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Australian Schoolboys / Under 18s 2019

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
Might as well start a new thread with this news.

Brumbies Assistant Coach Peter Hewat has been named as the new Australian Schools and U18s Head Coach for 2019.

The former NSW Waratahs and Brumbies back played over 150 matches which also included stints at London Irish and Suntory and he still is the NSW Waratahs third highest points scorer with 636 points.

After hanging up the boots in 2012, Hewat transitioned to a coaching role with Suntory, helping to guide the team to their 2017 Top League Premiership as backs coach.

Hewat will be joined by two assistant coaches, who will come from within the school system. The Australian Schools Rugby Union will be involved in the process of appointing the two assistants.

The role will see Hewat work alongside the Head of National Talent Management and State Academy staff to select the final squad.

The Academy programs are designed to enable all participants to achieve their Rugby goals, without hindering their club or school Rugby commitments.

The Academies will also ensure that school leavers who are eligible to play U18s Rugby have the opportunity to represent their country.

Following a series of Academy fixtures, an Australian Schools and U18s side will be selected, continuing in the tradition of National fixtures against Fiji U18 Schools, New Zealand School Barbarians and New Zealand Schools.

Rugby Australia’s National Head of Talent Management, Adrian Thompson said: “We are happy to have Peter involved in the first year of our new structure. He’s proven himself both as a player and a coach and this opportunity allows him to gain some Head Coaching experience.

“We would like to thank the Brumbies who are supporting this venture. It's an excellent opportunity to give a Super Rugby coach the chance to guide a National under age team.

“Our Academies will feed into the Australian Schools and U18s program which will allow for a better-connected pathway through to the Junior Wallabies and Super Rugby clubs.”

Australian Schools and U18 Head Coach, Peter Hewat said: “I’m really looking forward to taking on this role with the Australian Schools and U18s program and coaching a great young group of players.

“This is an exciting time for the Rugby Australia pathway with our academies, schools and clubs having greater alignment and I’m looking forward to working with the players and my fellow coaches to develop our next generation of talent,” said Hewat.

There will be a formal media opportunity during the Junior Wallabies training camp in mid-March.

2019 U18 Academy Fixtures:
Brumbies v Rebels, March 3, Seiffert Oval
Rebels v Reds, June 30, Brimbank Rugby Club
Rugby WA v NSWJRU 18s, July 6, UWA
Rebels v Rugby WA, July 19, Brimbank Rugby Club
Brumbies v Rugby WA, July 21, Albury
Waratahs v Brumbies, September 15, Waratahs Headquarters
Reds v Waratahs, September 22, Ballymore

Australian Schools and U18 fixtures
(Final squad announced on Sunday, September 22)
Australian Schools & 18s v Fiji Schools, September 26, Hamilton NZ
Australian Schools & 18s v NZ Schools Barbarians, September 30, Hamilton NZ
Australian Schools & 18s v New Zealand Schools, October 4, Hamilton NZ
 

The Nomad

Bob Davidson (42)
Anyone know what happened to the last coach Andrew Moloney?
Andrew is the DOR at Churchie, the GPS schools in Qld are not supporting the Schoolboys pathway up here, instead seem to be going with the Academy set up.

Might have something to do with that,
 

Jets

Paul McLean (56)
Staff member
ASRU Team Management Appointments 2019

Appointed by the ASRU Committee at its recent Meeting.

Appointments for Doctors, Physiotherapist and S and C Coaches will be finalIsed after consultation with Rugby Australia Medical staff.



Australian Schools and Under 18 Team

Manager – John Guy

Assistant Manager – Gavin Hosking

Assistant Coaches—2 – Andrew Moloney & James Hilgendorf

Selector—John Papahatzis



Australian Schools Barbarians Team

Manager – Keiran Smith

Assistant Manager – Chris Daykin

Coach – Daniel Hawke

Assistant Coach – Ben McGee

Selectors –Geoff Melville Daniel Hawke(Coach_)



Combined States Team

Manager – Kieran Smith

Coach – Tim Sedgwick

Assistant Coach – Jonathan Harvey
 

Oldschool

Jim Clark (26)
A question regarding the QLD teams.....
Apart from Gregory Terrace did the rest of the GPS schools opt out?
 

