2014 IRB Junior World Championship – New Zealand

[Lee Grant]

You could be right—and they were hardly stellar last year were they?

That includes flyhalf McIntyre who I thought was poor, but it was his first year out of school and I did not mark him down too badly.

I would play Horwitz at 10, not knowing all the others, but NSW U20 played him at inside centre, which may have been planned as a national experiment.

If he plays at 12 there would be two similar guys in Burton and him: ball-paying 12s who can step.

It would be a big rise for Deegan if he gets to go to NZ because he couldn't get in the GPS Ones in the first rep game last year until the selectors sobered up.

But he can play in big games so nothing he achieves will surprise me.

At scrumhalf—people talk highly of Gale the Qld captain, though I don't think I've seen him play, without referring to old programmes.

Pulver played well in the NSW trials and playing at Sydney Uni does a young chap no harm in his rugby development.

Anybody—please comment on the 9s and 10s outside of Sydney players.
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[Forcefield]

Luke Burton is a 10/12 from WA. He was in the U20s last year. He mostly played off the bench as a utility. Scored a few tries.

Played for the Force 'A' in the recent Pacific Rugby Championship at 12 in two of the games. He's a good goal kicker. I don't get the impression that he sets the world on fire, but he seems to be a very serviceable player. Maybe a bit more of your meat and potatoes style player.

 

[Tahspark]

Great to see that the selectors didn't overlook Stewart who missed the national champs through injury. I agree with Lee that he is a big match player. He has quality by the truckload & he could make quite an impact in NZ if fully fit.

 

[FTS]

Anybody—please comment on the 9s and 10s outside of Sydney players.
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The 3rd Halfback selected is Joe Powell from Canberra. Played Colts/1st grade for Vikings last season, very tough and sound halfback, plenty of people down here have big wraps on him.

 

[I like to watch]

Luke Burton is a 10/12 from WA. He was in the U20s last year. He mostly played off the bench as a utility. Scored a few tries.

Played for the Force 'A' in the recent Pacific Rugby Championship at 12 in two of the games. He's a good goal kicker. I don't get the impression that he sets the world on fire, but he seems to be a very serviceable player. Maybe a bit more of your meat and potatoes style player.

That being the problem.
IMO Horwitz is a natural 12.
Deegan is just a sniper,that adds zero to those outside him,and has a crap kicking game.
If McIntyre doesn't excel,we are in for a power of pain.

 

[Forcefield]

Why not play Burton 10 and Horwitz at 12 then? Burton is good, he is just more Matt To'omua than Quade Cooper.

I thought McIntyre was fully shit last year at the U20s. Reece (Rhys?) Hodge was a lot better.

 

[qwerty51]

Looks like we got a decent pack again, Staniforth, Ala'alatoa, Dempsey and Sio were probably our 4 best forwards along with Hoskins. Pretty confident our pack can match NZ, SA and Eng. This time hopefully the backs do as well. Horwitz has impressed me every time I've seen him play.

 

[Lee Grant]

Horwitz has impressed me every time I've seen him play.

Including, no doubt, his play for Randwick last week v. Eastern Suburbs.

I think he'll do as a flyhalf though his best weapon is his side step.

But he won't be the goal kicker, and that's another wrinkle.
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[Hugh Jarse]

Placid had a rather forgettable cameo in the majors last night, and came off with an chest injury of some description. He is a good enough player to be able to move on from that performance, but being in Team Rehab for an extended time may/will impact on his Jnr RWC preparations. Any update on his injury?

Jack Dempsey also reported as injured during Shute Shield game. Any update on the nature of that injury?

 

[Iluvmyfooty]

Can someone explain why Dempsey was playing at 8 yesterday. He certainly looked too small for the position. Is this a reflection of where they want to play him in NZ or is it more a shortage of players at Gordon?

 

[qwerty51]

Latter I think. Mitch Greenway is a very good 7.

 

[Iluvmyfooty]

Agreed. Isn't Dempsey a 6 though

 

[Lee Grant]

Dempsey is a 6½ and so is Sean McMahon, who has started for the Melbourne Rebels at 6.

By 6½ I mean a fellow who plays 6 but is not the ideal tall rangy blindside flanker who can both run with ball in hand and also make dominant tackles and counter-ruck folks off the ball because of his physical impact. And he is not a specialist 7 either.

It would be a brave coach to leave Dempsey out of an Under 20s side in a crunch game, especially as he played so well at 7 for them last year, but Gunn is a specialist 7 as is Perry of the ACT, who Thompson has a high regard for.

