iRB Under 19 World Championship 2007

[Burgs]

Ford Australian U19s to be tested by home-town favourites

April 05, 2007 - 2:07pm
Story by: ARU

Reigning World Under 19s Rugby Champions Australia face a tough initiation in the early hours of tomorrow (AEST) when they take on host country Ireland in the first of their three pool matches.

The 24-man Ford Australian U19s squad has been training hard at the world-class facilities provided for them at the Australian Institute of Sport, and is primed to defend the title they won last year.

Returning from the victorious 2006 team are captain Brett Gillespie and Vice Captain Sam Wykes, as well as power-players Ben Daley and James Hanson.

With an intimate knowledge of the tournament, these four are expected to use their experience gained last year to full effect .

If history is any guide, Ireland will be a formidable foe.

Coach Phil Mooney is under no illusions about the task ahead of the Australians.

“We are in a tough pool with Ireland - France and Fiji will be no easy tasks either,” Mooney predicted.

“We have trained hard and made the most of our short time together. We now have to take what we have done on the training field and execute it in a match situation”.

The team for the opening pool game against Ireland on Thursday (5 April) is as follows;

1. Tetera Faulkner
2. James Hanson
3. Daniel Palmer
4. Robert Simmons
5. Sam Wykes (VC)
6. Ben McCalman
7. Rodney Maa
8. Michael Uoka

9. Jeremy Sua
10. Patrick McCabe
11. Andrew Barrett
12. Brett Gillespie (C)
13. Rowan Kellam
14. Alfred Mafi
15. Peter Betham

16. Ben Daley
17. Daniel Penca
18. Albert Anae
19. Adam Campbell
20. Jared Hargreaves
21. Chris Harkins
22. Dan Robinson
23. Jason Ryan
24. Mitchell Inman
25. Blair Connor
26. John Grant

NB: Under tournament rules, all squad members can be named as reserves, but only seven replacements can be used.

To view the full draw visit www.irbu19.com . Australia's results throughout the tournament will be available on www.rugby.com.au

IRB Under 19 World Championship - Australia’s Matches

Day 1 – Thursday 5th April 2007
Australia v Ireland

Day 2 – Monday 9th April 2007
Australia v Fiji

Day 3 – Thursday 13th April 2007
Australia v France

[Evie]

iRB UNDER 19 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2007
Australia 15-10 Ireland
5 APRIL 2007
By David Beggs
iRB

Australia overcome a sluggish start to beat a courageous and spirited Ireland side 15-10 at Ravenhill to get their defence of the IRB Under 19 World Championship crown off to a winning start on Thursday 5 April.

There was an electric atmosphere when the host nation side ran out on to the pitch to be greeted by a crowd of 6,715 and, with ‘Ireland’s Call’ still ringing in their ears, they started the game in a positive fashion.

The physical attitude of the Irish pack rocked the champions back in the early exchanges with Ireland’s tactics of the driving maul really exposing a much larger Australian pack, although the scrambled defence of the Australians prevented the Irish from gaining the points they deserved.

There were some nerves evident in the southern hemisphere side, however their physicality at the tackle was enough to keep the Irish at bay. Ireland had numerous attempts at getting those first points, but individual errors at crucial times let them down.

Ireland eventually turned this period of good play into points by utilising a cross field kick, which wing Niall Morris gathered and touched down. The try went unconverted and with Ireland hoping to add to this score Australia were forced to defend resolutely.

This defence spilled over to ill discipline at times, resulting in referee James Jones sin-binning scrum half Jeremy Su’a and only minutes later he sent off number 8 Michael Uoka to reduce Australia to 13 men.

Stirring performances

However Ireland couldn’t make their numerical advantage count and had to settle for a 5-0 advantage at half time over the defending champions. Ireland then had a player of their own sin-binned early in the second half in second row Brian Cawley.

