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Current and future Wallabies unite as Australia U18s soak up training experience
Tue, Sep 17, 2024, 8:33 AM
Nathan Williamson
Australia U18s star Toby Brial was lapping up the opportunity to meet the Wallabies squad as the future of Australian Rugby got to mingle with today's stars.
Brial was one of five U18s players that got the chance to observe and catch up with the Wallabies on Monday as they prepared for Saturday's Bledisloe Cup.
He was joined by backrower/centre Heinz Lemoto, backrowers Luca Cleverley and Marshall Le Maitre and highly touted outside back Heamasi Makasini.
Brial is familiar with the gold jersey, the son of former Wallabies hardman Michael, and was enthralled by the chance to watch the Wallabies up and close.
“It was really cool to actually watch them," he told Rugby.com.au
“Today was their clarity day, so they were installing a few different block plays and their line outs and set-piece, what they're aiming to do going up against the All Blacks
“It's a pretty special opportunity. I'm pretty grateful to watch these guys and what they do. Watching them is quite cool because you see them on TV and you're like “Wow, these guys, they're big dudes’ and then when you see them in person they’re just standing over them.
“Everything they do was just really sharp and Joe Schmidt seems like he expected a lot from the players but he also had those high standards and attention to detail."
Brial was able to connect with brother Joe's Queensland Reds teammates whilst catching up with fellow Scots boys Andrew Kellaway and Jeremy Williams.
Wallaby Allan Alaalatoa was amongst several stars that imparted their wisdom to the Australia U18s squad
"They're really nice people who are very down to earth and humble," Brial remarked.
"They were just really good guys, really happy to have a chat, asked a lot of questions and super welcoming...It's really good to connect with them and see how they do their things."
It comes as the Australia U18s squad prepares for their own trans-Tasman clash, set to head to New Zealand at the end of the month to face NZ Barbarians and NZ Schools.
The team will go into camp the day after the Bledisloe Cup as Rugby Australia looks to build the pathways for the next generation.
“We are very fortunate as a game to be able to expose our future talent with the current Wallabies team who are preparing for a significant test match this Saturday," Rugby Australia's GM of Men’s High-Performance & Competition Ben Whitaker said.
"This creates connection and aspiration for these U18 players that are some of the best footballers for their age in the country.
"Many of the U18 players involved have come through the national pathways system having represented at Super Rugby U16 and U18 competition levels and also the Australian U16s program whilst their development and performance has been underpinned by excellent school and club programs.
"It’s a snapshot of the opportunities Rugby can provide and the excellent support for young players across the country.”
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