Super Rugby Men’s U19s is back for another season, with the next generation of talent looking to push their case for Wallaby gold.
Opening in parallel with Super Rugby AUS, defending champions the Brumbies got their campaign underway with a 26-17 win over the Queensland Reds at Ballymore.
The Waratahs meanwhile fired a warning shot to the rest of the competition, dispatching the Western Force 62-5 at Pittwater Rugby Park.
Rugby Australia's High Performance staff select their Team of the Week from Round 1.
Starting off at Pittwater Rugby Park, Nick Hill took the top spot with a dominant performance at scrumtime across his 50 minute performance.
Combined with 17.5 post-contact metres across five carries, the prop continues to follow in the footsteps of exciting, barnstorming looseheads in the pathway.
With the Brumbies having a success rate of over 87% across their last three games at the lineout, Ewald Kruger had a lot of work to do to maintain their set piece dominance, and the young talent delivered.
Delivering a strong performance at set piece in the scrum, Kruger backed it up at lineout time, an area that proved a point of difference in the ACT’s eventual victory.
The Australia U20 star picked up right where he left off in his time in gold, having a perfect game defensively across his 55-minute performance.
Even though the Brumbies managed to gain ascendancy in the set piece and lineout, it didn’t come without a brilliant contest.
Kenneth Harris will prove to be a valuable find for the men in maroon, looking right at home in the scrum and lineout in an encouraging performance.
Working in tandem with Kruger, Jack Gordon enjoyed a strong performance in the engine room, the young lock helping secure the Brumbies lineout and maintain the edge at set piece.
One thing that stood out was the uptick in physicality in the season, meaning the Brumbies will need some strong loose forwards if they are to go three-in-a-row.
Fortunately, the defending champions saw Cooper Eagle put his hand up, with the loose forward looking for work and putting in a strong performance against the Reds.
Speaking of great loose forward performances, Marshall le Maitre blew away the Force on his way to scoring four tries, announcing himself as arguably the player of the round.
With eight tackle busts, two line breaks and 12 carries to go with 12 tackles, the loose forward was everywhere against the men from the west.
Angus Kelly completes the strong loose forward performances, with the Queensland Red picking up a try for his efforts.
Against a tough Brumbies outfit the Queenslander caused all sorts of problems, and looks set for a big season should he maintain this form.
One of the most exciting aspects of the competition was the halves that came out of the competition, with James Prole being the pick of an exciting bunch.
While not getting over the try line in his 62 minute performance, Prole proved more than a headache for the Brumbies defensive line.
On the opposite side, the Brumbies may have found themselves another gun flyhalf in Chace Oates, the flyhalf having a commanding boot that kept the Brumbies score ticking over.
Expect to hear his name a lot more often when it comes to potential Wallaby flyhalf prospects.
Australia has a tendency for fast wingers, but not since Marika Koroibete has there been an exciting direct runner Ilan Cloete.
One of the Reds’ best players to get over the game line, the winger helped to keep the Reds in the hunt, shutting several attacking opportunities for the visitors.
Paired with Riley Whitfield, Wests’ Dylan Bretton impressed for the men from the ACT, helping maintain parity against an imposing Reds backline.
Ryan Heaton had a massive day at the office for the hosts at Ballymore, and despite the side going down ended the opening round with his stocks risen.
A fantastic distributor and ball runner, Heaton asked lots of questions of the Brumbies defensive line.
With a famous uncle who played for the Wallabies, Tom Farr-Jones has a lot of pressure on his shoulders - but judging by his attacking prowess on Saturday, the winger is likely to go a long way.
Breaking seven tackles, making a line break and helping contribute to two more, Farr-Jones has hit the ground running in 2025.
On a tough afternoon for the Western Force, the side did have a positive spark in fullback Wallace Charlie, the fullback making an impressive 12 carries.
Boasting a commanding boot as well, the Force Academy gun turned Sevens star has blossomed under the men’s Aussie Sevens program, which should see him continue to develop as the season progresses.
