Rebels rookie in Aus U20 squad
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Australian Under-20 Coach Adrian Thomson has selected an extended squad of 29 players for the upcoming Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions (FORU) U20 Championship.
Melbourne Rebels rookie Jonah Placid and New South Wales(NSW) Waratah Andrew Kellaway return for their second campaign, while Australian Men’s Sevens player Brad Wilkin is also among the professional players to feature in Thomson’s squad.
The squad includes 12 players from the NSW U20 side that won the National U20 Championship in March, as well as 10 players from Queensland, three players from Victoria with two each from Western Australia and the ACT.
The Australian U20 will take on New Zealand, Japan and Samoa in a preparation tournament before the Junior World Championship in June. The FORU U20 Championship will kick off at Bond University on the Gold Coast on Friday 1 May.
Australian U20 Head Coach, Adrian Thompson said although the squad was not finalised, each player will have an opportunity to impress, both on and off the field.
“This is great opportunity for players to come together and press their claims with a series of training sessions and workshops before the tournament begins.
“The Australian U20 program is an extremely important stage in the development of our future stars through the Pathway to Gold program, this is why we have taken a squad approach initially.
“To the players who unfortunately missed out on making the squad we will still be keeping a close eye on their form throughout their academies and club Rugby commitments.
Some recent Australian U20 players who have represented the Wallabies including Rebels flank Sean McMahon, Michael Hooper, Quade Cooper, Matt Toomua and Jake Schatz.
2014 Australian U20 representative and Queensland U20 wing, Conrad Quick was not considered for selection for the FORU U20 Championship due to injury.
2015 Australian U20 Extended Squad: Cameron Orr, Folau Faingaa, Matthew Sandell, Ned Hanigan, Harrison Williams, Olly Kamp, Andrew Deegan, Andrew Kellaway, Alex Newsome, Lukhan Lealaiauloco, Harry Jones, Henry Hutchinson, Aaron Pleash, Adam Korczyk, Lolo Fakaosilea, Michael Gunn, Duncan Paia’aua, James Dalgleish, James Tuttle, Campbell Magnay, Harry Nucifora, Brad Wilkin, Connal McInerney, Tyrell Lomax, Riley Winter, Hayden Anderson, Fereti Saaga, Sione Tuipolotu, Jonah Placid.
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