Australian Schools to follow in Wallaby footsteps

 The Australian Schoolboys will follow closely in the footsteps of the Qantas Wallabies' Spring Tour as they play 'Tests' against England, Wales and Ireland Schools in December.

The team for the eight-match UK tour has been announced, with Patrick McCutcheon from St Joseph's College to captain the 28-man team for the biennial tour.

While they are unlikely to cross paths with the Wallabies, the Australian Schools will be playing the same three Home Nation teams, so are sure to draw plenty of inspiration from the senior team.

Australian Selectors have had a number of chances to finalise the squad, after two matches against New Zealand last week, as well as earlier Tests against Samoa and Japan.

Sydney Grammar winger Lachlan Rosengreen joins the squad, having recovered from a broken leg which ruled him out of the recent Tests. Another winger, Brando Vaaulu from Brisbane State High School, also comes into the squad after recovering from a hand injury.

Flanker Chris Harkin from Marist College in Canberra is a tour bolter. He was on the bench for the ACT in the Australian Schoolboy Championship earlier this year but his performances have since caught the eye of selectors.

Harkin joins two of his school team mates in prop Jonathan Salvi whose brother Julian played Schoolboys in 2002, and scrumhalf Masi Tusitala, who moved to Canberra from Victoria earlier this year. Northern Territory hooker Joe Egan is another player from outside the traditional Rugby States who has earned a place on the tour.

Another bolter is fullback cum winger Peter Betham from St Joseph's College in Sydney who has had a big couple of weeks. He starred for NSW Schools in the National Under 16 Championship two weeks ago, played for the Australia A Schools team that beat New Zealand last week and has now been called into the tour squad.

Coincidentally he shares the same birth date as his Joeys team mate Kurtley Beale. The pair, who take all the same subjects at school, will be the youngest on tour - they turn seventeen on 6 January next year.

Another St Josephs player in the team, Matthew Day, faces a tough decision in the next couple of days. He is also a very talented cricketer and is a member of the Australian U19 World Cup squad. He will have to decide whether to join the Australian Schools Rugby tour to the UK or play in the Australian U19 Cricket Championship in Perth in early December.

Australian coach Pat Langtry said the team has had the chance to form some good combinations.

"The match against New Zealand exposed some tactical weaknesses and some key areas that we have to work on before we head to the UK.

"But it was a very good experience for the team, and we have now selected a squad that gives us good depth in key positions.

"It is rare to have played three Tests and two Australia A matches prior to going on a tour of the UK. These matches have allowed the players to get to know each other pretty well, so they have been extremely valuable.

"With a couple of players coming back from injury, it made for some very difficult selection choices, but we have now settled on a strong team."

Meanwhile, flanker David Pocock from Churchie in Brisbane and flanker Zarhn Commerer from New Plymouth Boys High School have been awarded the Bronze Boot for being the most outstanding players in Saturday's Test between Australia and New Zealand.

Past Bronze Boot recipients include Wallabies Tom Bowman, Phil Waugh, George Smith and Daniel Heenan and All Blacks Jeff Wilson, Carlos Spencer, Carl Hayman, Jerry Collins and Ben Atiga.

2005 Australian Schools to tour the UK

Team management

Click here for the tour itinerary.