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The Future of Rugby: Australia U23

(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

After examining the future of what Scottish rugby may look like, we now move on to Australia in our series on U23 rugby in the top eight nations in the world.

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There have been noticeable improvements in two areas of Australian rugby in recent years and that has been in the depth and competition the nation is producing in the front row, as well as the improvements made across the board at the U20 level last season. Both of those features show up heavily in our XV below.

For the purposes of this selection, only players aged 23 years of age or below on May 1st 2020 were considered eligible, yet there were still plenty of tough calls to make, most noticeably in the back row and among the props.

  1. Jack Maddocks, Waratahs

An honourable mention for Isaac Lucas, with the versatile Reds playmaker capable of featuring in this XV at multiple positions, though Maddocks is the leading contender at this point in time. The former Melbourne Rebel has seen his opportunities to impress at the Waratahs limited by the Coronavirus outbreak, but he is a proven performer with the Wallabies already and offers Dave Rennie consistency moving forward.

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  1. Jordan Petaia, Reds

Petaia burst onto the scene last year when he made the Australian Rugby World Cup squad, though keen watchers of age-grade rugby will have already been well aware of his offensive ability on the wing or at outside centre. If he can stay fit, the sky is the limit for Petaia, who looks to be on a trajectory towards plenty of caps in the green and gold of the Wallabies.

  1. Campbell Magnay, Melbourne Rebels

Like Petaia, Magnay burst onto the scene at an early age, although his path has since diverged somewhat from that early steep upward trajectory. He moved to Japan for a period, something which took him off the radar for the Wallabies, though he is now back in Australia and with the Rebels. If he can begin to build on that early promise, there’s no reason why he can’t get himself back in contention for senior international involvement.

  1. Noah Lolesio, Brumbies

The Auckland-born centre has thrived at the Brumbies and is one of the key building blocks in their youth movement moving forward. His transition from age-grade rugby to Super Rugby has been a smooth one and he is a player that Rennie will likely have his eye on, especially if he is looking for a distributing and creative option at inside centre.

  1. Mark Nawaqanitawase, Waratahs

The 19-year-old wing has another year of U20 eligibility left, although off the back of his early season performances for the Waratahs, there’s a very good chance his availability for the U20s would have been limited, as the Sydney-based franchise began to lean on him in the matchday 23. Alongside Petaia, Rennie has two exciting new wings to blood and build around over the coming seasons.

  1. Reesjan Pasitoa, Brumbies

Will Harrison and Hamish Stewart have the advantage on Pasitoa in terms of years of experience and Super Rugby involvement, though the Brumbies 10 is a rare mix of technical and physical talent. The Brumbies successfully warded off interest from the NRL and AFL in the gifted playmaker and he has already made his senior debut, despite the fact this is just his first season out of school. If they can manage his development successfully, he could be the next long-term Wallaby fly-half.

  1. Tate McDermott, Reds

There have been a number of false dawns among young Australian scrum-halves in recent years and the side has still been heavily reliant on the likes of Will Genia and Nic White. McDermott won’t want to fall in that same trap, as he has the athleticism around the fringes and measured passing game to be a good option at international level in the future.

  1. Angus Bell, Waratahs

Harry Hoopert is another name here, whilst Harry Johnson-Holmes even has a cap for the Wallabies, something which makes the decision to include Bell even more significant. Bell was the global pick of looseheads in U20 rugby last season and his potent blend of physicality and set-piece skill should come to the fore in Super Rugby sooner rather than later.

  1. Jordan Uelese, Melbourne Rebels

Mentions for Lachlan Lonergan and Alex Mafi, both of whom illustrate the depth and competition that Australian rugby is building in the front row positions, though Uelese holds them both off for now. The hooker has made himself an integral part of the Rebels squad and has thrown his hat into the mix with Tolu Latu and Folau Fainga’a to be the Wallaby incumbent moving forward.

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  1. Taniela Tupou, Reds

This spot was always going to go to Tupou, or the ‘Tongan Thor’ as he is otherwise known, thanks to his impressive displays for both the Reds and the Wallabies in recent seasons. It’s hard to see anyone displacing Tupou in the short-term, though if a challenge is going to come, don’t rule out Shambeckler Vui, whose potential is considerable if he can bring his set-piece game up to the same level of his contributions in the loose.

  1. Izack Rodda, Reds

The Reds theme continues with Rodda, with the abrasive and physical lock having made himself an important part of the starting Australian pack. With Rob Simmons heading into the twilight of his career and Adam Coleman and Rory Arnold having packed their bags for Europe, Rodda could soon find himself as the cornerstone on the Wallaby engine room.

  1. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Reds

Salakaia-Loto can play in the second row or at blindside and is another example of the excellent work the Reds have been doing bringing through their talented youngsters in recent seasons. He holds off the likes of Nick Frost and Harry Hockings for now, though his long-term position for Australia may end up being predominantly as a flanker.

