Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby have announced an historic NextGen Under 21 women’s fixture between Australia and New Zealand with be played on October 31.
The match is the first national women’s age grade fixture between the two nations and will take place on October 31 at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch as part of a double header Test with the Black Ferns and France.
The inaugural Australia Under 21 side will be coached by Classic Wallaroos trio Iliseva Batibasaga, Shannon Parry and Alapeta Ngauamo.
Batibasaga takes the reins as head coach, with former skipper Parry serving as defence coach and Ngauamo looking after set-piece.
Former Red Roses representative Fran Matthews will take charge of the high performance space as strength and conditioning coach.
"We are pleased to share the next step in our NextGen program, a fantastic opportunity to play against a New Zealand Under 21 team as part of the Black Ferns and France double header," General Manager of Women’s Rugby Jilly Collins said:
"The Australian squad will feature some of our most promising young talent and future stars of the game.
"Crucially, the program also supports the development of our up-and-coming female coaches. Having a coaching group with top-level playing experience will offer invaluable guidance as these players take the next step in their rugby journeys."
The fixture provides more game time for some of the Wallaroos' brightest prospects, who currently have one of the youngest squads in Test Rugby.
Waiaria Ellis (18), Caitlyn Halse (19), Amelia Whitaker (19), Ava Wereta (20), Piper Simons (20), Faitala Moleka (21) and Lily Bone (21) are amongst those eligible who have played Test Rugby or are in the squad for the WXV Global Series.
It continues the investment in the newly launched NextGen XVs program, backed by the Australian Rugby Foundation with two RA under-19 teams to compete on September 12 and October 3, along with a under-16 camp in October.
"The NextGen XVs pathway is integral to the future success of the Wallaroos and not only for our elite players but for our elite coaches as well," Director of Women’s High Performance Tim Walsh added.
"Exposing our rising talent to more international rugby will make their transition into the Wallaroos program seamless and allow for greater development.
"The vision is to have our best of the best talent playing high-quality matches more often and enabling a continuous opportunity to test and develop skills in preparation for a winning future with the Wallaroos."
