Not sure where to put this but here it goes.
From Sunday, 9 October to Sunday, 13 November, the most promising young male Rugby players in the country will represent their Super Rugby Pacific clubs and go head-to-head in the National U16 and U19 Rugby Championships.
Until 2019, this competition was only run over one week - to develop the professional experiences of players it now follows a five-week doubleheader format that helps clubs build more deeply engrained cultures right throughout their junior development pathways.
This championship is an imperative part of the Australian pathway programs as it opens avenues for the best young stars across the country to make as strong a case as possible for advancement towards full-time professional Super Rugby Pacific squads.
Nathan Grey, the High-Performance National Programs Coach, will select a preliminary 2023 Junior Wallabies squad from the U19s championship and an U16s select team. He says this championship will showcase some of the brightest young talents in the country.
"With COVID-19 restricting a lot of the development opportunities for young players, this five-week period will be the perfect chance to identify talent, and see how they handle the travel and preparatory demands of high-performance sport."
"These are our future Super Rugby Pacific players and possibly Wallabies – it is a really exciting opportunity for Rugby Australia to highlight the pathways for these kids and keep them engaged in their Rugby journey."
Every match of the National U16 and U19 Rugby Championships will be broadcast on Stan Sport – ensuring fans will have every opportunity to see the exciting skill on display.
Competition Schedule
*Each round is scheduled to be a U16 and U19 double header, with the final to be played on 13 November at a venue that is yet to be confirmed.
Round 1
9th October – Brumbies V Force, Viking Park – U16 11:00am, U19 12:30pm
9th October – Reds V Waratahs, Sunnybank RC – U16 1:00pm, U19 2:30pm
Rebels V BYE
Round 2
12th October – Rebels V Force, Powerhouse Junior Rugby Club – U16 12:00pm, U19 1:30pm
16th October – Waratahs V Brumbies, Waratahs HQ, Daceyville – U16 12:30pm, U19 2:00pm
Reds V BYE
Round 3
23rd October – Waratahs V Rebels, Waratahs HQ, Daceyville – U16 1:00pm, U19 2:15pm
23rd October – Brumbies V Reds, Viking Park – U16 2:30pm, U19 4:00pm
Force V BYE
Round 4
30th October – Force V Reds, Southern Lions RC – U16 10:30am, U19 12:00pm
30th October – Rebels V Brumbies, Powerhouse Junior Rugby Club – U16 12:00pm, U19 1:30pm
Waratahs V BYE
Round 5
6th November – Force V Waratahs, Wanneroo RC – U16 9:30am, U19 11:00am
6th November – Reds V Rebels, Sunnybank RC – U16 11:45am, U19 1:15pm
Brumbies V BYE
Grand Final
13th November – 1st Place V 2nd Place, Venue TBC – U16 TBC, U19 TBC
Notable Player Mentions:
A number of legacy and currently contracted Super Rugby Pacific players have been named in the squads as follows:
Hugo Welborn (U19 Western Force) - Son of Wallaby John Welborn
Willem Johnston (U19 QLD Reds) - Son of Wallaby Brett Johnston
Tom Robinson (U16 QLD Reds) - Son of Wallaby Brett Robinson
Tom Howard (U16 QLD Reds) - Son of Wallaby Pat Howard
Jack Bowen (U19 NSW Waratahs) - Contracted to Waratahs and son of Wallaby Scott Bowen
Teddy Wilson (U19 NSW Waratahs) - Contracted to Waratahs and son of Wallaby Dave Wilson
Henry O'Donnell (U19 NSW Waratahs) - Contracted to Waratahs
Ben Kafer (U19 ACT Brumbies) - Son of Wallaby Rod Kafer
Mason Gordon (U19 Melbourne Rebels) - Contracted to Rebels
Divad Palu (U19 Melbourne Rebels) - Contracted to Rebels
David Vaihu (U19 Melbourne Rebels) - Contracted to Rebels
From Sunday, 9 October to Sunday, 13 November, the most promising young male Rugby players in the country will represent their Super Rugby Pacific clubs and go head-to-head in the National U16 and U19 Rugby Championships.
