New Zealand Under 19 Squad named to tour South Africa
5 September 2022The New Zealand Under 19 squad has been selected by Head Coach Mark Hammett to embark on a tour of South Africa later this month.
A total of 30 players will travel to South Africa, to play four challenging fixtures against age group representative teams from the Stormers, Sharks, Lions and Leopards.
The New Zealand Under 19 squad is:
|
Ajay Faleafaga |
Otago |
|
Ale Aho |
Auckland |
|
Andrew Smith |
Waikato |
|
Bradley Crichton |
Wellington |
|
Byron Smith |
Auckland |
|
Cody Nordstrom |
Waikato |
|
Cooper Flanders |
Hawke’s Bay |
|
Dylan Irvine |
Tasman |
|
Epeli Waqaicece |
Manawatū |
|
Essendon Tuitupou |
Auckland |
|
Finn Hurley |
Otago |
|
Gabe Robinson |
Waikato |
|
Hunter Morrison |
Manawatū |
|
Isaac Hutchinson |
Canterbury |
|
Jack Taylor |
Southland |
|
Jordi Viljoen |
Manawatu |
|
Keran van Staden |
Counties Manukau |
|
Leo Gordon |
Auckland |
|
Mefi Poseti Tupou |
Hawke’s Bay |
|
Nic Shearer |
Canterbury |
|
Riley Williams |
Auckland |
|
Rory Woods |
Northland |
|
Sam Hainsworth-Fa’aofo |
Auckland |
|
Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa |
Otago |
|
Siale Lauaki |
Wellington |
|
Tahlor Cahill |
Canterbury |
|
Taine Kolose |
Bay of Plenty |
|
Toby Taylor |
Bay of Plenty |
|
Torian Barnes |
Canterbury |
|
Will Stodart |
Otago |
Unavailable for Selection:
|
Caleb Tangitau |
Auckland |
|
Che Clark |
Auckland |
|
Harry Godfrey |
Hawke’s Bay |
|
Macca Springer |
Tasman |
|
Noah Hotham |
Tasman |
|
Peter Lakai |
Wellington |
|
Raymond Tuputupu |
Manawatu |
|
Taha Kemara |
Waikato |
New Zealand Rugby’s (NZR) High Performance Player Development Manager Matt Sexton said the tour will be a great opportunity for the growth and development of the Under 19 age group.
“Over the past two years, Covid-19 has impacted the opportunities available for this cohort. To have the tour come together, is fantastic. We believe, exposing this group to quality South African age group sides who will play a different style of game provides a unique development opportunity for this next generation of players. This experience, alongside international travel and quality coaching will also accelerate these players preparation for the proposed Under 20 Rugby World Cup in July next year.”
“It was a difficult task selecting just 30 players for this group, we are fortunate to be able to select from a talented cohort of players. We are excited to see what Mark and his management group will achieve with this group of individuals while in South Africa,” finished Sexton.
The team will assemble at Lincoln University on Sunday 11 September for a camp prior to departing for South Africa on Tuesday 13 September.
Schedule:
New Zealand v Stormers, Monday 19 September, TBC, Stellenbosch
New Zealand v Sharks, Saturday 24 September, Kings Park, Durban
New Zealand v Leopards, Thursday 29 September, TBC, Potchefstroom
New Zealand v Lions, Tuesday 4 October, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
