Both wider training squads for the RugbyWA U15s and U16s teams have been given the call up, coming away from an extremely successful RugbyWA Juniors Regional Trials.
Taking place last week, the regional trials showcased the best talent from the entire state divided into a North vs South tournament.
The long-standing three game series gives young players a chance to show off their skills allowing them to be seen outside the junior club system.
State coaches apart of the RugbyWA High Performance coaching panel were in attendance scouting for the best available players for the upcoming state tours.
Out of each age group around 40 players have been selected to train in the lead up to the tournaments with selections based off a combination of club and regional performance.
The RugbyWA U15s side will play in the coveted Junior Gold Cup (JGC) competition being held in Ballymore, Queensland from the 28th of September to the 5th of October
Coming out of the Junior Club system this year’s wider training squad is stacked with emerging talent with some players prepped for high performance rugby since February being involved in RugbyWA’s pre-season development program.
The Under 16s state side will participate in the Junior Rugby Championship in Canberra a week prior to the Under 19s championship games to show a clear connection across the national high-performance pathway system.
Many of the selected U16s players came off an extremely successful Junior Gold Cup run in 2018 coming away with third place in the competition.
High Performance & Education Development Manager Graham Cooper said the regionals program is key in outlining and refining junior talent that could sometimes be missed at club level.
“The Regional Tournament has provided a great leg up this year for the selection of the Junior state squads.”
“Our coaching panel have been able to take advantage of the tournament to identifying players key development points enabling them to plan their program early.”
“I am extremely confident with the level of talent within this year’s two state squads, it should be exciting to see what they can do come September.”
Both squads will commence training on Monday the 29th of July and will be cut down to a 25 man touring squad a week before the tournament.
See squads below
