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2013 IRB Junior World Championship - France

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USARugger

John Thornett (49)
Sergeal Peterson is out for the U-20 Boks with a hamstring injury.

I have a bad feeling about how the USA U-20s will fare playing the 'big boys' this year. A couple of the stars from last year are now unavailable due to age and a loss to Canada in the warm-up match does not bode well.

Looking forward to seeing the Aussie boys have a run. Seems that every tournament for the past few years a few players have really made a name for themselves.
 

Pfitzy

George Gregan (70)
Pool game 1 for the Aussie boys is listed on Foxtel at 0230 hours Sydney time on 6th June.

Can't see the others listed as yet.
 

Sidbarret

Fred Wood (13)
Just saw Joe Edwards is still eligible for this. Player of the tournament surely.
Excuse my ignorance, but who?

Considering that Jan Serfontein is returning this year he is by far the biggest name in the competition this year as far as I am aware unless there is some freak from the Northern Hemisphere that I am not aware of.
 

Sidbarret

Fred Wood (13)
You are mistaken, Serfontein will not be taking part.

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Springboks/Serfontein-blow-for-Baby-Boks-20130528

Joe Edwards is #8 for Auckland. As good as Ardie Savea who will contest him for MVP. NZ's backrow is awesome.

Thanks

Bad news for the Baby Boks, but good call for the senior side.

Pity we won't be seeing the 10-Pollard 11- Pietersen 12- Serfontein combination for the baby boks, but Rohan Jansen van Rensburg sounds pretty good from what I've heard and should be decent replacement.

Would be interesting to see how the midfield for the baby boks shape up. Robert Du Preez and Handre Pollard (another candidate for MVP this year who has been playing 12 in the varsity cup this seasson) are both pretty good flyhalves and in the centers they still have Justin Geduld and Dries van Rensburg. With Rohan JvR also in there they can go for truly massive midfield if they so desire.

PS, I don't expect much from the baby bok pack (compared to the last two seasons) unless some previously unknown players step up, but the next two years should be pretty good with the current schoolboys coming through.
 

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
You are mistaken, Serfontein will not be taking part.

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Springboks/Serfontein-blow-for-Baby-Boks-20130528

Joe Edwards is #8 for Auckland. As good as Ardie Savea who will contest him for MVP. NZ's backrow is awesome.

Not again? FFS.

S'pose their #10 is also going to continue to be in the contest for MVP, - Slade, Cruden, Anscombe......

Great preview on the Blog Front Page from Uncle Lee.

Expected nothing less, and once again the great man has delivered a quality read, Thanks Lee.
 

SuperGrover

Darby Loudon (17)
With Ireland in the same pool as Australia, I thought it might be worth a look at the Irish squad.

Ireland has some talent in this age bracket. They possess a number of backs that have already made their provincial debuts such as Robbie Henshaw, Adam Byrne, Chris Farrell, Stuart Olding and Luke McGrath. While the forwards do not possess the same class, players such as Edward Byrne, Ryan Murphy, Josh van der Flier and Conor Joyce are Ireland’s best.

Unfortunately for Ireland, and neutral fans, their squad will not contain anything like all these players. Stuart Olding and Robbie Henshaw will miss the JWC to tour North America with the senior squad, while Ireland will be missing Darragh Leader and Chris Farrell due to injury. Mike Ruddock has brought in five players that didn’t play in the Six Nations campaign. Prop Edward Byrne, centres Adam Byrne and Thomas Farrell and back-row talent Jack O’Donoghue and Daniel Leavy.

Ireland are a young side with a fair number of the squad only one year out of school. Of the players to make the squad for the JWC, the front row is frequently touted as mobile, which may be a nice way to say undersized. This wouldn’t necessarily be a problem except the rest of the tight-five is cast from the same mould. In the second-row Gavin Thornbury is a 203 cm tall skilful lock who operates well in the line-outs, but doesn’t seem to possess the heft to really impose his frame in the scrum, rucks or bend the line. Conor Joyce at eight is a forward to keep an eye on.

The backs have more promise, with half-back Luke McGrath being one to watch if not the best player in the squad and captain to boot. Unfortunately, Ireland may have problems at 10. It appears likely Steve Crosbie will be running at fly-half even though he is more an inside-centre as there is no out-and-out fly-half in the squad. Outside them players like Adam Byrne, Rory Scannell and Tom Daly are the ones to watch. Scannell started all five games in the Six Nations, four at inside-centre and one at fly-half. He can also play outside-centre or on the wing and can kicks goals if needed. Daly, at 192 cm and 102 kg has the size to add something different to the Irish backline. Daly started every games of the Six Nations and also handled the place kicking duties.

