U18 Academy Games and Australia U18s

[Mule]

whats the go with no jaques, brial, poyton, le maitire etc.

Did they just not pick the best players ?. Surley they are not all injured

Any Intel on who is injured after the trial games this week??

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

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?

10 season, 4-5 trials, 2-3 holiday games then a lot end up in at least one of the 4 rep sides for another 2 games.

For the ones that go further they’ll get another 4-5 games of state v state usually 2 then Aus games 2-3.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

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.)

Like the idea of an older age. It lets the tight forwards develop.

Problem is the fact it would showcase kids to international club comps and while we aren’t open slather on wallaby selection it could be a disaster.

 

[farrellybros]

whats the go with no jaques, brial, poyton, le maitire etc.

Did they just not pick the best players ?. Surley they are not all injured

Jaques & Brial injured. Le Maître is quality but probably had a lesser showing on that day and I think size will continue to be an issue there plus if the likes of Walsh, Jaques etc were there then maybe game plan changes and he’s an option. Not sure what the story is with Poynton - I would have thought his versatility was attractive

 

[Mule]

Or the mothballed PONI* players didn’t play enough rugby GAMES and came up short? Thought they’d be an auto pick and didn’t prepare/play well enough this week?

13 of those in PONI* all year and didn’t make the cut!

*https://www.rugby.com.au/news/preli...n-u18s-build-towards-new-zealand-tour-2024328

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Jaques & Brial injured. Le Maître is quality but probably had a lesser showing on that day and I think size will continue to be an issue there plus if the likes of Walsh, Jaques etc were there then maybe game plan changes and he’s an option. Not sure what the story is with Poynton - I would have thought his versatility was attractive

Someone should get in Le Maîtres’ ear and make him a 9.

He’s tough as nail with a great running game. Size may be an issue as he progresses to against men at 7 but I could see him being a Halfback easily. Was great in open play all year for Shore.

 

[Raytah]

Schools just won 12-7 Australia was abysmal. The academies need to have a good hard look at themselves especially the reds because the majority were embarrassing. Howard was good, Grenfell that would be it from the Reds. Again NSW will have the majority.

Watch the first game. The Aus U18s team (which had most of the lads picked for NZ today) were dominant. Not perfect, but looked pretty good to me.

 

[Raytah]

First of all. Well done to Aus Schools. Great effort to get an underdog win and play with a chip on your shoulder.

It's somewhat good to read the names most thought would be good performers, perform at least. Grover, Fonua Makasini...

Lemoto is a handful every time I saw him play this year. Seems simplistic he was shoved at 12 for a couple of games for Scots when he's clearly an effective 8. Can't see league letting this guy go. He's the prototype metre eater for them.

@Raytah could the other Prop have been Goddard? Didn't see the game but I rate him highly as a prospect.

Mot Goddard, although liked the look of his scrummaging last year and saw he has been named for NSW 19s. Think it was Uys, who has ended up in the 26 for NZ.

 

[moa999]

So is this also a case of the poor misalignment of the two systems for LM and other PONI members.

Viewed as too good for the Schoolboys pathway so they miss out on the Fiji tour that's just commenced, as well as a bunch of trial games, but also fail at the final hurdle for U18 selection and miss the NZ tour.

Who are the 13? @Mule

 

[Mule]

So is this also a case of the poor misalignment of the two systems for LM and other PONI members.

Viewed as too good for the Schoolboys pathway so they miss out on the Fiji tour that's just commenced, as well as a bunch of trial games, but also fail at the final hurdle for U18 selection and miss the NZ tour.

Who are the 13? @Mule

Bennett Armistead (Reds)
Bailey Bouquaiux (Brumbies)
Dylan Bretton (Brumbies)
Toby Brial (Waratahs)
Tom Hartman (Waratahs)
Talia'uli Latukefu (Brumbies)
Marshall Le Maitre (Waratahs)
Lehopo Leota (Reds)
Jay McKenzie (Waratahs)
Charlie Poynton (Waratahs)
Treyvon Pritchard (Reds)
Manaia Tetana (Force)
Joe Walsh (Waratahs)

injured, overlooked or league….