Until 2019, this competition was only run over one week - to develop the professional experiences of players it now follows a five-week doubleheader format that helps clubs build more deeply engrained cultures right throughout their junior development pathways.
This championship is an imperative part of the Australian pathway programs as it opens avenues for the best young stars across the country to make as strong a case as possible for advancement towards full-time professional Super Rugby Pacific squads.
Nathan Grey, the High-Performance National Programs Coach, will select a preliminary 2023 Junior Wallabies squad from the U19s championship and an U16s select team. He says this championship will showcase some of the brightest young talents in the country.
"With COVID-19 restricting a lot of the development opportunities for young players, this five-week period will be the perfect chance to identify talent, and see how they handle the travel and preparatory demands of high-performance sport."
"These are our future Super Rugby Pacific players and possibly Wallabies – it is a really exciting opportunity for Rugby Australia to highlight the pathways for these kids and keep them engaged in their Rugby journey."
Every match of the National U16 and U19 Rugby Championships will be broadcast on Stan Sport – ensuring fans will have every opportunity to see the exciting skill on display.
Competition Schedule
*Each round is scheduled to be a U16 and U19 double header, with the final to be played on 13 November at a venue that is yet to be confirmed.
Round 1
9th October – Brumbies V Force, Viking Park – U16 11:00am, U19 12:30pm
9th October – Reds V Waratahs, Sunnybank RC – U16 1:00pm, U19 2:30pm
Rebels V BYE
Round 2
12th October – Rebels V Force, Powerhouse Junior Rugby Club – U16 12:00pm, U19 1:30pm
16th October – Waratahs V Brumbies, Waratahs HQ, Daceyville – U16 12:30pm, U19 2:00pm
Reds V BYE
Round 3
23rd October – Waratahs V Rebels, Waratahs HQ, Daceyville – U16 1:00pm, U19 2:15pm
23rd October – Brumbies V Reds, Viking Park – U16 2:30pm, U19 4:00pm
Force V BYE
Round 4
30th October – Force V Reds, Southern Lions RC – U16 10:30am, U19 12:00pm
30th October – Rebels V Brumbies, Powerhouse Junior Rugby Club – U16 12:00pm, U19 1:30pm
Waratahs V BYE
Round 5
6th November – Force V Waratahs, Wanneroo RC – U16 9:30am, U19 11:00am
6th November – Reds V Rebels, Sunnybank RC – U16 11:45am, U19 1:15pm
Brumbies V BYE
Grand Final
13th November – 1st Place V 2nd Place, Venue TBC – U16 TBC, U19 TBC
Notable Player Mentions:
A number of legacy and currently contracted Super Rugby Pacific players have been named in the squads as follows:
Hugo Welborn (U19 Western Force) - Son of Wallaby John Welborn
Willem Johnston (U19 QLD Reds) - Son of Wallaby Brett Johnston
Tom Robinson (U16 QLD Reds) - Son of Wallaby Brett Robinson
Tom Howard (U16 QLD Reds) - Son of Wallaby Pat Howard
Jack Bowen (U19 NSW Waratahs) - Contracted to Waratahs and son of Wallaby Scott Bowen
Teddy Wilson (U19 NSW Waratahs) - Contracted to Waratahs and son of Wallaby Dave Wilson
Henry O'Donnell (U19 NSW Waratahs) - Contracted to Waratahs
Ben Kafer (U19 ACT Brumbies) - Son of Wallaby Rod Kafer
Mason Gordon (U19 Melbourne Rebels) - Contracted to Rebels
Divad Palu (U19 Melbourne Rebels) - Contracted to Rebels
David Vaihu (U19 Melbourne Rebels) - Contracted to Rebels