You wouldn't want to leave a starting Super Rugby player like McMahon out either.

Dempsey and McMahon are near enough to the same age and the same weight, but at 190 cms Dempsey is appreciably taller for lineout work, and is good at it.

But although he has been in the NSW U20 training programme, has done a bit of training with the senior Tahs squad, and played for the senior Tahs Gen Blue side in the Pacific Rugby Cup, it is a far cry from starting in a Super Rugby match as McMahon has done.

Everybody gets time on the field in the IRB JWC and they hardly ever have their best XV start in any game —and we don't know the final 28 players now anyway—so maybe we are just talking about a storm in a teacup.
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[Waratard]

6. Dempsey
7. Mcmahon
8. Sio

 

[tranquility]

That backrow is a good chance of being the best we have, but don't discredit the ability of the other players. The backrow should be a real strength for us.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Australian Under 20s key dates 2014:

22 April-4 May 2014 International Preparation Tournament
Bond University, Gold Coast

Any snouts in the Gold Coast going along for score updates and match reports?

 

[guru13]

Are they playing any warm up matches at bond ?

 

[SuperGrover]

New Zealand has named their 28 man squad for the Junior World Championship. As usual it is a strong squad that will be one of the favourites to claim the trophy they last won in 2011.

There are just two players returning from the 2013 squad (Simon Hickey and Epalahame Faiva) and one player who turned out for Samoa at the 2013 edition (Mathew Peni). However, there are several talented newcomers such as 2013 NZ Schools captain Mitchell Jacobson, a number of players with ITM Cup experience and four players with SuperRugby experience – Simon Hickey, Mitchell Drummond and outside backs Tevita Li and Anton Lienert-Brown.

Players to Watch:
Simon Hickey and Tevita Li will probably be known to most as players with big wraps on them, but Hickey’s likely halves partner Mitchell Drummond is also a player to watch out for. Drummond is part of the 2014 Crusaders squad and has also spent time in the NZ Sevens environment. Wellington midfielder Jackson Garden-Bachop is sure to attract interest by virtue of his name alone; he is the son of former Otago All Black Stephen Bachop and former Black Fern Sue Garden-Bachop.

In the forwards, Lock James Tucker is a member of the Chiefs Development Squad and won the Bronze Boot Award for best NZ player on ground in the 2012 clash with the Australian Schoolboys; while Atunaisa Moi is also a member of the Chiefs Development Squad and an imposing Prop who played NZ Schools in 2013 and is likely to use his big frame to good effect. Finally, Tighthead Prop/Hooker Timothy Cadwallader shall be one to look out for if for no other reason than his impressive mullet.

Forwards:

BOSHIER Lachlan (Taranaki)
CADWALLADER Timothy (Manawatu)
CALLANDER Troy (Bay of Plenty)
CRIDGE Geoffrey (Hawke’s Bay)
DICKSON Joshua (Otago)
FAIVA Epalahame (Waikato)
HARRIS Kyle (Otago)
JACOBSON Mitchell (Waikato)
KOLOAMATANGI Tau (Waikato)
MELLOW Scott (Taranaki)
MOLI Atunaisa (Waikato)
O'REILLY James (Wellington)
PENI Matthew (Wellington)
SANDERS Tom (Canterbury)
TUCKER James (Waikato)

Backs:

DRUMMOND Mitchell (Canterbury)
FINAU Kaveinga (Canterbury)
FUKOFUKA Leon (Auckland)
FAIANE Tinoai (TJ) (Auckland)
GARDEN-BACHOP Jackson (Wellington)
HICKEY Simon (Auckland)
LI Tevita (North Harbour)
LIENERT-BROWN Anton (Waikato)
MCKENZIE Damian (Waikato)
MO'UNGA Richard (Canterbury)
RENTON Joshua (Otago)
TAVAE-ASO Vincent (Auckland)
TUIMAVAVE Tauasosi (Wellington)

See more at:
http://www.irb.com/jwc/news/newsid=2071085.html
http://www.allblacks.com/News/24842/nzu20-squad-named-for-irb-jwc2014

 

[SuperGrover]

South Africa has also announced their 28 man squad for the 2014 Junior World Championship. The Baby Boks have a squad that looks, on paper, to have a strong chance of regaining the trophy they won at home in 2012.

South Africa will field five players with Super Rugby experience – fly-half Handré Pollard, centre André Esterhuizen, wing Sergeal Petersen, No. 8 Aidon Davis and Hooker Malcolm Marx have all either played Super Rugby or are part of a Super Rugby squad.

