The Suncorp Australian Schoolboys kick-off their tour of Tonga and New Zealand today with a warm-up match against Tonga Outer Islands.
Fresh from a hard-fought 24-18 victory over Fiji in a Bledisloe Cup curtain raiser in Brisbane a fortnight ago, the 27-player Schoolboys squad has landed in Tonga and are ready to get their five-match tour off to the best possible start with a solid victory on Vava’u Island.
Coach Rob Nowlan has kept faith with the 23-man squad which came from behind to beat Fiji in Brisbane and has added four new faces in James Ambrosini of St Laurence’s College (QLD), Eddie Quirk (Brisbane State High), Luke Rissman (Knox Grammar, Sydney) and Luke Swanepoel (The Southport School, QLD), who have all been called up from the Australia A team.
The Kings School in Sydney, which can boast Qantas Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock as alumni, has four representatives, St Joseph’s College Nudgee has three players.
Fullback Tyler Stevens, who scored a try and assisted in another against Fiji, is one of three players from St Edmunds College, ACT, with flyhalf Robbie Coleman and Colby Faingaa also selected.
Siliva Siliva of Narre Warren South College in Melbourne is the sole Victorian in the squad.
The team’s first encounter will be against Tonga Outer Islands on Vava’u Island on September 26, before playing Tonga Schools three days later.
The Aussies then travel to New Zealand for three matches including a Test against New Zealand Schools at New Plymouth High School, where the tourists will be hoping to defend the Novotel Trans-Tasman Trophy they secured, 23-17, at St Joseph’s College in Sydney last year
Click here to view the Suncorp Australian Schools Schedule for the Tour of Tonga and New Zealand.