Australia came out all guns blazing after the break, despite having 14 men on the field, and impressive performances from captain Brett Gillespie and the forward pack, especially Sam Wykes, subdued the vocal home crowd.

The defending champions took the lead through a try by wing Andrew Barrett, which was converted by Rowan Kellam. Barrett then claimed a second in the corner after sustained pressure on the Irish line and some enterprising back play.

Ireland coach Charlie McAleese sent on a clutch of replacements and they, together with the crowd, rejuvenated the side and they enjoyed a period of pressure before being rewarded when Adam Sherry crashed over with the help from his forwards for the try to cut the deficit to 12-10.

Eion O’Malley’s conversion dropped agonisingly short for the home crowd and Australia made certain of victory with a penalty by Kellam, leaving an Ireland side led by inspirational captain Paul Ryan to reflect on a bonus point and a performance appreciated by their loyal supporters.

QUOTES:

Australian coach Phil Mooney: “It was a very difficult game, we knew what to expect from the Irish at the start, credit to them they played really well. It was a tough test for our players in such an enthralling atmosphere. My guys showed great character and we are delighted with the four points.”

Australia captain Brett Gillespie: “We were expecting a physical contest. This was a wake up call and we know what standard we have to play at from here forward.”

Ireland coach Charlie McAleese: “It was an electric atmosphere, which makes for a great tournament. We gave away size and experience to this side but testimony to Paul and his team where they stuck at it and got a bonus point.

Irish captain Paul Ryan: “I am hugely disappointed but we have to take the positives into our next game against Scotland, where we hope to give the crowd more entertaining rugby.”

Australia - 15
Tries: Andrew Barrett (2)
Conversions: Rowan Kellam (1)
P/Goals: Rowan Kellam (1)
Cards: Yellow: Jeremy Su'a (27th min); Red: Michael Uoka (33rd min)
def
Ireland - 10
Tries: Niall Morris, Adam Craig
Cards: Yellow: Brain Cawley (39th min)

[Burgs]

Division A match day one roundup

5 APRIL 2007, IRB

South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, England, Australia and France recorded wins on the opening day of Division A action at the IRB Under 19 World Championship 2007.

Hosts Ireland almost pulled off a shock win over defending champions Australia at Ravenhill, but despite leading 5-0 at half time, they eventually succumbed 15-10.

Robert Fruean scored a hat trick of tries inside 13 minutes against Wales at Ravenhill to give New Zealand the perfect start to their challenge for the IRB U19 World Championship crown.

Although Wales recovered to be only 20-7 down at half time, New Zealand controlled the second half to register a 37-14 victory.

England trailed Samoa 9-3 at one stage in their match at Shaw's Bridge, but recovered to defeat their opponents 20-12. Earlier at the same venue, Argentina beat Japan 41-8.

2005 champions South Africa defeated newly-promoted Fiji 36-5 at Belfast Harlequins. France, fourth in Division A in 2006, struggled to defeat Scotland 11-6.

[Burgs]

IRB U19: Division A roundup

9 APRIL 2007

New Zealand, Australia, England, Wales, France and Ireland recorded wins on the second day of action in Division A of the IRB Under 19 World Championship 2007.

New Zealand head the Division on 10 points, one ahead of defending champions Australia. France and England, the other two unbeaten teams, lie in third and fourth respectively on eight points with one pool match remaining.

Ireland kept alive their hopes of qualifying in the top four of Division A with a last-gasp 13-12 victory over Scotland at Ravenhill. Although camped on the Scottish line for much of the last five minutes of the match, they had to wait until Eoin O'Malley burrowed his way over the line in injury time to bring them to within a point of the Scots. Scott Deasy sent the large crowd into raptures with the vital conversion.

Earlier at the same venue, France's power proved too much for South Africa as they defeated the 2005 champions 17-8 and maintained their 100% start to the tournament.

