From Sunday, 9 October to Sunday, 13 November, the most promising young male Rugby players in the country will represent their Super Rugby Pacific clubs and go head-to-head in the National U16 and U19 Rugby Championships.
Until 2019, this competition was only run over one week - to develop the professional experiences of players it now follows a five-week doubleheader format that helps clubs build more deeply engrained cultures right throughout their junior development pathways.
This championship is an imperative part of the Australian pathway programs as it opens avenues for the best young stars across the country to make as strong a case as possible for advancement towards full-time professional Super Rugby Pacific squads.
Nathan Grey, the High-Performance National Programs Coach, will select a preliminary 2023 Junior Wallabies squad from the U19s championship and an U16s select team. He says this championship will showcase some of the brightest young talents in the country.
"With COVID-19 restricting a lot of the development opportunities for young players, this five-week period will be the perfect chance to identify talent, and see how they handle the travel and preparatory demands of high-performance sport."
"These are our future Super Rugby Pacific players and possibly Wallabies – it is a really exciting opportunity for Rugby Australia to highlight the pathways for these kids and keep them engaged in their Rugby journey."
Every match of the National U16 and U19 Rugby Championships will be broadcast on Stan Sport – ensuring fans will have every opportunity to see the exciting skill on display.
*Each round is scheduled to be a U16 and U19 double header, with the final to be played on 13 November at a venue that is yet to be confirmed.
9th October – ACT Brumbies V Force, Viking Park – U16 11:00am, U19 12:30pm
9th October – Reds V Waratahs, Sunnybank RC – U16 1:00pm, U19 2:30pm
Rebels V BYE
12th October – Rebels V Force, Powerhouse Junior Rugby Club – U16 12:00pm, U19 1:30pm
16th October – Waratahs V ACT Brumbies, Waratahs HQ, Daceyville – U16 12:30pm, U19 2:00pm
Reds V BYE
23rd October – Waratahs V Rebels, Waratahs HQ, Daceyville – U16 1:00pm, U19 2:15pm
23rd October – ACT Brumbies V Reds, Viking Park – U16 2:30pm, U19 4:00pm
Force V BYE
30th October – Force V Reds, Southern Lions RC – U16 10:30am, U19 12:00pm
30th October – Rebels V ACT Brumbies, Powerhouse Junior Rugby Club – U16 12:00pm, U19 1:30pm
Waratahs V BYE
6th November – Force V Waratahs, Wanneroo RC – U16 9:30am, U19 11:00am
6th November – Reds V Rebels, Sunnybank RC – U16 11:45am, U19 1:15pm
ACT Brumbies V BYE
13th November – 1st Place V 2nd Place, Venue TBC – U16 TBC, U19 TBC
