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Australia cap off golden year in youth boys rugby with world title

Australia U18 boys celebrate winning the 2024 Global Youth 7s at Dilworth School, Auckland.

It’s been a wonderful year for Australian age group rugby with the Australian Schools winning the fifteens test match against New Zealand scoring a record number of points.

Now Australia has extended their winning form to sevens by capturing the Global Youth Sevens title in commanding fashion.

Australia outscored seven opponents 316-43 toppling BC Bears 56-0, New Zealand Fijians 33-7, Eden 42-10, Egg Chasers 78-0, Australia Raptors 54-7, New Zealand 22-12 and New Edition 31-7.

Australia hit the ground running on Day 3 destroying fellow countryman Australian Raptors 54-7 in the quarter final. Tellingly there were eight different try scorers, Wallace Charlie, Cooper Watters, Declan Minto, Charlie Bird, Tom Howard, Angus Grover, Tom Hartman, and Jarvis Orr.

New Zealand asked the early questions in the semi-final but when they surrendered possession were caught napping when Charlie Wallace gathered a shrewd kick.

With a try and an assist, Kele Lasaqa ensured New Zealand wasn’t upstaged by a Maori side in the quarter-finals. In the 15s season, a Maori U18 side stunned New Zealand Schools 22-15 in Hamilton.

Lasaqa was doing his best to beat Australia on his own too by scoring a 60m try to cut the deficit to 7-5.

However, the game turned when Lasaqa from Tauranga Boys Condor Sevens winning team was yellow carded by the pedantic deliberate knockdown rule.

Angus Grover caught New Zealand backpedaling from a quick tap and then Australia scored again while New Zealand was undermanned, enough in a tight contest where Hartman and Nathan were outstanding.

New Zealand had scored 28 tries and only conceded six before the semi. They whitewashed the Roache Academy 48-0 and Samoa Sports Club 40-0 while also accounting for Saracens 22-15, RSA Barbarians 40-12 and Aotearoa Maori 12-5

New Edition posed a significant threat to Australia in the final. They beat the Australian Raptors 22-17, MacDowell Rugby 46-0, Waitaha Canterbury 64-0, Tongan Barbarians 31-15, New Zealand Wasps 21-19 and New Zealand Cavaliers 28-10 to earn their shot at the title.

Micah Fale, Siale Pahulu, Saumaki Saumaki, Mason Verster, Ollie Guerin, Peni Havea and Thompson Tukapua (injured) were New Zealand Secondary Schools players from the past two years in their roster.

Both sides jabbed early with scrambling defense keeping scores level. Two minutes before halftime Waters made a heroic 40m bust from his own-line. Soon Australia won a penalty at halfway and Wallace Charlie manipulated three defenders and set up Tom Howard. New Edition fumbled the restart and Tom Hartman pounced right away to make it 12-0 at the break.

When Charlie stood up the New Edition defense David Campese-style any chance of defeat was averted. Bird applied the icing with tries on each wing.

Boys’ Cup Quarter Finals

New Zealand: 12 v Aotearoa: 5

Australia: 54 v Australia Raptors: 7

New Zealand Cavaliers: 21 v New Zealand Wasps: 19

New Edition: 38 v Auckland Bucks: 7

Cup Semi Finals

New Zealand: 12 v Australia: 22

New Edition: 28 v New Zealand Cavaliers: 10

Cup Final

Australia 31 v New Edition: 7

Men’s Tournament Team

Reimana Saunderson-Rurawhe (New Zealand)
Kele Lasaqa (New Zealand)
Zebby Uini-Faiva (New Zealand Cavaliers)
Jack Riley (New Edition)
Mason Verster (New Edition)
Charlie Bird (Australia)
Tom Howard (Australia)
Wallace Charlie (Australia) – MVP

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Comments

1 Comment
A
Ardy 1 hr ago

Why no team list? Be interesting to see if any of them continue into senior rugby.

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JW 3 hours ago
'Razor's conservatism is in danger of halting New Zealand's progress'

Haha yeah I know, sorry I just cbf doing anything other than sprouting the garbage that comes in. You either follow the train of thought or don't most the time, that's why I like you, happy to not take it serious like, and reply regardless.

Haha more imaginary rational. You mean in 2018 and 19 he used 36 new players?

more = you're following in Saders footsteps (here I go again assuming you know what I'll mean haha)

imaginary = fictitious world cups (no WC in 2018)

by "months before" you mean 2018/19? = because you wrote 2018 i'm assuming that's because your brain was thinking about that year when he used most of those 36 players

36 new players = because it's absolutely impossible to use 36 new players in the handful of games you get, or "months", before a WC

Doesn't really sound like good coaching and reinforces other theories. Wouldn't spread that.

Doesn't really sound like good coaching = that is waay to many players no matter what way you spin it, or what period. Where did you even get the data for that from?

reinforces other theories = no need to go into them here but it definitely suggests a case of being lucky to win despite the fact (if true) imo

Wouldn't spread that = cheekyness about above point


So yeah, you can see why I don't try to elaberate my posts so everyone can understand and sadly theyre too succinct for some with a slightly different lingo or thought.

and two years of >85% win ratio on the trot - I’d love to see how he’d have down with better coaching.

the none TLDR version reply..

two years = but weren't you following the similar line of this article that Razor needs to open it up? Why would you think that when you're suggesting he's got another 3 or 4 years before he reaches that point in tenure when he should also be trying to hit the 85 mark?

>85% win ratio on the trot = WC years are short and provide easy opposition, you don't normally include them. 22 would be more relevant, and this year you had both other top teams at home, so you'd think that 85 number is overs, or 'above' average based on circumstances (85 is a really fabulous number however so going back to 80 would also still be great)

love to see how he’d have done with better coaching. = well it's exactly the opposite of above isn't it, it's operating at well over 70 for 4 (excl covid) of those 7 years instead of his 60%, before hitting the 80s mark.


You might also ask well how could that be possible when he's done so bloody well just to do what he's done? Well I'm not going to take him (or SA) down a beg or two, instead I'll give you the hint (because I'm over thinking how to type long versions of replys), the answer is in this article!


Can you think of any specific players that became instrumental to the team from those 36 new players? One's plucked out of nowhere so to speak? I know for the first two years after covid he switched up you're team and tactics after each game against NZ (for the second), I think winning both 1st games and losing both rematch's? You don't think he should ever have done that differently, not been so happy to give up a victory against the ABs?

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