Last year's Division A finalists Australia and New Zealand both kept their unbeaten record in tact. Australia found themselves only 10-5 ahead against Fiji at half time before easing to a 23-12 win at Shaw's Bridge. New Zealand, by contrast, scored 17 tries as they overwhelmed Japan 107-6 at Deramore, Belfast Harlequins.

Ignacio Belmonte's 10 points were not enough for Argentina as they went down 17-15 to England, also at Deramore, Belfast Harlequins.

Leigh Halfpenny scored 21 of Wales' points in their 33-20 win over Samoa. Samoa played the last 10 minutes of the match with 14 after Atenai Aii was sent off.

The final Division A pool stage matches are on 13 April, with eight teams still hoping to qualify in one of the top four positions, and with it a shot at the IRB U19 World Championship crown.

Latest Matches:

09/04/2007, 17:30 South Africa FT 8-17 France Ravenhill, Belfast
09/04/2007, 17:30 New Zealand FT 107-6 Japan Belfast Harlequins, Belfast
09/04/2007, 17:30 Samoa FT 20-33 Wales Shaw's Bridge, Belfast
09/04/2007, 19:30 Argentina FT 15-17 England Belfast Harlequins, Belfast
09/04/2007, 19:30 Scotland FT 12-13 Ireland Ravenhill, Belfast
09/04/2007, 19:30 Australia FT 23-13 Fiji Shaw's Bridge, Belfast

2007 IRB Under 19 World Championship - Pool A

Team P W D L F A TF TA B PTS PTS
New Zealand 2 2 0 0 144 20 23 2 2 10
Australia 2 2 0 0 38 22 6 4 1 9
France 2 2 0 0 28 14 3 1 0 8
England 2 2 0 0 37 27 4 2 0 8
Argentina 2 1 0 1 56 25 9 3 2 6
South Africa 2 1 0 1 44 22 7 3 1 5
Ireland 2 1 0 1 23 27 3 2 1 5
Wales 2 1 0 1 47 57 6 8 1 5
Scotland 2 0 0 2 18 24 0 2 2 2
Samoa 2 0 0 2 32 53 2 6 0 0
Fiji 2 0 0 2 17 59 3 10 0 0
Japan 2 0 0 2 14 148 1 24 0 0

2007 IRB Under 19 World Championship - Pool B

Team P W D L F A TF TA B PTS PTS
Tonga 2 2 0 0 108 11 16 1 2 10
Italy 2 2 0 0 94 19 15 2 2 10
Canada 2 2 0 0 41 5 6 1 1 9
USA 2 2 0 0 22 10 2 2 0 8
Georgia 2 1 0 1 54 33 8 4 3 7
Uruguay 2 1 0 1 60 41 9 5 1 5
Zimbabwe 2 1 0 1 33 34 4 5 1 5
Chile 2 1 0 1 42 46 7 7 1 5
Romania 2 0 0 2 10 44 2 6 1 1
Russia 2 0 0 2 5 39 1 5 1 1
Cook Islands 2 0 0 2 20 101 2 17 0 0
Chinese Taipei 2 0 0 2 11 117 1 18 0 0

[Burgs]

Ford Australian U19s named to play France

April 12, 2007 - 2:04pm
Story by: ARU

Ford Australian Under 19s Coach Phil Mooney has named the strongest possible side for tomorrow’s Pool A clash with France at the IRB Under 19 World Championship in Belfast.
Australia is the defending Under 19 World Champions and will be keen to continue their good form at the tournament.

Mooney has reverted to the forward pack which started in the round one victory over hosts Ireland, while Captain Brett Gillespie moves to flyhalf.
Alfi Mafi comes into the starting side on the wing, in place of Andrew Barrett who moves to fullback. Goal kicking outside centre Rowan Kellam also makes his return to the starting lineup after missing one game through injury.

