Head Coach Jason Gilmour has released his selection for the Wider U20 Junior Wallaby Squad including seven Wests Australians apart of either the Future Force or Emerging Force pathway programs.
The squad, consisting of 87 players has been named following on from the Australian Schools tri-nations series, their club seasons as well as the inaugural U19s Rugby Championship.
Eleven players from the 2018 U20s Championship campaign as well as 22 members of the 2018 training squad will again join the Junior Wallabies fold again as they look to 2019, providing insight and experience to the newer members.
The squad will also see several members of the Australian Schools sides linking up with the training squad as they continue along the high-performance pathway.
Six of the seven players selected have come out of the Future Force Rugby Academy that has come of the back of the funding and governance from the Future Force Foundation.
The Future Force Foundation identifies high potential rugby talent and weaves them into the fabric of rugby in Western Australia. This is achieved by recruiting outstanding young players between the ages of 18 and 20 and assisting them in fulfilling their dreams of playing professional rugby and further strengthen the standard of rugby in Western Australia.
The Foundation aims to improve rugby all across the state, contributing to the funding and organisation of various senior and junior state tours ensuring athletes male and female are well equipped to maximize their development in a WA owned and built pathway.
Future Force Fullback and Junior Wallaby selection Jack Hardy performing for the West Australian Under 19s team in the URC competition
One of the major selections within this group is Wests Scarborough number eight Brody Macaskill. The young backrower had an outstanding Premier Grade Season playing for the Wests Scarborough Boars taking them to a semi-final appearance. Macaskill also captained Western Australia in the recent URC competition playing at a level that earn’t him URC Player of the Competition.
The P.G. Hampshire winner, Carlo Tizzano, has also been selected in the squad. The UWA flanker leads the URC competition in carries showing dominance with ball in hand. Tizzano will also represent his country in the Australian Schools and Under 18s team that is set to tour the Northern Hemisphere, the exposure to training and preparation at a national level with bringing another level of experience to Tizzano’s game.
Joining him will be UWA teammate Jack Hardy, Hardy has played at the fullback position and taken the kicking duties for both the Western Australian Under 19s team and the UWA premier grade side. Hardy’s skill on the counter attack play has been unmatched this year in Western Australian rugby playing a huge factor into his selection in the national squad.
Palmyra teammates Jackson Pugh and Micheal McDonald have also been chosen, Pugh an accomplished sevens player has been playing in the second row for Palmyra as well as Under 19s standing at 194cm Pugh has proven to be very disruptive towards his opponents in the line out.
McDonald who has eyes set of the scrumhalf position in this Junior Wallabies squad had a great season with Palmyra contributing to their Grand Final appearance in the Fortescue Championship Division. Also leading the URC competition in passing, McDonald’s ability to provide quick ball and keep the offence moving will be a key asset he can provide to the team.
Prop Victor Harris will be another addition to the Junior Wallabies front row, playing for an extremely talent Joondalup Brothers side Harris’s strength at the breakdown has been a key factor for Joondalup this year and his presence on the field was pivotal to the success for the 2018 Club Champions.
The final selection out of Western Australia is Wanneroo flanker Oliver Callan, the only player not in the Future Force Academy Callan has had a breakout season this year contributing to the Wanneroo back row spurring them on to a Championship Division title. The cross-code player Callan came from his Rugby League commitments and really shone for the West Australian Under 19s in the URC competition. Combined with the talents of Tizzano and Macaskill if the cards fall right the Junior Wallabies could see an all-West back row.
Junior Wallabies Head Coach, Jason Gilmore said: “This wider training squad that we have selected comes off the back of several weeks of national competition, both at the U19 Rugby Championship as well as the Australian Schoolboys.
“From here the boys will be linking up with their state-based academies where they will continue to train until we assemble in January at the Australian Institute of Sport where our preparations will really ramp up.”
Rugby Australia’s Head of National Talent Management, Adrian Thompson said: “Our 87-strong squad comes off the back of the URC and elite representative Rugby seasons where we have been able to identify and capture a lot of talented players.
“Working with the state academies we’re looking forward to seeing how these players continue to develop as move through the U20s calendar year.”
The Junior Wallabies will compete at the Oceania Rugby U20s Championship on the Gold Coast and the World Rugby U20s Championship in 2019 in Argentina.
West Australian’s selected in the Junior Wallabies Wider Training Squad
Victor Harris (Joondalup – Future Force)
Jackson Pugh (Palmyra – Future Force)
Carlo Tizzano (UWA – Future Force)
Oliver Callum (Wanneroo – Emerging Force)
Brody Macaskill (West Scarborough – Future Force)
Mike McDonald (Palmyra – Future Force)
Jack Hardy (UWA – Future Force)
