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Blues release two future stars for Super Rugby Aotearoa Under 20s competition
The bye week has come at the perfect time, as far as two of the Blues’ most promising young stars will be concerned.
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From Sunday, the Blues Under 20s side will compete with other age-grade representative teams from across the country for the inaugural Super Rugby Aotearoa Under 20s trophy and the Auckland-based side will be bolstered by the inclusion of outside back Jacob Ratumaituvuki-Kneepkens and hooker Soane Vikena.
The pair will be available for just the Blues’ opening match of the competition but it will grant the two youngsters the opportunity to finally amass some minutes this year, having not yet had a run around for the full squad.
Vikena was named the Blues development player of the year in 2020 but suffered a pec injury when representing Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup and has only just returned to full fitness.
Meanwhile, Ratumaituvuki-Kneepkens was a stand-out for Taranaki in last year’s provincial competition and has featured for the New Zealand national sevens side.
Former Saint Kentigerns loose forward Cam Church will lead the side but he’ll be well supported by the team’s many former high school captains.
Hooker Ray Sua (Kelston Boys), prop Leandro Vakatini (Kings College) and loosies Chlayton Frans (Westlake Boys) and Church all captained their schools’ First XVs.
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A number of players have previously earned national selection for either NZ Secondary Schools or Under 18s squads, including hookers Viken and Hanz Leota, locks James Brown and Allan Craig, loose forwards Church and Dayto Iobu Vaiolini Ekuasi, halfback Manu Paea, first five Christian Stenhouse, and midfielder Meihana Grindlay. Corey Evans was also selected in the wider national Under 20 squad for 2020.
There are players with strong family links to sporting success including Auckland prop Josh Fusitua, a brother of Warriors player David Fusitua and loose forward Wallace Sititi, whose father Semo played in the Rugby World Cup for Manu Samoa.
The Blues Under 20 squad warmed up with a 26-12 win over the Chiefs last weekend and will play the Crusaders at 3pm on Sunday 11 April; the Barbarians at 11.30am on Wednesday 14 April and the Hurricanes at 3pm on Saturday 17 April.
Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens hardly let the ink on his final high school exam dry before his professional rugby career took off, but it could have taken a drastically different turn had an NRL club had its way.https://t.co/JpUBE22EOn
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 19, 2021
Blues Under 20 Squad:
Hooker: Soane Vikena (Blues), Ray Sua (Auckland), Hanz Leota (Auckland)
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Prop: Leandro Vakatini (Auckland), Josh Fusitua (Auckland), Esile Fono (Northland), Sione Ahio (Auckland), Ryan Mead (North Harbour)
Lock: James Brown (Auckland), Allan Craig (Northland), Josh Beehre (Auckland)
Loose forwards: Wallace Sititi (Auckland), Chlayton Frans (North Harbour), Cam Church (Auckland, Captain), Will Bason (Auckland), Jordan Hutchings (Auckland), Vaiolini Ekuasi (Auckland)
Halfback: Manu Paea (Auckland), Dayton Iobu (Auckland)
First five: Christian Stenhouse (Auckland), Jock McKenzie (Auckland)
Midfield: Meihana Grindlay (Auckland), Corey Evans (Auckland), Sage Shaw-Tait (Auckland)
Outside backs: Joel Cobb (Auckland), Ryan Nankivell (Auckland), Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens (Blues), Sofai Maka (Auckland).
Listen to the latest episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod below:
Comments on RugbyPass
Firstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
99 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
99 Go to commentsHo hum.
99 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
99 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
99 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
99 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
99 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
99 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
99 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
99 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
99 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
99 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
99 Go to comments