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Junior Wallabies shock rugby world by demolishing New Zealand in Oceania U20s Championship final

By Online Editors
The Junior Wallabies nilled New Zealand at Bond University. Credit: Oceania Rugby/Sportography

The Junior Wallabies have won the Oceania U20s Championship for the first time leaving New Zealand scoreless 24-nil at Bond University on the Gold Coast on Saturday night.

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In front of 2,136 strong crowd, the Junior Wallabies have finished their Oceania campaign on a high, remaining undefeated. It marks the second time in history that Australia has defeated the New Zealand U20s.

Australia’s Will Harris kicked 14 points at Bond University to secure the Junior Wallabies win adding to his championship total of 33.

Junior Wallabies Head Coach Jason Gilmore said: “We have prepped well for a good performance tonight and the boys delivered.

“The most pleasing aspect was to keep our opposition scoreless in our last two matches.

“Winning is a habit and we aimed to win this tournament which is a great effort.

“However, we can’t get carried away. The World Championship is the aim and we need to stay humble, keep working hard and enjoy what we do,” Gilmore said.

The Junior Wallabies now look ahead to the World Rugby U20s Championship in Argentina in June where they will face Italy, England and Ireland in Pool B.

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In the earlier match of the day, Fiji took out their first win of the Championship defeating Junior Japan 57-39.

After staring down the Haka the Junior Wallabies were first to receive the ball in slippery conditions on the Gold Coast. The Junior Wallabies took to the scoreboard first with Will Harrison starting the match on a high and converting his first penalty of the night. After a fierce aerial battle, Australia yet again won the ball back of the visitors and Harrison continued his accuracy slotting the points to give the Junior Wallabies a 6-nil lead.

New Zealand would attempt to strike next following a Junior Wallabies penalty but New Zealand’s Fergus Blake missed the kick as Australia’s maintained the lead. A subsequent offensive from the All Blacks saw them succumb to the defensive wall of the Junior Wallabies, and a penalty to the men in Gold again saw Will Harrison continue his pinpoint accuracy extending the lead 9-nil.

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A dominate Australian scum continued its form and allowed the team to retain the ball on their own line. The following penalty saw Harrison again opt for the kicking tee as he extended the Australian to 12-nil lead. A powerful Australian outfit continued to steal New Zealand ball, however the slippery conditions saw the Junior Wallabies turn the ball over with a penalty. However New Zealand’s Fergus Blake was again unsuccessful in adding the extras.

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A powerful rolling maul from the New Zealand side followed and saw the Junior Wallabies defensive efforts put to the limit, with Will Harris issued with a yellow card to following a high tackle and the Australian’s heading into the sheds up 12-nil at halftime.

Following the kick off a powerful Junior Wallabies scrum saw star flyhalf Will Harrison regather the ball and kick it deep into New Zealand territory as the Junior Wallabies continued to apply the pressure. It was here that Noah Lolesio regathered the ball and put it up in the air, across the field and into the hands of Triston Reilly who would then cross over for Australia’s first try of the match, taking the Junior Wallabies to 17-nil at the midpoint of the second half.

A maul off the back of a lineout followed the restart and saw captain Fraser McReight crossing the line in what would be the last try of the match. Harrison again added the extras extending the Australian lead 24-nil.

It was at this point coach Gilmore called on the reinforcements with Pat Tafa, Esei Ha’angana and Bo Abra coming on to replace Will Harris, Trevor Hosea and Angus Bell. They had an immediate effect with Australia again overpowering a New Zealand maul to earn the lineout for themselves and again regaining the ball.

The last few minutes of the game saw the side bolstered by Nathan Lawson, Ollie Barden, Carlo Tizzano, Ben Donaldson, Henry Robertson who replaced Harry Wilson, Josh Nasser, Fraser McReight, Will Harrison and Michael McDonald to ensure the men in gold kept the visitors scoreless at full time.

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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