2021 New Zealand U20s
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This will probably become a short thread.
First news is that the World Rugby U20 Championship 2021 has been cancelled.
Statement on the World Rugby U20 Championship 2021
04/02/2021 02:55 The World Rugby U20 Championship 2021 will not take place this year due to the ongoing impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made in consultation with potential hosts and participating unions considering all aspects from financial impact to player welfare implications. World Rugby is now working with regions and unions to identify regional competition opportunities in a safe environment, reflecting the international federation’s ambition to support meaningful high performance competition pathways for the future stars of rugby.
It's a pity. A whole age group missing out on a great opportunity to play at the world stage for a second year in a row, but it's not unexpected, of course.I read somewhere today (I can't find at the moment where I read it; will post it later if I can find it), that provincial academy squads will play games in the next few weeks/months and that they will be used to select the U20s squads of the Super Rugby franchises and a NZ U20 team. So - with the WR statement referring to "regional competition opportunities" -, it seems they are looking to organise an Oceania Under 20 Championship (maybe with a few extra PI teams?).
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That's a real shame. Last year they announced a NZ Schools team despite there being no opportunity to play. Hopefully they go one step further and organise some provincial development teams for them to play if an Oceania comp isn't possible.
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@bobily2 Yeah, a Super Rugby Aotearoa Under 20s comp would be a domestic option. Or - in addition to the Jock Hobbs U19 Tournament - organise an Under 21 equivalent to include the guys that missed out last year as well. Not sure whether NZR's finances allow for that, though. Maybe they'll change the Jock Hobbs U19 into an U20 tournament, this year.
However, I do really hope that the Oceania U20 Championship can go ahead, this year.
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Based on a story I was reading about the Chiefs U20 trial last Sat (at Ohaupo), it appears that there will be a National SR U20 tournament this April in Taupo.
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Clip from the Hurricanes Age Grade Development camp. Hurricanes U20 players will be picked from this group.
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@stargazer classic how the two players giving advice are Prinsep and Blackwell. 😂
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2021 University of Waikato Chiefs Under 20’s squad confirmed | Chiefs Rugby
The Chiefs Rugby Club today announced the University of Waikato Chiefs Under 20s for 2021.
2021 University of Waikato Chiefs Under 20’s:
Adam Lennox (Taranaki)
Ben Strang (Waikato)
Bernie Hati (Bay of Plenty)
Cassius Misa (Bay of Plenty)
Cody Nordstrom (Waikato)
Curtis Palmer (Bay of Plenty)
Daniel Sinkinson (Waikato)
Gideon Wrampling (Waikato)
Hakaria Richards-Coxhead (Waikato)
Havila Molia (Waikato)
Hemopo Cunningham (Taranaki)
Ioane Moananu (Counties Manukau)
Jadin Kingi (Counties Manukau)
JJ Pokai (Taranaki)
Jona Mataiciwa (Bay of Plenty)
Josh Bartlett (Bay of Plenty)
Josh Hopkins (Taranaki)
Josh Jacomb (Taranaki)
Kane O’Connor (Bay of Plenty)
Larenz Tupaea Thomsen (Counties Manukau)
Latrell Smiler - Ah Kiong (Waikato)
Lucas Cashmore (Bay of Plenty)
Mason Tupaea (Waikato)
Melino Fotu (Bay of Plenty)
Nathaniel Peters (Taranaki)
Nikora Broughton (Bay of Plenty)
Niwa Barlow (Taranaki)
Scott Jury (Taranaki)
Te Paea Cook-Savage (Waikato)
Te Rama Reuben (Waikato)
Tevita Ofa (Counties Manukau)
Thor Manase (Counties Manukau)
Tu’kalikali Vaipulu (Bay of Plenty)
Veveni Lasaqa (Bay of Plenty)Team Management
Head Coach: Paul Hodder (Waikato)
Scrum & Defence: Greg Smith (Waikato)
Forwards & Lineout: Jarrad Hoeata (Taranaki)
Skills: Chad Shepherd (Counties Manukau)
Contact & Analysis: James Porter (Bay of Plenty)
Manager: David Fox (Waikato)
Trainers: Tim Hurst (Waikato) & Scott Joblin (Bay of Plenty)
Physiotherapists: Rachel Lambert (Bay of Plenty) & Lauren MacDonald (Bay of Plenty)Fixtures:
Saturday 3 April: Blues Under 20s vs. University of Waikato Chiefs Under 20s, Bombay, 1.00pmSaturday 10 April – Saturday 17 April: Super Rugby U20 Tournament, Taupo
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Looking at the squad (34 to be reduced to 26), Latrell Smiler-Ah Kiong is there. So is Te Rama Reuben. A lot of players in their first year out of school so more U19.