  1. Harry Wilson, Reds

The Reds’ domination of this pack continues as Wilson narrowly edges out the Waratahs’ Pat Tafa, with both having impressed for the U20 side last season. Wilson was the perfect physical foil for the mobility and jackaling on offer with Australia’s fetcher opensides. The only thing that could hold Wilson back is if the Wallabies, thanks to their stock of opensides, opt for a pair of them in their back row, rather than the more physical option that Wilson offers.

  1. Fraser McReight, Reds

A bold call to go with McReight over his club teammate and Reds captain Liam Wright, with both offering bucket loads of ability and potential. McReight may end up having to leave Queensland if he is to truly flourish outside of Wright’s shadow and there is no doubt that Rennie will be keen to work with both of them moving forward. It is McReight’s vice-like grip over the ball on the deck that swung this call his way.

  1. Will Harris, Waratahs

Last but certainly not least we come to Harris. Harris was an integral part of the U20 back row alongside Wilson, Tafa and McReight last season and offers something that has become somewhat rare in Australian rugby, a traditional power-carrying No 8. Australia don’t lack for options in the back row, though Harris is a little bit different to most of the back rowers who have been produced in recent seasons.

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H
Hellhound 40 minutes ago
South Africa player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

There is this thing going around against Siya Kolisi where they don't want him to be known as the best national captain ever, so they strike him down in ratings permanently whenever they can. They want McCaw and reckons he is the best captain ever. I disagree.


Just like they refuse to see SA as the best team and some have even said that should the Boks win a third WC in a row, they will still not be the best team ever. Even if they win every game between now and the WC. That is some serious hate coming SA's way.


Everyone forget how the McCaw AB's intimidated refs, was always on the wrong side, played on the ground etc. Things they would never have gotten away with today. They may have a better win ratio, but SA build depth, not caring about rank inbetween WC's until this year.


They weren't as bad inbetween as people claim, because non e of their losses was big ones and they almost never faced the strongest Bok team outside of the WC, allowing countries like France and Ireland to rise to the top unopposed.


Rassie is still at it, building more depth, getting more young stars into the fold. By the time he leaves (I hope never) he will leave a very strong Bok side for the next 15- 20 years. Not everyone will play for 20 years, but each year Rassie acknowledge the young stars and get them involved and ready for international rugby.


Not everyone will make it to the WC, but those 51/52 players will compete for those spots for the WC. They will deliver their best. The future of the Boks is in very safe hands. The only thing that bothers me is Rassie's health. If he can overcome it, rugby looks dark for the rest of the rugby world. He is already the greatest coach in WR history. By the time he retires, he will be the biggest legend any sport has ever seen

4 Go to comments
J
JW 55 minutes ago
'They smelt it': Scott Robertson says Italy sensed All Blacks' vulnerability

No where to be seen OB!


The crosses for me for the year where (from memory);


This was a really hard one to nail down as the first sign of a problem, now that I've asked myself to think about it. I'd say it all started with his decision to not back form and fit players after all the injuries, and/or him picking players for the future, rather ones that could play right now.


First he doesn't replace Perofeta straight away (goes on for months in the team) after injury against England, second he falls back to Beauden Barrett to cover at fullback against Fiji, then he drops Narawa the obvious choice to have started, then he brings in Jordan too soon. That Barret selection (and to a lesser extent Bell's) set the tone for the year.


Then he didn't get the side up for Argentina. They were blown away and didn't look like they expected a fight and were well beaten despite the scoreline in my opinion. Worst performance of the year in the forth game and..


Basically the same problems were persistent, or even exaggerated, after that with the players he did select not given much of an opportunity, with this year having the most number of unused subs I can remember since the amateur days.


What I think I started to realise early on was that he didn't back himself and his team. I think he prepared the players well, don't get me wrong, but I'll credit him with making a conscious choice in tempering his ambition and instead choosing cohesion and to respect (the idea of it being important in himself and his players) experience first and foremost (after two tight games and that 4th game loss). I think he chose wrong in deciding not to be, and back, himself. Hard criticism.


And it played out by preferring Beauden to Dmac on the EOYT (though that may have been a planned move).


I hope I'm right, because going through all the little things of the season and coming up with these bullets, I've got to wonder when I say his last fault is one we have seen at the Crusaders, playing his best players into the ground. What I'm really scared of now is that not wanting a bit of freshness in this last game could be linked with all these other crosses that I want to put down to simple confidence issues. But are they really a sign that he just lacks vision?


Now, that's not to say I haven't seen a lot of positives as well, I just think that for the ABs to go where they want to go he has to fix these crosses. Just have difficult that will be is the question.

24 Go to comments
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