JWC Final - Tue 22/6/10 6am

Faingaa returns for Young Wallabies JWC decider

June 21, 2010 - 3:10pm
Story by: ARU
http://www.rugby.com.au/verve/_resou...ge_image_2.jpg Young Wallabies No.12 Robbie Coleman (centre) has been shortlisted for the IRB Junior Player of the Year award


Brumbies backrower Colby Faingaa will make a timely return from injury to bolster the Australian Under 20s pack for the final of the IRB Junior World Championship against New Zealand at Estadio El Coloso del Parque in Rosario, Argentina on Monday (Tuesday AEST).

Faingaa has recovered from an ankle injury which kept him out of the Young Wallabies knock-out semi-final victory over England (28-16) last Thursday and also their crucial pool match win over South Africa (42-25).

The deciding match will be screened live on Fox Sports 1 from 8am on Tuesday.

Queensland Reds recruit and Australian Sevens representative Ed Quirk makes way for Faingaa’s return to the side in the only change made by coach David Nucifora to his undefeated team which also recorded victories over Scotland and Tonga in the pool rounds.

In what is shaping to be an epic trans-Tasman battle, Australia will be seeking to derail New Zealand’s bid for three successive JWC titles, while four returning players, captain Jake Schatz, halfback Nic White, fullback Luke Morahan and flyhalf Matt To’omua, will seek to avenge their early exit from the race for the 2009 title when the Baby Blacks defeated the Young Wallabies 31-17 in the semi-finals.

Australia enter their first JWC final as the leading try-scorers at the tournament and will look to Brumbies playmaker and Qantas Wallabies Spring Tourist To’omua, who is enjoying an outstanding run of form, for his creative flair in the halves with IRB player of the tournament nominee, Robbie Coleman.

Coach Nucifora says the Young Wallabies hold the belief they can hand the Baby Blacks their first JWC defeat since the tournament’s inception in 2008.

“We’re used to playing Kiwis, we play them all the time so they don’t really hold that same aura that they may do for other teams,” Nucifora said.

“Our boys play them from a young age, through school quite often, so I suppose we’re used to competing with them and we know if we go out there and we match up and do our best, we are more than capable of beating them.

“It’ll take 80 minutes of commitment. If you let your guard down even for a small period of time, they’re the type of team that will punish you.

“They’re got good attacking players, like ourselves, so the team that copes with pressure and absorbs pressure and can deliver on point-scoring opportunities when they present themselves, will win.”

No matter the result of the final, Australia will record their best ever result at the Junior World Championships after finishing 5th in 2008 and 4th in 2009.

Coleman is one of four players shortlisted for the IRB Junior Player of the Year award alongside Argentina flyhalf Ignacio Rodriguez Muedra and New Zealand pair captain Tyler Bleyendaal and teammate Julian Savea.

Australia U20 (15-1): Luke Morahan, Dominic Shipperley, Kimami Sitauti, Robbie Coleman, Aidan Toua, Matt To’omua, Nic White, Jake Schatz (capt), Liam Gill, Colby Faingaa, Greg Peterson, Phoenix Battye, Paul Alo-Emile, Siliva Siliva, Salesi Manu. Res: Sam Roberson, Cruz Ah-Nau, Luke Jones, Ed Quirk, Ian Prior, Jono Lance, Greg Jeloudev.

Individual player profiles: http://www.rugby.com.au/fixtures_res...10,130190.html


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