Mooney said the Australians had their work cut out for them in their final Pool match.
“We’re anticipating a pretty tough match against France. They’re a physically imposing side and looked strong in beating Scotland and South Africa,” he said.
“We’ll definitely have to match it with them in the forwards and make the most of our opportunities when we get down their end of the field.”
Blindside flanker Ben McCalman starts his third match of the campaign following a solid performance against Fiji that saw him voted Player’s Player, just ahead of vice captain Sam Wykes and winger Blair Connor.

Australia is undefeated at the tournament with victories over Ireland and Fiji.
France is also undefeated, winning their Pool matches against South Africa and Scotland.

Ford Australian Under 19s to play France

7.30pm local, Friday, 13 April 2007
(4.30am AEST 14.04.07)
Belfast Harlequins Club, Ireland

1. Tetera Faulkner
2. James Hanson
3. Daniel Palmer
4. Sam Wykes (vc)
5. Robert Simmons
6. Ben McCalman
7. Rodney Maa
8. Michael Uoka
9. Jeremy Sua
10. Brett Gillespie (c)
11. Alfred Mafi
12. Mitchell Inman
13. Rowan Kellam
14. Blair Connor
15. Andrew Barrett

16. Daniel Penca
17. Ben Daley
18. Albert Anae
19. Adam Campbell
20. Jared Hargreaves
21. Chris Harkins
22. Daniel Robinson
23. Jason Ryan
24. Patrick McCabe
25. Peter Betham
26. John Grant

Head Coach – Phil Mooney
Assistant Coach – Mark Bell

Australia’s results so far
Round One: Australia 15 defeated Ireland 10
Round Two: Australia 23 defeated Fiji 12

[Burgs]

IRB U19: Division A roundup

13 APRIL 2007

New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Wales have qualified for the semi finals after the third day of action in Division A of the IRB Under 19 World Championship 2007.

Ireland's dream of winning the IRB Under 19 World Championship crown is over after they lost 31-5 to South Africa in front of 10,000 supporters at Ravenhill, Belfast.

South Africa produced a clinical display of forward power to secure a bonus point by scoring five tries and with it a place in the semi finals.

Earlier, New Zealand outclassed England 34-13 at Ravenhill to finish top of Division A. The result means England can finish fifth at best.

Defending champions Australia produced a powerful second-half performance against France to secure their semi final place with a 30-11 win. France can now finish no higher than fifth.

The surprise team in the top four is Wales, who enjoyed a 29-0 victory over Argentina.

Samoa recorded their first win of the tournament, defeating Japan 28-12 at Belfast Harlequins. Fiji recorded a shock 25-23 victory over Scotland at Shaw's Bridge.

Division A fixtures on 17 April:

* 17:30 (10 v 11) Fiji v Scotland - Belfast Harlequins
* 19:30 (9 v 12) Ireland v Japan - Shaw's Bridge
* 17:30 (6 v 7) England v Argentina - Shaw's Bridge
* 19:30 (5 v 8) France v Samoa - Belfast Harlequins
* 17:30 (SEMI 1 - 2ND v 3RD) Australia v South Africa - Ravenhill
* 19:30 (SEMI 2 - 1ST v 4TH) New Zealand v Wales - Ravenhill

There will be three matches played at Ravenhill on finals day on Saturday 21 April; Ireland's final match (15:00), the third place play-off (17:30) and the IRB Under 19 World Championship final (19:30).

Under 19 world championship Round 3

Scotland 23 Fiji 25
New Zealand 34 England 13
Samoa 28 Japan 12
Australia 30 France 11
Argentina 0 Wales 29
South Africa 31 Ireland 5

Final standings (all played three):

1. New Zealand 15pts
2. Australia 14
3. South Africa 10
4. Wales 10
5. France 8
6. England 8
7. Argentina 6
8. Samoa 5
9. Ireland 5
10. Fiji 4
11. Scotland 3
12. Japan 0

[Burgs]

IRB U19: Division B roundup

12 APRIL 2007

Italy top the Division B standings at the end of the pool stage of the IRB Under 19 World Championship, following their 8-6 victory over Tonga.

