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Reds star Tom Lynagh headlines 30-player Junior Wallabies squad

By Finn Morton
Tom Lynagh of the Reds looks on during the round one Super Rugby Pacific match between Queensland Reds and Hurricanes at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, on February 25, 2023, in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Reds playmaker Tom Lynagh will represent the Junior Wallabies at the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa, with Rugby Australia confirming the squad on Wednesday.

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Following a “successful” trip to New Zealand, the 30-player squad for the prestigious age-grade rugby event has been revealed.

Just as he did in New Zealand, Waratahs halfback Teddy Wilson will captain the Junior Wallabies in South Africa. Force backrower Ned Slack-Smith and Reds hooker Max Craig are the vice-captains.

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Looking to win the tournament for the first time ever, coach Nathan Grey said “it will take a squad effort” to achieve their goal.

“After completing a successful tour to New Zealand, we are excited to represent Australia in Cape Town and test ourselves against the rest of the world,” Grey said.

“All players who have been part of the program this year have worked extremely hard together to give our team the best opportunity for success.

“It will take a squad effort to deliver performances we are proud of and achieve our goal of winning the tournament.

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“The Barbarians game will be the final piece of the preparation puzzle, getting us match-ready and physically prepared for what we will face in South Africa.”

The Junior Wallabies will take plenty of positives and belief out of the two-match series across the ditch, which saw them win the first clash by eight points.

But they weren’t able to go back-to-back.

Australia went down swinging in the second match at Sky Stadium – losing a thriller 19-18 ahead of the Hurricanes’ clash with the Crusaders.

The Junior Wallabies will assemble in Sydney before a final match against a Barbarians side, before traveling to South Africa on June 17.

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Australia will face Fiji, England and Ireland in pool play, with the event getting underway later this month on June 24.

Junior Wallabies squad

Reds

Taj Annan

Nick Baker

Nick Bloomfield

John Bryant

Max Craig (vc)

Trevor King

Tom Lynagh

Harry McLaughlin-Phillips

Tim Ryan

Harrison Usher

Force

Ronan Leahy

Jhy Legg

Marley Pearce

Ned Slack-Smith (vc)

Brumbies

Liam Borwon

Massimo De Lutiis

Lachlan Hooper

Toby McPherson

Klayton Thorn

Rebels

Mason Gordon

Darby Lancaster

DanieL Maiava

Leafi Talataina

David Vaihu

Waratahs

Jack Barrett

Jack Bowen

Ollie McCrea

Henry O’Donnell

Jacksob Ropaata

Teddy Wilson (c)

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Jon 8 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 10 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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