Handré Pollard, Aidon Davis and Jesse Kriel all played in the bronze medal winning 2013 JWC squad while Pollard was also a part of the victorious 2012 squad. The 2014 squad also includes three players who have famous Springbok fathers – Jean-Luc du Plessis is the son of the legendary “Prince of Wings”, Carel du Plessis, and the Du Preez twins, Jean-Luc and Daniel, are the twin sons of former Springbok scrumhalf Robert du Preez.

Players to watch:
Typically the Baby Boks field an imposing forward pack and this year appears no different. So much so, that it is a little difficult to only highlight one or two.

In the front row the 2012 SA Schools hooker, Malcolm Marx is already part of the Lions Super Rugby squad and is one to watch. At almost 120kg Marx will provide plenty of heft to the Baby Boks front row and as a fairly recent convert from the back row can propel that bulk at surprising speed ensuring Marx should be hard to miss in the loose. Similarly sized Prop Thomas du Toit was included in the Sharks 2014 Super Rugby squad and, although yet to play Super Rugby, is just 18 years old.

A lock pairing of JD Schickerling, the lone Western Province representative, and Jean-Luc du Preez looks on paper to be as good as any. Schickerling is a 2.03m lock with both mobility and a high work-rate meaning he should present more than just a safe line-out target. Jean-Luc du Preez is also a talented line-out forward that possesses soft hands, the ability to off-load in the tackle and is a powerful ball-runner.

Jean-Luc’s twin brother Daniel du Preez is arguably the more promising of the two and brings size and speed to the back row along with the ability to link with the backs in open play and is hard over the ball. Paired with Aidon Davis, who already has Super Rugby experience with the Kings, and what we in Australia would view as a more traditional fetcher such as the 2011 and 2012 SA Schools Thabo Mabuza, the Baby Boks could field an imposing and well-balanced back-row.

Three backs have Super Rugby experience. The virtues of Handré Pollard have probably been extolled enough, suffice to say he has plenty of experience at this level and a punishing boot. Similarly, wing Sergeal Petersen who had a dazzling 2012 Super Rugby campaign with the Kings and only missed the 2013 JWC through injury. The final player with Super Rugby experience, Andrè Esterhuizen, is a big inside centre at 1.94m and 106kg who will obviously present a threat as a ball carrier, but should also create space and present opportunities for those outside him.

One such player is Warrick Gelant who played SA Schools in 2012 and 2013 and helped the SA under-18 team to the gold medal at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in 2013. Warrick Gelant has the speed, footwork and vision to have him marked as one of the brightest prospects in SA rugby and can play in the midfield or the outside backs; hopefully Gelant will receive enough ball in space to display his talent.


Forwards:

BRINK Cyle (Golden Lions)
DAVIS Aidon (EP Kings)
DU PREEZ Jean-Luc (Sharks)
DU PREEZ Dan (Sharks)
DU TOIT Thomas (Sharks)
DWEBA Joseph (Free State)
ELS Corniel (Blue Bulls)
LOUW Wilco (Blue Bulls)
MABUZA Thabo (Golden Lions)
MARX Malcolm (Golden Lions)
MXOLI Ngobisizwe (Blue Bulls)
NONKONTWANA Abongile (Blue Bulls)
SCHICKERLING JD (Western Province)
SCHOEMAN Pierre (Blue Bulls)
SEKEKETE Victor (Golden Lions)
VAN DER WESTHUIZEN Dayan (Blue Bulls)
JANSE VAN RENSBURG Nicolaas (Blue Bulls)

Backs:

DU PLESSIS Jean-Luc (Sharks)
ESTERHUIZEN Andrè (Sharks)
GELANT Warrick (Blue Bulls)
GREEF Lloyd (Leopards)
KRIEL Dan (Blue Bulls)
KRIEL Jesse (Blue Bulls)
MATHEWS Duncan (Blue Bulls)
MKHABELA Mthokozisi (Zee) (Free State)
PETERSEN Sergeal (EP Kings)
POLLARD Handrè (Blue Bulls)
SMITH Justin (JP) (Blue Bulls)

See more at:
http://www.irb.com/jwc/news/newsid=2071090.html#super rugby experience juniors boks

 

[Doofus]

Are they playing any warm up matches at bond ?

See ARU website

http://www.rugby.com.au/News/NewsAr...ation-for-IRB-Junior-World-Championships.aspx

Two games against Samoa - 30th April and 3 May.

Heard a team was selected today for 30th April - though no details as yet.