The result means that Tonga end up in fifth and miss out on the chance of winning Division B.

Italy will play USA at the semi final stage, after the latter defeated Zimbabwe 22-7 at Queen's to maintain their unbeaten pool record.

Canada struggled to overcome a valiant Romania at Uprichard Park, Bangor, but their 15-7 victory sees them claim second in the standings.

Division B

* Russia 6-24 Georgia
* Romania 7-15 Canada
* Tonga 6-8 Italy
* Zimbabwe 7-22 USA

They will play Georgia in the other semi final after the Georgians ensured they finished in third place by defeating Russia 24-6 at Gibson Park, Malone. Despite losing one of their matches, to Zimbabwe, Georgia amassed four bonus points from their three pool games to finish on 12 overall.

Tonga will play Zimbabwe and Uruguay will face Chile in the shakeup for fifth place on 16 April. Chile will want to reverse their 30-20 defeat to Uruguay at Uprichard Park, Bangor.

Cook Islands, who drew 10-10 with Chinese Taipei at Gibson Park, Malone, will play Russia in their next match. Chinese Taipei will take on Romania.

Division B fixtures on 16 April:

* 17:30 (10 v 11) Chinese Taipei v Romania - Queen's, Belfast
* 17:30 (9 v 12) Cook Islands v Russia - Gibson Park, Malone
* 17:30 (6 v 7) Uruguay v Chile - Uprichard Park, Bangor
* 19:30 (5 v 8) Tonga v Zimbabwe - Uprichard Park, Bangor
* 19:30 (SEMI 1 - 2ND v 3RD) Canada v Georgia - Gibson Park, Malone
* 19:30 (SEMI 2 - 1ST v 4TH) Italy v USA - Queen's, Belfast

[Burgs]

Australian team named for Semis of IRB U19 World Championship

April 17, 2007 - 5:00pm
Story by: ARU

Defending World Champions, the Ford Australian Under 19s will field an unchanged line-up for tomorrow morning’s Semi Final clash with South Africa at the IRB U19 World Championship in Belfast.

Following their impressive 30-11 demolition of France at the weekend, the Australians have shifted up a gear and are now just one victory away from a second consecutive World Championship Final appearance.

Speedster Blair Connor has retained his spot on the wing after his brace of tries against France, while flyhalf Brett Gillespie will continue captaining the side.

Ford Australian Under 19s coach Phil Mooney said tomorrow’s Semi Final would be a thrilling encounter between two World Champion sides.

“South Africa won the 2005 tournament and we are the 2007 defending champions, so both teams know what’s at stake in this match and what to expect in terms of increased intensity,” he said.

“The South Africans are a sizable team who we’ll have to dominate in the forwards, and we’re confident of doing that as we’ve had plenty of solid opposition this tournament.

“We set ourselves the goal of winning back-to-back tournaments and we’re just one win away from giving ourselves a shot.”

New Zealand and Wales will contest the other Semi Final. The Final will be played at Ravenhill in Belfast this Saturday, April 21 (Sunday morning AEST).

2007 iRB Under 19 World Championship (Semi Final)

Ford Australian Under 19s v South Africa

Tuesday 17 April, 5.30pm local (2.30am AEST Wed 18 April)
Ravenhill, Belfast

1. Tetera Faulkner
2. James Hanson
3. Daniel Palmer
4. Sam Wykes (VC)
5. Robert Simmons
6. Ben McCalman
7. Rodney Maa
8. Michael Uoka

9. Jeremy Sua
10. Brett Gillespie (C)
11. Alfred Mafi
12. Mitchell Inman
13. Rowan Kellam
14. Blair Connor
15. Andrew Barrett

16. Daniel Penca
17. Ben Daley
18. Albert Anae
19. Adam Campbell
20. Jared Hargreaves
21. Chris Harkins
22. Daniel Robinson
23. Jason Ryan
24. Patrick McCabe
Peter Betham
John Grant

Head Coach – Phil Mooney

Assistant Coach – Mark Bell

The Ford Australian Under 19s program is proudly supported by the Australian Institute of Sport

Australia’s Pool matches

Australia 15 defeated Ireland 10
Australia 23 defeated Fiji 12
Australia 30 defeated France 11

[Burgs]

IRB U19: Division A roundup

17 APRIL 2007

New Zealand will face South Africa on Saturday 21 April in the IRB Under 19 World Championship 2007 final.