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Rising Hawke's Bay mentor Mark Ozich will coach the Highlanders at New Zealand Rugby's new Super Rugby under-20s championship, an event that will mark a significant change to the age-grade program at the national level. The tournament will be held in Taupō in April and effectively double as a trial for New Zealand under-20 selection. Although the World Rugby Under 20 Championship that was due to be held in Italy in June and July has been cancelled, it is still hoped that an Oceania tournament will happen this year.Ozich's involvement with the Highlanders follows an outstanding campaign with the Magpies in 2020, when he bolstered his reputation as a coach on the rise.Tony Brown will be head coach until the end of the 2022 season and assistant Clarke Dermody is being groomed to replace him, but Brown's departure to focus on Japan's 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign will open up a position in the Highlanders coaching setup.In the shorter-term, the under-20s Super Rugby tournament will give all five Super Rugby clubs a clear development pathway for their promising younger players. For the New Zealand under-20 program, it should give players more exposure to quality coaching, training and opposition after some underwhelming recent years at the World Rugby Under 20 Championship level. After dominating the tournament in its early editions, New Zealand have won it only twice since 2012 and have not produced a World Rugby Junior Player of the Year since Julian Savea in 2010. Former under-20 coach Craig Philpott lamented the fact that New Zealand’s rivals, particularly the northern hemisphere nations, were better prepared at the under-20 level.The Super Rugby under-20s championship does not spell the end of Jock Hobbs under-19 tournament for provincial unions, although Stuff understands it may be held under a different format. -
Typical that Ozich will coach the Highlanders U20s and not the Hurricanes U20s!
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@stargazer said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
Typical that Ozich will coach the Highlanders U20s and not the Hurricanes U20s!
Sheesh, you’d think the canes would have lined him up to take over from the current lot. You can’t argue against his record.
Unsurprising though.
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I like the pathway aspect but would say that the Black Ferns players will see this as another avenue for NZR to sink money into the men’s game while putting SFA effort into the women.
I know it’s more complicated than that but the visuals are that they are putting no effort into finding an avenue for the women to even play let alone develop strength yet are happy to add even more opportunities for the mens.
I d be fuming at this if I was a black fern. -
@crucial Yep, they've been asking for a SR Aotearoa wahine for a few years now. It was again mentioned as preparation for the RWC2021 (because of the lack of test matches). It's a missed opportunity. I did watch several FPC games, and last year was terrible because of that North-South format, but the games between the top teams were awesome. That's what you would get if you pick the best of the best for SR teams. Maybe 5 teams would have been too many, I don't know, but they could merge Crusaders and Highlanders into one team.
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@stargazer It's also the aspect that the women always get told 'not enough money' then something new is added to the mens game.
Sad thing is that one of them is going to speak out soon and probably lose what's left of their career. -
@crucial said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
@stargazer It's also the aspect that the women always get told 'not enough money' then something new is added to the mens game.
Sad thing is that one of them is going to speak out soon and probably lose what's left of their career.Or they could be thankful that the men's game is subsidising theirs...
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@antipodean You could say the same of the Under 20s ...
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@crucial said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
I like the pathway aspect but would say that the Black Ferns players will see this as another avenue for NZR to sink money into the men’s game while putting SFA effort into the women.
I know it’s more complicated than that but the visuals are that they are putting no effort into finding an avenue for the women to even play let alone develop strength yet are happy to add even more opportunities for the mens.
I d be fuming at this if I was a black fern.When women players get the crowds and sponsorship for their team. Then the rest will fall into place
the U20s are only being supported of course as these players are the future for men's rugby
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@stargazer said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
@antipodean You could say the same of the Under 20s ...
A completely different situation
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@stargazer said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
@antipodean You could say the same of the Under 20s ...
How? The men's game was amateur for over a century and is currently bankrolled by the highest representative team. To remain successful requires highly competitive base. It's an investment in itself for the betterment of the entire New Zealand rugby community.
If the Black Ferns were in a position to spend some of their largesse on developing female pathways I'd make the same argument. But they're not and with limited resources NZR need to determine their best use.
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I'm not going into this argument again. This thread is not about women's rugby. We won't agree anyway.
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@winger said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
@crucial said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
I like the pathway aspect but would say that the Black Ferns players will see this as another avenue for NZR to sink money into the men’s game while putting SFA effort into the women.
