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New Zealand U20 make five changes to starting team for bronze final

Logan Williams of New Zealand in action during the U20 Rugby Championship match between South Africa and New Zealand at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. (Photo by Richard Huggard/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
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New Zealand U20 head coach Kane Jury has named his matchday 23 to face England in the Junior World Championship bronze match.

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There are five changes to the starting team, with prop Alex Hewitt promoted to start at tighthead and Finn McLeod joining in the second row; the rest of the forward pack remains unchanged. In the backline, Jackson Hughan has come in at halfback, with Lautasi Etuale added on the wing and Logan Williams at fullback.

New Zealand emerges from a dramatic semi-final loss to France with an injury to first-five Mika Muliaina, pushing Cohen Norie into No.10 from fullback, and an illness to left winger David Lewai.

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Coach Jury said: “A big part of our campaign has been learning to focus on the moment and the task in front of us, and that’s what we’ve done this week. It’s an important match, and we’re motivated to finish off the campaign with performance that reflects the effort and care the players have put into the tournament.”

New Zealand U20 team to play England

  1. Henry Stuart (Highlanders/Otago)
  2. Josh Findlay (Crusaders/Canterbury)
  3. Alex Hewitt (Hurricanes/Wellington)
  4. Finn McLeod (Crusaders/Canterbury)
  5. Jake Frost (Crusaders/Canterbury)
  6. Bradley Tocker (Chiefs/Taranaki)
  7. Caleb Woodley (vc) (Blues/Auckland)
  8. Patrick Mauga (Hurricanes/Hawke’s Bay)
  9. Jackson Hughan (Highlanders/Southland)
  10. Cohen Norrie (Blues/Auckland)
  11. Lautasi Etuale (Crusaders/Canterbury)
  12. Haki Wiseman (c) (Chiefs/Taranaki)
  13. Siale Pahulu (Blues/Auckland)
  14. Ollie Guerin (Chiefs/Waikato)
  15. Logan Williams (Crusaders/Canterbury)

Reserves
16. Xavier Leota (Blues/Auckland)
17. Ethan Webber (Highlanders/Otago)
18. Dane Johnston (Chiefs/Taranaki)
19. Max Fale (Crusaders/Canterbury)
20. Micah Fale (Chiefs/Waikato)
21. Charlie Sinton (vc) (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty) – Vice Captain
22. Jimmy Taylor (Highlanders / Southland)
23. Jake Hutchings (Blues/Auckland)

Unavailable for selection: Mika Muliaina (quadricep strain), David Lewai (illness)

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NoLongerARuck 46 minutes ago
Jake White: Test rugby has changed a lot since I was Bok coach

Yeah rugby has changed alot and that has to do with the massive physical demands being placed on peak athletes and the professionalisation of the sport. Athletes these days are subject to strict conditioning standards and have to eat right, drink right, train right, rest right and play with the right technique. The phsical standards in rugby have become increasingly professionalised and rugbys athletes now compare with any top tier sport globally. Games are up, increased intensity of collisions, the effects of multiple collisions are now well known by medicine and the cumulative stress modern rugby takes on the body is well studied. Caps are not being handed out for fun, its become a necessity to rest and rotate or injuries can become inevitable. Some might argue that injuries are already inevitable for the modern rugby player, I struggle to name one who hasnt faced a serious career threatening injury. Stats have become more relevant and informs innovation. Innovation has become essential for success. Those who stand still achieve little. Coaching teams are ballooning because you have to find coaches that see the game differently and who can give you an edge. The inches now matter in rugby and is often the difference between success and failure. Players are increasingly becoming mercenaries, you go where the money is and your players play around the world. Rugby is no longer a regional game but is become increasingly globalised. The world cup matters most because it has become the ultimate success to win it. Its now the hardest comp in the world to win. Traditionalists want their players to play at home, they want fewer subs, the best players to play more, they want to maintain the sanctity of the the cap and they find stats hollow. They see the game that used to be and wonder where its gone. The game grew up, the game evolved and if you dont evolve with it you lose. It about time the traditionalists grew up.

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