New Zealand scored three tries in a powerful first-half performance against Wales at Ravenhill, Belfast, to go into the break 23-9 ahead. Despite a much-improved performance in the second half, Wales were unable to breach the New Zealand tryline and it was Winston Stanley who sealed New Zealand's 36-12 victory with a try late on.

Henri Bantjes and Wilton Pietersen scored first half tries for South Africa, who established a 15-3 lead at half time over Australia in the first semi final at Ravenhill. In an entertaining second period, both sides scored three tries as South Africa defeated the defending champions 32-18.

Arthur Joly, Charles Gimenez and Cédric Coll each scored tries for France, who defeated Samoa 25-13 at Belfast Harlequins. France will play England for fifth after the latter defeated Argentina for the second time in the tournament, this time 31-13 at Shaw's Bridge.

Scotland will have the opportunity to gain revenge over Ireland when the two meet at Ravenhill for ninth place. Scotland, who lost out to the hosts in the final seconds of their pool game, were 7-6 down at half time against Fiji, but Lee Jones' second-half try was enough to secure a 11-7 win.

Ireland made a blistering start against Japan at Shaw's Bridge, racing to a 19-0 lead after just 18 minutes. Jumpei Ohira scored a first-half try to give Japan hope, but Patrick Mallon responded almost immediately for Ireland. Both teams scored one try in the second half, to give Ireland a 31-10 victory.

Division A final day fixtures, 21 April:

* 15:30 (11th place) Fiji v Japan - Belfast Harlequins, Belfast
* 15:00 (9th place) Scotland v Ireland - Ravenhill, Belfast
* 13:30 (7th place) Argentina v Samoa - Shaw's Bridge, Belfast
* 15:30 (5th place) England v France - Shaw's Bridge, Belfast
* 17:30 (3rd place) Australia v Wales - Ravenhill, Belfast
* 19:30 (Final) South Africa v New Zealand - Ravenhill, Belfast


17/04/2007, 17:30 Fiji FT 7-11 Scotland Belfast Harlequins, Belfast
17/04/2007, 17:30 England FT 31-13 Argentina Shaw's Bridge, Belfast
17/04/2007, 17:30 Australia FT 18-32 South Africa Ravenhill, Belfast
17/04/2007, 19:30 Ireland FT 31-10 Japan Shaw's Bridge, Belfast
17/04/2007, 19:30 France FT 25-13 Samoa Belfast Harlequins, Belfast
17/04/2007, 19:30 New Zealand FT 36-12 Wales Ravenhill, Belfast

Australia 18-32 South Africa

17 APRIL 2007

By David Beggs

South Africa booked their place in the Division A final of the IRB Under 19 World Championship 2007 after out-muscling defending champions Australia at Ravenhill to triumph 32-18 on Tuesday 17 April.

Australia had actually opened the scoring with a second minute penalty from centre Rowan Kellam, but from then on in the first half it was the South African pack who assumed control of the game, putting the defending champions under pressure at every set piece.

South Africa won two scrums against the head and were rewarded for their pressure when centre Stephan Dippenaar picked up a loose ball from a turnover and fed his hooker Henri Bantjes, who barged his way over the line from five metres out in the seventh minute.

Stefan Watermeyer failed to convert, but such was South Africa’s dominance at the breakdown that it was inevitable further tries would follow, full back Wilton Pietersen making amends for failing to touch down minutes earlier to slice through the Australian defence to score.