The Nomad

Bob Davidson (42)
A question regarding the QLD teams...
Apart from Gregory Terrace did the rest of the GPS schools opt out?
In short , yes .

The GPS as a whole decided to put their support behind the Academy pathway, GT broke ranks of sort and didn’t stand in the way of students who wanted to trial. Not all of their top talent did trial .

The majority of the AIC comp supported it , with MCA the exception.
 

Oldschool

Jim Clark (26)
So if I've got this right. Qld 1 & 2 Schools will play in the school boy national champs in July for a barbars jersey.

The preordained academy boys (NSW & QLD) get to play 2 games over a March to September period. WA, Rebels and Brumbies to play one more over that period for some reason - maybe they need the practice.

Why aren't the barbars, aka the also rans from the national champs, playing the NSW & QLD academy boys to see if they are up to standard or not. Surely this would help Hewat to make the right selection choices and maybe emulate what the U20's did on the weekend. Or are the Academies so confident that they have already identified the talent in their regions that the 2 extra games would be a waste of resources and not to mention save a few potential blushes if they got rolled by some lads in their catchment.
 

The Nomad

Bob Davidson (42)
Not quite , it seems that Qld is the only state that hasn't been able to reach some sort of agreement between Schoolboys and Academy. NSW and Vic are including their Academy players in the Schoolboys teams that are headed to Riverview. After the National Champs they will announce teams to play home games in Sept against Samoa I think.

There is an Australian U18 ( & Schoolboys) team named after the Reds V Waratahs U18 game played at Ballymore towards the end of Sept that can effectively chose from any U18 lad playing rugby in the country. That team tours NZ in early Oct.
 

Dean Moriarty

Billy Sheehan (19)
So the theory would suggest Nomad. But practically, in Queensland, unless you were part of the show last year as a 17 year old that had their Schoolboy opportunity , or , 1 of 15 or so pre-ordained current 17 year old Academy participants you don't exist.

Oldschool hit the nail on the head . There are too many vested interests and not enough true independent resources for it not to be made to work as it should.

In the 90's Australia won two World Cups off the back of the strongest grassroots and club participation that had built over 20 years or so since the mid to late 70'. Co-incidence ?

Nup.Players had to cut it in Club first against men before they earned QLD call up. And what do you know Australia had a tonne of success without all the overlay of horse shit. The overlay of horse shit is basically manufactured excessive jobs with more segmenting and layering to justify existence. They won't admit it but these guys are almost obliged to make their 15 and 16 year old selections work and give them priority of opportunity despite what actually happens.

Too harsh ?

The results of "the new pathway" and it's evolvement over the last 7 years speaks for itself if sensitivities and bullshit are put to the side and the only thing that matters is results as an indicator as to whether your programs are working . So no real meaningful results against best in show , that being the Kiwis , at Schoolboy or U20 level . Senior level for that matter. And Australian Rugby continues to find new low points.
 

Chip kick

Allen Oxlade (6)
The letter sent to all schools seems to indicate that some kids have already been identified and are in the academies, they don't have to go to the National school comp in july. I wonder how many kids are from GPS,CAS and ISA schools in this system already. It seems if you made a rep team last year you're in. I ran into a sydney north SJRU team training last week they are also on a pathway to the schools comp, but first have to be picked out of the 4 conferences. I wonder how much talent just doesn't get to showcase their skills in this new system.
 

The Nomad

Bob Davidson (42)
So the theory would suggest Nomad. But practically, in Queensland, unless you were part of the show last year as a 17 year old that had their Schoolboy opportunity , or , 1 of 15 or so pre-ordained current 17 year old Academy participants you don't exist.

Oldschool hit the nail on the head . There are too many vested interests and not enough true independent resources for it not to be made to work as it should.

In the 90's Australia won two World Cups off the back of the strongest grassroots and club participation that had built over 20 years or so since the mid to late 70'. Co-incidence ?