I know it’s more complicated than that but the visuals are that they are putting no effort into finding an avenue for the women to even play let alone develop strength yet are happy to add even more opportunities for the mens.
I d be fuming at this if I was a black fern.When women players get the crowds and sponsorship for their team. Then the rest will fall into place
the U20s are only being supported of course as these players are the future for men's rugby
Chicken and egg?
I think you are missing the point though. I'm not dismissing this comp, I think it's a good idea. I'm just stating that I can imagine that the women's game will be pissed off that they get paid lip service too yet again. They were last in the queue for a comp last year, have had their RWC put in the too hard basket even when it was probably easier to arrange safely than SR and now had a new men's comp set up on top of the ones that already exist after being told there was no money in the kitty for new comps. Wouldn't you be pissed off?
Short point is poor management of stakeholders of the game. -
@crucial Would NZ Rugby get paid any less from the TV brigade than they current receive if they did not include Womens rugby in the package of matches able to be telecast live?
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@crucial said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
@winger said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
@crucial said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
I like the pathway aspect but would say that the Black Ferns players will see this as another avenue for NZR to sink money into the men’s game while putting SFA effort into the women.
I know it’s more complicated than that but the visuals are that they are putting no effort into finding an avenue for the women to even play let alone develop strength yet are happy to add even more opportunities for the mens.
I d be fuming at this if I was a black fern.When women players get the crowds and sponsorship for their team. Then the rest will fall into place
the U20s are only being supported of course as these players are the future for men's rugby
Chicken and egg?
I think you are missing the point though. I'm not dismissing this comp, I think it's a good idea. I'm just stating that I can imagine that the women's game will be pissed off that they get paid lip service too yet again. They were last in the queue for a comp last year, have had their RWC put in the too hard basket even when it was probably easier to arrange safely than SR and now had a new men's comp set up on top of the ones that already exist after being told there was no money in the kitty for new comps. Wouldn't you be pissed off?
Short point is poor management of stakeholders of the game.Easier to arrange safely? An international world cup easier to arrange safely than an entirely domestic comp? What?
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@kiwimurph said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
@crucial said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
@winger said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
@crucial said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
I like the pathway aspect but would say that the Black Ferns players will see this as another avenue for NZR to sink money into the men’s game while putting SFA effort into the women.
I know it’s more complicated than that but the visuals are that they are putting no effort into finding an avenue for the women to even play let alone develop strength yet are happy to add even more opportunities for the mens.
I d be fuming at this if I was a black fern.When women players get the crowds and sponsorship for their team. Then the rest will fall into place
the U20s are only being supported of course as these players are the future for men's rugby
Chicken and egg?
I think you are missing the point though. I'm not dismissing this comp, I think it's a good idea. I'm just stating that I can imagine that the women's game will be pissed off that they get paid lip service too yet again. They were last in the queue for a comp last year, have had their RWC put in the too hard basket even when it was probably easier to arrange safely than SR and now had a new men's comp set up on top of the ones that already exist after being told there was no money in the kitty for new comps. Wouldn't you be pissed off?
Short point is poor management of stakeholders of the game.Easier to arrange safely? An international world cup easier to arrange safely than an entirely domestic comp? What?
I mean the trans-tasman part. It goes all over the country and all sorts of contingency planning would have gone into that.
Anyway, my observation has caused a thread divergence. Maybe we should focus on the U20s? -
@crucial the trans-tasman comp that looks odds-on to get canned? Ok.
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Revitalised Under 20 programme kicks off with Super Rugby flavour
The next big names in Super Rugby will go head-to-head across an action-packed week of rugby at the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa Under 20 tournament this April.
- Super Rugby Aotearoa Under 20 tournament next month
- Tabai Matson to coach New Zealand Under 20s
The newly formed tournament will see Under 20 sides from the Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Crusaders, Highlanders along with a New Zealand Barbarians Club Under 20 team take part in three match days at Taupō’s Owen Delany Park. All matches will be broadcast live on Sky on 11 April, 14 April and 17 April.
Former Blues and Stormers Coach Paul Feeney will head the New Zealand Barbarian Club Under 20 coaching team, with players set to be selected from across the 26 Provincial Unions.
The New Zealand Under 20 programme also gets a boost with the announcement of Tabai Matson as Head Coach. The former Crusaders and Chiefs Assistant Coach will be joined by Tom Donnelly and Cory Jane in the coaching team.A playing programme for the New Zealand Under 20 will be confirmed in coming months, with the hope that a Trans-Tasman bubble will enable an Oceania Tournament later this year.
The Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 tournament will not take place in 2021, with provincial unions instead delivering regional Under 19 programmes.
Super Rugby Aotearoa Under 20 DrawSunday 11 April
11.30am Hurricanes v Chiefs
1.30pm Barbarians v Highlanders
3.30pm Crusaders v BluesWednesday 14 April
11.30am Barbarians v Blues
1.30pm Hurricanes v Highlanders
3.30pm Crusaders v ChiefsSaturday 17 April
11am Crusaders v Highlanders
1pm Barbarians v Chiefs
3pm Hurricanes v Blues -
The draw seems to be random. I would have thought you split the 6 teams into 2 groups of 3 and those teams play each other with 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2 and 3 vs 3 for the final games.
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@bovidae Yes, that would have made more sense with 6 teams. They could also have left out the Barbarians team (the Hurricanes and Crusaders don't get the advantage of playing them, while they can be expected to be the weakest team) and let all 5 franchises play each other (without a pool system and without a final; just four games). It would have meant 1 more game, but why not?
I guess this is less about having a normal tournament/competition and more about trial matches for NZ U20s.
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@stargazer Cory Janes super rugby backline is hardly setting the world on fire and some of his selections are questionable to say the least. This is not a good omen for the Under 20s.
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A completely new coaching team now, but NZR must think being a former AB is a prerequisite for being an U20 assistant coach.
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@bovidae from what I have heard it gives you a good leg up at least.
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@taniwharugby Philpott had Delany and Hill in his group, and now we have Donnelly and Jane. At least Donnelly has head coaching experience.
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@stargazer said in 2021 New Zealand U20s:
Super Rugby Aotearoa Under 20 Draw
Sunday 11 April
11.30am Hurricanes v Chiefs
1.30pm Barbarians v Highlanders
3.30pm Crusaders v Blues
Wednesday 14 April
11.30am Barbarians v Blues
1.30pm Hurricanes v Highlanders
3.30pm Crusaders v Chiefs
Saturday 17 April
11am Crusaders v Highlanders
1pm Barbarians v Chiefs
3pm Hurricanes v BluesRugby Pass says that all three of these matchdays in Taupo will be broadcast live by Sky.
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@daffy-jaffy The media release from NZR said so, too.
Glad we'll be able to watch these games!
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Anyone know where to find the SR U20 coaching teams for all the franchises?
Have only seen Ozich publicly named for the Landers U20 so far and nada on official franchise sites.
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@maxwell I suspect Steven Bates will coach the Blues U20s, as he's recently been appointed the Blues Development Coach, but it could be someone else, of course.
The Hurricanes U20s coach is usually Darren Larsen, so I can only assume he'll be the coach again.
The Chiefs U20 head coach is Waikato’s Paul Hodder, assisted by Greg Smith (Waikato?), Jarrad Hoeata (Taranaki), Chad Shepherd (Counties) and James Porter (BOP).
Source: https://sunlive.co.nz/news/264013-11-bop-players-chiefs-u20-squad.html
I haven't found more info, unfortunately. -
The wider Chiefs squad I posted above lists their full coaching and management team.
@Steven-Harris should be able to help you with the Blues U20 coach as he saw them play.
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@stargazer Thanks!
Equally important to keep tabs on the upcoming coaching talent
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Highlanders U20 Training Squad:
Props: Rohan Wingham, Geordie Bean, Tevita Pole, Naryan Strickland, Oscar Cowley-Andrea, Marika Parker
Hookers: Harry Press, Harry Hansen, Jame Moodie (Invercargill Marist)
Locks: Levi Uluakaihoia, Harrison Morton, Fabian Holland, Aleki Saili (Invercargill Marist)
Loose Forwards: Oliver Haig, Sean Withy (C), Harry Taylor, Ned Pene, Leroy Ferguson, Arese Poliko (Stags/Invercargill Blues)
Halfbacks: Nathan Hastie, Noah Hotham, Tonga Nau
First Five: Max Webb, Cam Miller
Midfielders: Jake Te Hiwi, Emmanuel Ventura, Giovanni Leituala, Bradley McPate, Thomas McKenzie
Back Three: Michael Manson, Jermaine Pepe, Peceli Malanicagi, Jackson Toms
(posted 24 March 2021)
Moodie, Saili and Poliko named in Highlanders SRA U20 Squad
The next big names in Super Rugby will go head-to-head across an action-packed week of rugby at the 2021 Super Rugby...
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So Noah Hotham has followed his big brother to Otago. I hope he returns to Waikato. Ned Pene was his 1st XV team mate and son of Arran.
