Junior Wallabies confirm April training squad

Wed, Apr 19, 2023, 12:55 AM
Nathan Williamson
by Nathan Williamson

The Junior Wallabies have confirmed a 41-player squad as they prepare for the return of the U20 World Championship.

They will face Fiji, Ireland and England in the pool stage of the Championship, which kicks off on 24 June in South Africa.

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The squad will attend a ten-day training camp at the AIS starting on April 23 as coach Nathan Grey continues preparations, headlined by two fixtures against New Zealand on 28 May and 3 June, followed by a hit-out against an Australian Barbarians side on 14 June.

"With club seasons kicking off over the last few weeks, it's been great to see the players performing well and putting their hands up for selection," Grey said in a statement.

"This camp is an important stepping stone in the team's development, where we'll build on the work done at our first camp in February.

"The excitement is definitely growing as we look ahead to our three warm-up games and beyond that, challenging for the title in South Africa."

Waratahs scrumhalf Teddy Wilson headlines the squad, with the likes of Max Jorgensen, Tom Lynagh, Taj Annan and Darby Lancaster unavailable due to Super/Sevens commitments.

Wilson made his debut for the Waratahs last season, eventually joining Australia A on their tour of Japan.

He is joined by Force prop Marley Pearce, who debuted for the club during their NZ tour against the Blues and Reds winger Floyd Aubrey

The Brumbies have the largest representation with 11 selections, closely followed by the Waratahs and Reds (both ten).

The U20 tournament will return for the first time since 2019, where an Australian team including Wallabies Nick Frost, Noah Lolesio, Angus Bell, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Fraser McReight, Ben Donaldson and Lachlan Lonergan narrowly going down to France in the Final.

Junior Wallabies Squad 

Brumbies

Liam Bowron (Royals)

Massimo De Lutiis (Wests)

Lachlan Hooper (Tuggeranong)

Klayton Thorn (Gungahlin)

Henry Palmer (Tuggeranong)

Austin Anderson (Wests)

Matias Jensen (Randwick)

Baden Godfrey (Tuggeranong)

Chris Mickelson (Uni-Norths)

Toby MacPherson (Uni-Norths)

Xavier Degai (Southern Districts)

Force

Marley Pearce (Joondalup Brothers)

Ned Slack-Smith (Palmyra)

Ryan McGloin (Joondalup Brothers)

Jhy Legg (Wests Scarborough)

Rebels

Patrick Lavemai (Melbourne Harlequins)

Leafi Talataina (Endeavour Hills)

Mason Gordon (Wests Bulldogs)

David Vaihu (Wests Bulldogs)

Zac Hough (Wests Bulldogs)

Joey Fowler (Sydney Uni)

Reds

Floyd Aubrey (GPS)

Harry McLaughlin-Phillips (Souths)

John Bryant (Souths)

Ben Daniels (Brothers)

Nick Bloomfield (Easts)

Harrison Usher (Bond)

Jarrod Homan (Easts)

Tim Ryan (Brothers)

Nick Baker (GPS)

Max Craig (Easts)

Waratahs

Jack Barrett (Randwick)

Fritz Jahnke-Tavana (Eastwood)

Ollie McCrea (Eastern Suburbs)

Teddy Wilson (Eastern Suburbs)

Jack Bowen (Eastern Suburbs)

Henry O'Donnell (Northern Suburbs)

Charlie Worthington (Randwick)

Tom Morrison (Sydney Uni)

Jackson Ropata (Southern Districts)

Dan Nelson (Sydney Uni) *Max Jorgensen, Tom Lynagh, Taj Annan, Daniel Maiava unavailable for selection due to Super Rugby Pacific club commitments, and Darby Lancaster unavailable due to AU Sevens commitments.

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