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Under-20 Competitions including Oceania & World U20s

The Ghost of Raelene

Simon Poidevin (60)
Amazing so many are signed with super sides. Would be a few good club players scratching their heads
Won’t be with them for long I don’t imagine.

0-5 5yr + professionals in this team.

Forwards can’t get/hold the ball. When they do our 10 runs diagonally slowly to a slower 12. NZ boys just eating it up as if they are having an opposed training session.

Rae Rae
 

Brumby Runner

Jason Little (69)
Won’t be with them for long I don’t imagine.

0-5 5yr + professionals in this team.

Forwards can’t get/hold the ball. When they do our 10 runs diagonally slowly to a slower 12. NZ boys just eating it up as if they are having an opposed training session.

Rae Rae
Selectors and coaches deserve some of the criticism. A lot of small bodied players seem to be favoured in Australia. Just can't handle the power of the top teams. Particularly looking at Gordon and Grealey in this game, but same comment applies at Super Rugby, Aus A and Wallabies.
 

The Ghost of Raelene

Simon Poidevin (60)
Selectors and coaches deserve some of the criticism. A lot of small bodied players seem to be favoured in Australia. Just can't handle the power of the top teams. Particularly looking at Gordon and Grealey in this game, but same comment applies at Super Rugby, Aus A and Wallabies.
I agree with that. Coaches/selectors deserve as much criticism as the players in my opinion. Did we arrange a warm up game? NZ and Argentina managed to..

They look much slower and directionless than their opponents who are clearly a very good team.

Rae Rae
 

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
Selectors and coaches deserve some of the criticism. A lot of small bodied players seem to be favoured in Australia. Just can't handle the power of the top teams. Particularly looking at Gordon and Grealey in this game, but same comment applies at Super Rugby, Aus A and Wallabies.
that's interesting. That's interesting because the reverse has been the criticism of jnr coaches for some time. The old "Damian McKenzie wouldn't have been picked in Australia Jnr Pathways" like that was often bandied about. I agree that there is too much small here. But perhaps there wasn't alternatives? What big guys would you have picked?
 

Pfitzy

Nathan Sharpe (72)
This is a handy NZ U20 side. They look fitter and better prepared than us based on the evidence of this game, and from the 20 minutes I bothered to watch, our scrum was the only plus.

The Aussie U20 side is about what you'd expect, given the way our pathways are set up. Yes we get some great teams come through when the talent appears at the right time (like the Wallabies) but generally the system is the system, and this is what it will continue to produce. That is players, coaches, and support staff. Unless everything from schools up is addressed, this will continue to be the pattern.
 

Brumby Runner

Jason Little (69)
I am not familiar with schoolboys rugby or age groups Reg so I can't offer anyone. But I'll be damned that I would believe the average sized player in this country is substantially smaller than counterparts from elsewhere. Small and pretty doesn't cut it against tough opponents.

Maybe as others here often complain the problem is one of selection primarily from private schools and a closer look needs to be taken of club players. What say you?
 

Dan54

David Wilson (68)
I had to stop watching in end, christ that was terrible camera work, missed a lot of what seemed to be happening, and found the picture not very smooth. NZ boys looked to have it pretty well done when it was 40-o when I went to another program and 60od to nil when I had another peek. I thought our boys had the Aus kids spooked at lineouts, and perhaps the backs also looked a class above.
 

The Ghost of Raelene

Simon Poidevin (60)
I am not familiar with schoolboys rugby or age groups Reg so I can't offer anyone. But I'll be damned that I would believe the average sized player in this country is substantially smaller than counterparts from elsewhere. Small and pretty doesn't cut it against tough opponents.

Maybe as others here often complain the problem is one of selection primarily from private schools and a closer look needs to be taken of club players. What say you?
I don’t really agree that there is better talent being missed/overlooked in favour of the private schools. A lot of them demand selection in rep teams when GPS schools especially in NSW dominate the rep games against other associations. It’s Rugby Australia’s problem to sell the sport and get other groups involved. Without the private schools imagine where we would be.

Most of these boys should be playing club by this stage.

Rae Rae
 

Confucius Say

Colin Windon (37)
Would like to see an inventory of how much actual rugby (game time minutes) has been played this year before this tournament by:

Mac Grealy
Kalani Thomas
Floyd Aubrey
Lopeti Faifua
Mason Gordon

How can they be expected to perform at this level when they would be lucky to have played 15-20 game between them?
 
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The Nomad

Bob Davidson (42)
They are chosen from within Academies, not one player without at least an academy contract. Last year’s squad had two players that weren’t signed. They don’t seem to look beyond what has been chosen for them.

Does anyone else even get a look? We unfortunately have placed too low a priority on this pathway. Know it’s primarily a money thing and top down driven as a result, but without development how are the Wallabies looking in another 4-5 years?
 
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