Shell-shocked

Watermeyer added the conversion this time and then kicked a penalty to give South Africa a 15-3 lead at half time, just rewards for their first half performance against an Australian side who appeared shell-shocked and turned the ball over at vital times to leave little ball for their backs.

Australia came out with renewed purpose in the second half, unwilling to surrender their crown without a fight, but it was South Africa who stretched their lead when a driving maul over the line saw loosehead prop Corne Fourie emerge with the ball and a huge grin on his face.

Watermeyer’s conversion drifted wide and nine minutes into the second half second row Rob Simmons boosted Australian hope of a revival when he scored after great work by hooker James Hanson, who popped the ball inside before going into touch for easy try.

The conversion attempt from Kellam missed and as Australia began to find a foothold in the game, some tough tackling from South Africa kept them at bay. This tackling soon turned defence into attack as Australia turned the ball over and Dippenaar to take play into their opponent’s half.

Dippenaar passed out of the tackle to Pietersen, who appeared to have the legs to score only for wing Blair Connor to bravely hang on and bring him to a standstill. Sadly for Connor, fly half Francois Brummer came charging up in support to score under the posts for the Baby Boks.

Quick thinking

The conversion by Watermeyer stretched the advantage to 27-8, but once more Australia refused to lie down and a probing kick from centre Mitchell Inman forced South Africa to concede a lineout only five metres from their try line.

Quick thinking from wing Alfi Mafi meant 17-year-old Simmons had the easy task of diving over the line unchallenged for his second try of the match, cutting the deficit to 27-13. Australian hopes were raised again when Pietersen was sinbinned with around seven minutes remaining.

Australia though would need two converted tries to draw level. They got one when Mafi finished off an exciting backline move to score a try, which was awarded after consultation with the television match official David Kerr.

Kellam again missed with the conversion and South Africa made certain of victory themselves, the 2005 champions scoring their fifth try of the match when the ball bounced nicely into the hands of Dippenaar for a try his performance deserved.

Watermeyer missed the conversion, but punched the air with delight as referee Matt Stanish signalled the end of the match and South Africa’s place in the final to banish the disappointment of their eighth place finish in last year’s tournament.

QUOTES

South Africa coach Eric Sauls: “I focused before the game on our pack and I am pleased with how they performed. Because of that our backs were able to run and we got the win we deserved. After last year’s eighth place finish we are delighted to make the final.

South Africa captain Gerrit van Velze: “There is a good confidence within the team as we are getting better every game. We will keep our feet on the ground, but I have always dreamt of playing in games like these.”

Australia head coach Phil Mooney: “We started poorly with our set piece not functioning, but I felt we faired better in the second half. There are some positives to take with young players always learning, especially two 17-year-olds. The boys will be up for the next game, there’s always a lot at stake when you are representing your country.”

Australia captain Brett Gillespie: “The pressure from the South African pack didn’t allow us any quality ball. Crucial mistakes in the first half cost us and we will have to get back to basics for an important game in three days time.”

Australia try scorer Rob Simmons: “Getting the two tries was a great moment, especially as I turn 18 years old in two day’s time. It was a really physical game and I know where I stand in world rugby after that.”

[frontrow]

Bad luck fella's, almost made the double...

[gotheforce]

We've got a WA boy playing in the U19 World Championships too. But he's representing Zimbabwe. His name's Barry Mansfield. Comes from Scotch College.

[Burgs]

What's the go there GTF?
I remember him making the WA Schoolboys etc, has he left WA or coming back?
Have to be the first Scotch boy to rep another country in Rugby I would imagine!?
Not quite Test status but commendable none the less.
He played in all three Pool matches, scoring a try in winning against Georgia (Playing #13) and going down to the US (#15) and Canada (#12).

[zacko70]

He is playing Neddies colts, he is coming back after the tournament i believe.

[pruc]

thats still a huge effort.

[Burgs]

Better go look through the family tree for any useful heritage pruc, might get yourself an Under19's jersey somewhere