There are, however, question marks over whether the Irish backs will get enough good ball to showcase their skills and whether the game plan will see the backs look to do anything more than kick away what little ball they do get.

Despite Ireland’s shortcomings, under Mike Ruddock they are well drilled and we play them first up. With the preparation of a Six Nations campaign behind them Ireland may just catch our boys cold.



IRELAND U-20 SQUAD (for IRB Junior Rugby World Championship): Adam Boland (Lansdowne/Connacht), Edward Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Adam Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Bryan Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Steve Crosbie (Old Belvedere/Leinster); Thomas Daly (Lansdowne/Leinster); John Donnan (Ballynahinch/Ulster); Peter Dooley (Leinster); Thomas Farrell (Lansdowne/Leinster); Ryan Furniss (Worcester/Exile); Conor Joyce (Malone/Ulster); Darragh Leader (Galwegians/Connacht); Daniel Leavy (UCD/Leinster); Seán McCarthy (Shannon/Munster); Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster) Captain; George McGuigan (Newcastle Falcons/Exile); Ryan Murphy (Dolphin/Munster); Jack O’Donoghue (UL Bohemians/Munster); David Panther (Corinthians/Connacht); Mark Roche (Lansdowne/Connacht); Rory Scannell (Dolphin/Munster); Rory Scholes (Belfast Harlequins /Ulster); David Shanahan (Clontarf/Leinster); Darren Sweetnam (UCC/Munster); Christopher Taylor (Malone/Ulster); Gavin Thornbury (UCD/Leinster); Peadar Timmins (UCD/Leinster); Josh Van Der Flier (UCD/Leinster).
 

an observer

Herbert Moran (7)
Very good/intresting report on Ireland Supergrover. Will be interesting to see what unfolds. Ireland definitely have an advantage with the 6 nations behind them, no doubt about that. But lots of changes happening in their squad. The Pacific Nations Cup provided some game time for the Aust guys but not as a team. The Australian side is fresh and mostly new and host some significant talent. One trial match against PNG is not ideal. Lets hope they gel, use that talent and perform to the best of their ability. Their swimming pool isn't waveless, lets hope they all can swim! I have faith that they will do well.
 

lily

Vay Wilson (31)
Siotame Kavapalu played colts for Manly yesterday. Apparently misdiagnosed by ARU physio for syndesmosis.
 

Lee Grant

John Eales (66)
Staff member
Thanks for posting that team qwerty51.

It's interesting to see 2013 Oz Schools players - 5. Staniforth, 7. Dempsey, 10. McIntyre, 13. Foketi and 15. Placid start in the same match - and Placid still U/18 this year.

Good luck to them.

I've got the feeling that folks won't realise how young McIntyre is, the way he plays: not flashy but assured - or at least, I hope he still plays like that now he has left school.

Has anybody seen UJS play inside centre? I haven't. The midfield misses a lot without Samu Kerevi and I smell trouble in this area. It's a pity that CFS was not available, and fit to play, and that Allan F is playing Sevens this month.

The tight five looks good; although lock Staniforth is young and not the heaviest, there is some starch about his play, and the other lock, Senio Toleafoa, is a big bruiser to complement him. Having said that, any Oz U/20 team this month without big Senio on the park, will struggle for physicality because the third lock of the squad is rangy and light.

LHP Latu was training with the Tahs this year. He has a bunch of tricks as a prop at scrum time but don't be surprised to see him playing hooker sometimes in the tournament.

Let's hope that Hoskins has managed to scrum better at THP. He had trouble with his height in 2012 and needs to be able to scrummage low better with more leg bend; not getting lower by having his feet too far back, otherwise he will hinge down again.

With Sio and Baldwin not even starting, the backrow looks like one of the best units in the team (though talk is cheap) and well-balanced for this game.

Dempsey wouldn't have played on the openside a lot, but it will be his position as a senior. He is a ferocious player; so let's see how he goes fetching the ball.

Wells is a skilful player who can play 6 or 8 and often had to play lock in school rep teams to get some height there. I didn't see him play last year, in his first season out of school, but I doubt if he will be any less effective than he was then; and he is a valid lineout catcher. Let's see if he makes the calls.

At 8 Browning is Browning - in many ways a kind of Aussie version of Schalk Burger in general play - and he is not bad in the lineouts either.

Watch out for fullback Placid. For many Aussies this will be the first time they will see him play. I can't promise fireworks in his first match or even his first tournament, because he turned 18 just last month, but they will be seen sometime.
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Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Sorry if this has been covered but are foxtel (or anyone else for that matter) carrying this?



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