Junior Wallabies coach Nathan Grey is looking to stun the Kiwis as they ramp up preparations for the U20 World Championships.
Grey and the squad will head to Wellington to face their NZ counterparts next week in a two-Test series starting on May 29.
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After a disrupted build in past seasons, Grey was eager to make up for lost time.
“Getting the side together, we're starting to get those combinations together and our game is coming together really nicely,” he told reporters.
“We’re looking forward to finishing off the week well and then heading over to NZ.
“2019 was the last World Cup but it is what it is. The Six Nations has still been firing in Europe and last year we had an abbreviated Oceania tournament which was nice but the opportunity for them to test themselves out against the best of the world is unique. It’s fantastic World Rugby have got it up and running.
“We have missed out on a few years of development just not being to play those games regularly but all we’re focusing on is getting the group together now and exposing them to that pressure and experience.”
The Junior Wallabies head to New Zealand with a point to prove after a thumping defeat last year in the Oceania Championships.
The squad entered the contest riding high after a 58-5 win over Fiji, only to be shell-shocked by a first-half blitz.
New Zealand ended up recording a 69-12 victory on the Sunshine Coast, with Grey confident they are in a better position 12 months on.
“They played well against us last year and were quite dominant but this year is a completely different picture,” Grey believes.
“We’re really looking forward to getting over there and playing our best brand of footy with the best players we have. If we can do that, we’re confident we can put them under pressure and the focus is on our style but we back ourselves.
“We’re expecting a super physical, highly skilled, well-motivated side that’s ready to play. There’s no doubt there will be quality in their side as in ours…It’s our best against theirs and that’s something that is really exciting.”
“We didn’t do well last year so we’re using it as motivation. We got a score put on us so the boys that experienced that last year are definitely motivated to get on put,” new captain Teddy Wilson added.
“I think last year their physicality outmatched us. They were just playing on top of us and we started slow and chased our tails towards the end. We know how physical they are going to be and we’re up for it.
“These two games are definitely going to set us up for the (U20s) World Cup. The boys are looking to do well against New Zealand. We feel if we can have some solid performances, it’ll set us up nicely.”
