card against the Poms as the Oz maul was almost running forward for the goal line. But they were rewarded by their earlier better discipline. Oz went for another 5M lineout but the ball squirted out and the better coached Poms pounced on the pill.

• The Poms forwards were like NZ Schools at the breakdown always trying to get “their” ball back. They dominated the ruck and unlike the Aussies didn't stop at the ball, but drove past.

• When I say the Poms were better coached, I don't mean in the last two weeks or so. It was obvious that they had a backlog of fine coaching in their young lives. Just like their seniors, the Pom juniors controlled the game as though they were born to it.

• It wasn't all gloom and doom for Oz: they defended well and they had some good players and good moments. But one always felt that something promising would break down, and apart from their first try early in the game in a goal line siege, it did. With the coaching that the young England players had obviously had they would have done a lot better.

 

[Stands]

Thanks Lee, do you know who the coach for Aust was?

 

[PTB]

A Eddy

 

[waves]

Great Lee, do you have thoughts on players who went well and didn't.