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Australia targets Global Youth Sevens glory with strong U18 teams
By Finn Morton
An Australian Under 18s girls’ side is looking to defend its title at the Global Youth Sevens, which will be held in Auckland later this week. Rugby Australia has announced the list of players who will represent the nation at the prestigious event, which gets underway on Friday morning.
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Both the girls’ team and an Under 18s boys’ side will begin their quest for championship glory with two pool matches on the opening day, followed by another match before a potential quarter-final on Saturday. Semi-Finals and the respective Grand Finals will be held on Sunday.
The world’s best-emerging rugby sevens talent will be put to the test in Auckland across the three-day event, with each player setting their sights on the same title goal. This is a golden opportunity for HSBC SVNS Series hopefuls to put their hand up for higher honours.
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SVNS Series superstars Maddison Levi and Isabella Nasser both played at the Global Youth Sevens during their development. Levi is the reigning World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year and started the new season with a 15-try haul in Dubai, while Nasser is Australia’s new captain.
Both women contributed on the scoreboard as Australia got the better of arch-rivals New Zealand 28-24 to start the new SVNS Series campaign. Levi scored with about two minutes to play in that Cup Final, and that proved to be the match-winning score at The Sevens Stadium.
In Australia’s Men’s team, Aden Ekanyake and Sidney Harvey also came through the program, with the pair both debuting on the international sevens circuit in Dubai before playing at last weekend’s stop at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium.
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There are seven players from New South Wales in the U18 girls’ side, five Queenslanders, and the ACT’s Elise Simpson is the only player selected from another state or territory. Rhani Hagan will captain the side, while Damita Betham and Amelia Whitaker will also play key roles.
Seven Queenslanders, five New South Welshmen, and once again, just one representative from the ACT have been selected for the boys’ team. This team will take on the BC Bears, NZ Fijians, and Eden in a bid to remain in the title race.
“We are very excited to be sending two high-quality teams to the Global Youth Sevens in 2024,” National Talent Pathway Manager, Lachlan Parkinson, said in a statement.
“The selections for these teams were challenging with so much talent across the country to choose from but we believe both teams are capable of competing for the title in New Zealand.
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“The girls’ team includes a number of players who have played in the Australia A team recently in Dubai including captain Rhani Hagan, Damita Betham and Amelia Whitaker.
“The boys also boast some players from the victorious Australian U18 team that beat New Zealand earlier this year in Angus Grover and Tom Howard.”
AUSTRALIA U18 GIRLS
Damita Betham – NSW
Tahlia O’Brien – NSW
Rhani Hagan – Queensland
Waiaria Ellis – NSW
Talea Tonga – NSW
Fa’agase Tupuola-Palale – Queensland
Amelia Whitaker – NSW
Coco Masters – NSW
Elise Simpson – ACT
Madison Pomerenke – Queensland
Pyper Marchant – NSW
Kaeyln Passi – Queensland
Tekainga Enkera-Raveora – Queensland
AUSTRALIA U18 BOYS
Dylan Bretton – ACT
Tom Howard – Queensland
Declan Minto – NSW
Angus Grover – NSW
Myles Rosemond – Queensland
Wallace Charlie – Queensland
Jacob Johnson – Queensland
Jarvis Orr – NSW
Cooper Watters – NSW
Angus Tagicakibau – Queensland
Charlie Bird – Queensland
Tom Hartman – NSW
Bailey Roberts-Lintmeijer – NSW
Jackson Hill – Queensland
GLOBAL YOUTH 7s SCHEDULE
U18 Girls
Australia v BC Bears (Friday, 7:20am AEDT)
Australia v Rugby Vault (Friday, 10:40am AEDT)
Australia v New Zealand Barbarians (Saturday, 6:50am AEDT)
U18 Boys
Australia v BC Bears (Friday, 9:20am AEDT)
Australia v NZ Fijians (Friday, 2:00pm AEDT)
Australia v Eden (Saturday, 8:50am AEDT)
