It’s been a wonderful year for Australian age group rugby with the Australian Schools winning the fifteens test match against New Zealand scoring a record number of points.
Now Australia has extended their winning form to sevens by capturing the Global Youth Sevens title in commanding fashion.
Australia outscored seven opponents 316-43 toppling BC Bears 56-0, New Zealand Fijians 33-7, Eden 42-10, Egg Chasers 78-0, Australia Raptors 54-7, New Zealand 22-12 and New Edition 31-7.
Australia hit the ground running on Day 3 destroying fellow countryman Australian Raptors 54-7 in the quarter final. Tellingly there were eight different try scorers, Wallace Charlie, Cooper Watters, Declan Minto, Charlie Bird, Tom Howard, Angus Grover, Tom Hartman, and Jarvis Orr.
New Zealand asked the early questions in the semi-final but when they surrendered possession were caught napping when Charlie Wallace gathered a shrewd kick.
With a try and an assist, Kele Lasaqa ensured New Zealand wasn’t upstaged by a Maori side in the quarter-finals. In the 15s season, a Maori U18 side stunned New Zealand Schools 22-15 in Hamilton.
Lasaqa was doing his best to beat Australia on his own too by scoring a 60m try to cut the deficit to 7-5.
However, the game turned when Lasaqa from Tauranga Boys Condor Sevens winning team was yellow carded by the pedantic deliberate knockdown rule.
Angus Grover caught New Zealand backpedaling from a quick tap and then Australia scored again while New Zealand was undermanned, enough in a tight contest where Hartman and Nathan were outstanding.
New Zealand had scored 28 tries and only conceded six before the semi. They whitewashed the Roache Academy 48-0 and Samoa Sports Club 40-0 while also accounting for Saracens 22-15, RSA Barbarians 40-12 and Aotearoa Maori 12-5
New Edition posed a significant threat to Australia in the final. They beat the Australian Raptors 22-17, MacDowell Rugby 46-0, Waitaha Canterbury 64-0, Tongan Barbarians 31-15, New Zealand Wasps 21-19 and New Zealand Cavaliers 28-10 to earn their shot at the title.
Micah Fale, Siale Pahulu, Saumaki Saumaki, Mason Verster, Ollie Guerin, Peni Havea and Thompson Tukapua (injured) were New Zealand Secondary Schools players from the past two years in their roster.
Both sides jabbed early with scrambling defense keeping scores level. Two minutes before halftime Waters made a heroic 40m bust from his own-line. Soon Australia won a penalty at halfway and Wallace Charlie manipulated three defenders and set up Tom Howard. New Edition fumbled the restart and Tom Hartman pounced right away to make it 12-0 at the break.
When Charlie stood up the New Edition defense David Campese-style any chance of defeat was averted. Bird applied the icing with tries on each wing.
Boys’ Cup Quarter Finals
New Zealand: 12 v Aotearoa: 5
Australia: 54 v Australia Raptors: 7
New Zealand Cavaliers: 21 v New Zealand Wasps: 19
New Edition: 38 v Auckland Bucks: 7
Cup Semi Finals
New Zealand: 12 v Australia: 22
New Edition: 28 v New Zealand Cavaliers: 10
Cup Final
Australia 31 v New Edition: 7
Men’s Tournament Team
Reimana Saunderson-Rurawhe (New Zealand)
Kele Lasaqa (New Zealand)
Zebby Uini-Faiva (New Zealand Cavaliers)
Jack Riley (New Edition)
Mason Verster (New Edition)
Charlie Bird (Australia)
Tom Howard (Australia)
Wallace Charlie (Australia) – MVP
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