 

[Steve_Grey]

That is a pretty unfair comment on what the clubs do and their respective Colts coaches or Directors of Rugby. If you did not have the clubs or those employees then you don't have somewhere for those school graduates to play. The clubs provide the structure and coaches for training up to three times per week. They support those players with S&C and medical throughout the whole year. They do this without any funding support from Rugby Australia. We need a better pathway for the elite players but if they don't play for their club they aren't playing in any other competition.
The pathways have been poorly coached and I must say poorly identified for a long time. How can you have the third rate Australian Schools team beating the supposedly Australian U18's team. It is a joke and the people in those positions who have done the selections need to have a big hard look at themselves and what they are actually doing at the selection table.

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 our players go?? Would the 'PONI's simply be holding tackle bags and pumping iron in their respective Super Rugby Gyms?

I reiterate that IMO we would be better served by having academies attached to Clubs rather than Super Franchises (except those who the Super Rugby want to sign with $$$ Elite Contracts).

 

[Brian O’Driscoll]

whats the go with no jaques, brial, poyton, le maitire etc.

Did they just not pick the best players ?. Surley they are not all injured

The selectors clearly have no clue. Poynton will be a superstar in whatever code he plays. Finn Mackay kicked the ball dead twice and failed to find touch on three occasions from penalties how does he get picked? Conway went missing but he is there. They got picked purely because they are signed on multi year academy deals. Are they the best in their positions absolutely not but because they are signed and the ARU is run by the old boys network they are walk up starts.

 

[Brian O’Driscoll]

Watch the first game. The Aus U18s team (which had most of the lads picked for NZ today) were dominant. Not perfect, but looked pretty good to me.

I did watch the first game and besides 2-3 players that stood out they were terrible

 

[Bulldogsforlife]

Watch the first game. The Aus U18s team (which had most of the lads picked for NZ today) were dominant. Not perfect, but looked pretty good to me.

Thanks finally. So much talk about Aus schools beating Aus 18s second team. The Aus 18s 1st team beat them 40 odd to 5. In 40 minutes.

 

[CAS_Rugby]

The best

I did watch the first game and besides 2-3 players that stood out they were terrible

They only pick players that go to GPS schools, or they are related to, or that go to Barker. No one else can get a look in. No wonder the whole thing is collapsing.

 

[Brian O’Driscoll]

The best

They only pick players that go to GPS schools, or they are related to, or that go to Barker. No one else can get a look in. No wonder the whole thing is collapsing.

That’s incorrect. There are boys that are in the squad that don’t/didn’t go to GPS schools.

 

[Raytah]

That’s incorrect. There are boys that are in the squad that don’t/didn’t go to GPS schools.

There's 8 or so from GPS schools and most of them were rugby scholarship players and objectively pretty handy.

 

[Raytah]

So, seeing squad named today would expect the XV vs NZ to look like:

Uys
Grenfell
Hill / Langi
Ross / Thompson
Fonua
Langi / Cleverly
Robinson
Lemoto / Talialeva
Grover / Blank
Fowler / Mackay
Conway
Takai / Fittler
Goldsborough
Makasini
Bassingthwaite

 

[Rudderless]

Originally posted by Runningrugbyrules elsewhere.

This will be the first year since 2019 the Australia Under 18 team has competed in New Zealand, with seven teams competing across three days, including Australia Under 18, Samoa Under 18, New Zealand Heartland Under 20, Chiefs Under 18 and the three New Zealand teams.

NZ Schools, NZ Māori U18 Ngā Whatukura and NZ Barbarians U18 teams named

www.nzrugby.co.nz

 

[Brian O’Driscoll]

Originally posted by Runningrugbyrules elsewhere.

View attachment 20579



This will be the first year since 2019 the Australia Under 18 team has competed in New Zealand, with seven teams competing across three days, including Australia Under 18, Samoa Under 18, New Zealand Heartland Under 20, Chiefs Under 18 and the three New Zealand teams.

NZ Schools, NZ Māori U18 Ngā Whatukura and NZ Barbarians U18 teams named

www.nzrugby.co.nz

Will these be telecast anywhere?