Nup.Players had to cut it in Club first against men before they earned QLD call up. And what do you know Australia had a tonne of success without all the overlay of horse shit. The overlay of horse shit is basically manufactured excessive jobs with more segmenting and layering to justify existence. They won't admit it but these guys are almost obliged to make their 15 and 16 year old selections work and give them priority of opportunity despite what actually happens.

Too harsh ?

The results of "the new pathway" and it's evolvement over the last 7 years speaks for itself if sensitivities and bullshit are put to the side and the only thing that matters is results as an indicator as to whether your programs are working . So no real meaningful results against best in show , that being the Kiwis , at Schoolboy or U20 level . Senior level for that matter. And Australian Rugby continues to find new low points.
Just won the U20 Oceania Champs against the Junior ABs , haven’t beaten the NZ U18s since 2012, hopefully being able to pick all available 18 year olds for Australia U18 rather than just those at school might break the drought , will find out come October. No system perfect, also remember it seems like Qld only have managed to really make a balls up of the new pathways.

Regarding the good old days of earning your stripes in clubland, couldn’t agree more . Unfortunately the professional era has mostly put an end to that, as I’m sure you realise , you need a contract to play professional rugby and there is a finite number of those available. Super rugby teams aren’t the rep teams of old . Many of the young kids coming through now see rugby as a career option and professional franchises are sort of forced to lock in a certain amount of talent to avoid it going elsewhere. Very different to the good old days, but what’s the alternative?
 

Dean Moriarty

Billy Sheehan (19)
Not knocking the boys who won last Saturday Night but what is that ? One win in 7 years. The "pathway" hasn't worked and there is zero justification to continue to segment and bolster it in financial sense and a glib sales sense to convince stakeholders of its merits,other than to keep self interested bums on seats at the administrative and operational level of the game.

You sort of also highlighted the fundamental issue in your reply. Where Rugby reacts in this idea that we can share athletes and compete with League. Consequently commitments are made very early and at least a third of the time to the wrong types for different reasons , but where those commitments continue to be justified. And where the filtering is dodgy as fuck. The war is over. League won. Wake up. Rather than homogenise with League , Rugby needs to get its balls back and be fiercely unapologetic about what it stands for which may mean rediscovering and promoting some of the old values that defined the game and why you play it. This was lost in a mismanagement of vision and identity in the emergence of the "new media" over the last 20 years .

We're not competing with League. We're niche. Always were and always will be. Get better at defining values and selling the value proposition , which at the moment , is completely absent and doesn't exist . Hence there is nothing to sell. And you need to have something to sell other than playing bucks and gladiatorial prestige. The stage is part of it but Rugby always was about life after and networks and careers and education and roundedness leading up to that . And this was , and still can be , rooted in community found in Clubs and upwards from there. We've thrown all that way in a race to the lowering mean with League
 

The Nomad

Bob Davidson (42)
Do you really think the old Schoolboys system was not without politics or bias ?

If you want to go back to the amateur era , I agree with everything you have said . If you want niche , that was 20 years ago. All professional sports now compete with all other sports and all other forms of entertainment for that mater. I would love to wind back the clock for many reasons other than rugby , but that’s not happening. Remember you are preaching to the converted on a forum such as this .
 

Dean Moriarty

Billy Sheehan (19)
Of course. I was never extolling any virtue there.

No, I don't want to go back to the Amateur era. Clearly that is not possible. But I do believe in niche where small can be the new big . Yes there is competition for eyes on screens and bums on seats. But we're losing at the moment in what we think we have to be to compete and we lack true leadership across every level in the game that can't or won't reimagine our traditional values and make them relevant in the modern context in an effort to be proudly niche and differentiated . Which is the key to the space that you are trying to own.

The massive latent value in Clubs is a significant solution piece to the puzzle. The people on the ground have already spoken when you look at turnout rates and interest in Shute Shield and here in Premier Grade and then compare that to the piss poor crowds at Tahs and Reds games. The top end of the game is simply way too disconnected to its grassroots , from where , you will be able to build your values and your identity. Which like I said doesn't exist in any meaningful sense anymore.
 
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