WR U20 Championship 2025
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The NZ U20 squad has been announced. The injured players and AB7s players are included. A much stronger squad.
Non-travelling reserves
Dylan Eti, Harry Irving, Raharuhi Palmer, Aio Keith, Mika Muliaina, Taniela Maisiri, Riley Tofilau, Ollie Burra, David Lewai, Randall Baker, Israel Time -
@Bovidae said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
The NZ U20 squad has been announced. The injured players and AB7s players are included. A much stronger squad.
Non-travelling reserves
Dylan Eti, Harry Irving, Raharuhi Palmer, Aio Keith, Mika Muliaina, Taniela Maisiri, Riley Tofilau, Ollie Burra, David Lewai, Randall Baker, Israel TimeCare to name a starting team from those picked? I'm assuming Logan Wallace will come straight back in at 3?
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My top XV would be this:
1 Pole
2 Oudenryn (it will be Letiu)
3 Wallace
4 Vakasiuola
5 Tengblad
6 Sa
7 Mathis
8 Bason
9 Pledger
10 Simpson/Cole
11 Vaenuku
12 Wiseman
13 Cameron
14 Kunawave
15 SolomonThe loose forward and midfield combinations will be hotly contested. I would select Sa as a 6, not a lock.
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@Bovidae said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
My top XV would be this:
1 Pole
2 Oudenryn (it will be Letiu)
3 Wallace
4 Vakasiuola
5 Tengblad
6 Sa
7 Mathis
8 Bason
9 Pledger
10 Simpson/Cole
11 Vaenuku
12 Wiseman
13 Cameron
14 Kunawave
15 SolomonThe loose forward and midfield combinations will be hotly contested. I would select Sa as a 6, not a lock.
Decent team, from what we saw in the Rugby Championship I would prefer Cole over Simpson at 10.
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@Bovidae said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
My top XV would be this:
1 Pole
2 Oudenryn (it will be Letiu)
3 Wallace
4 Vakasiuola
5 Tengblad
6 Sa
7 Mathis
8 Bason
9 Pledger
10 Simpson/Cole
11 Vaenuku
12 Wiseman
13 Cameron
14 Kunawave
15 SolomonThe loose forward and midfield combinations will be hotly contested. I would select Sa as a 6, not a lock.
I am not sure what you see in Wiseman he didn't impress me in the RC.
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@Canes4life said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
@Bovidae said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
My top XV would be this:
1 Pole
2 Oudenryn (it will be Letiu)
3 Wallace
4 Vakasiuola
5 Tengblad
6 Sa
7 Mathis
8 Bason
9 Pledger
10 Simpson/Cole
11 Vaenuku
12 Wiseman
13 Cameron
14 Kunawave
15 SolomonThe loose forward and midfield combinations will be hotly contested. I would select Sa as a 6, not a lock.
Decent team, from what we saw in the Rugby Championship I would prefer Cole over Simpson at 10.
Good Hurricanes boy as well.
With another player in a 50/50 spot. I want Harvey in the midfield too.
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@Chris said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
I am not sure what you see in Wiseman he didn't impress me in the RC.
As I said, the midfield combo could be any of them. Wiseman was preferred to Harvey. It could end up being the Crusaders duo as Cameron was injured.
I thought Wiseman was accurate and involved in a lot of tries by making the right decisions. He was still playing U18 last year so has at least one, if not two years of U20 eligibility left.
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@Bovidae said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
@Chris said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
I am not sure what you see in Wiseman he didn't impress me in the RC.
As I said, the midfield combo could be any of them. Wiseman was preferred to Harvey. It could end up being the Crusaders duo as Cameron was injured.
I thought Wiseman was accurate and involved in a lot of tries by making the right decisions. He was still playing U18 last year so has at least one, if not two years of U20 eligibility left.
I thought Wiseman went on his own at times and killed some attacking moments.
I would prefer Cameron and Roberts or Harvey and Cameron. -
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Is Finn McLeod related to Dallas?
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@Crazy-Horse said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
Is Finn McLeod related to Dallas?
He is Grizz's grandson.
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@Mamuka said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
Hello , what are the heights of Vakasiuola and Sa?
Tengblad is easily the tallest of the locks chosen. I've seen Vakasiuola listed as about 1.97 m (more with the Ardie hair), and Sa is a little shorter.
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@Bovidae said in WR U20 Championship 2025:
My top XV would be this:
1 Pole
2 Oudenryn (it will be Letiu)
3 Wallace
4 Vakasiuola
5 Tengblad
6 Sa
7 Mathis
8 Bason
9 Pledger
10 Simpson/Cole
11 Vaenuku
12 Wiseman
13 Cameron
14 Kunawave
15 SolomonThe loose forward and midfield combinations will be hotly contested. I would select Sa as a 6, not a lock.
My own preferences are pretty similar to this, including Sa as a blindside option.
One thing I'll say though, after watching way too many defensive sets from the U20 TRC, is that Xavier Treacy and Cooper Roberts put in big defensive shifts during that tournament. I'm not sure you can leave them out. Treacy was also a very reliable lineout option.
I would probably put Vakasiuola on the bench, to provide impact in the final 20-30 minutes. I'd like to see Cameron have a shot at 12 since I'm just intrigued to see what he can offer there.
I'm a bit miffed at Tofilau not being selected, I thought he did more than enough to earn his spot. Ahloo, on the other hand, can probably count himself a bit lucky, as I didn't think he had a good tournament. He's still a promising player, so hopefully he has an improved showing in Italy.
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Milton Haig has stepped down. Credit to the person that suggested it yesterday.
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"I do not feel I’m fully aligned with the coaching group around things like playing style, so have made the difficult decision to step aside to give the team its best chance of reaching its full potential".
