Stars of Tomorrow on Show in Brisbane

[travelling_gerry]

Stars of Tomorrow on Show in Brisbane

September 25, 2008 - 3:33pm
Story by: ARU



The 2008 Under 16s Championship starts in Brisbane on Monday.


One’s of Queensland’s finest Wallaby nurseries - St Joseph’s Nudgee College in Brisbane - will play host to Australia’s young rugby elite when the week-long National Under 16 Championships kick off on Monday, 29 September.

Twelve teams representing every State and Territory will do battle for the Rod Macqueen Shield (Division 1) and the John Eales Shield (Division 2) at the annual event.

The Championships give the ARU’s High Performance Unit, including new Sevens Coach and National Talent Identification Coordinator Michael O’Connor, an opportunity to identify the new crop of talent with the potential to climb the elite player pathway, including National Talent Squad, Australian Schoolboys, Under 20s and ultimately Super 14 and Wallaby level.

Underlining the success of the Under 16 Championships in nurturing young Rugby talent, three of the new faces in the Qantas Wallabies Spring Tour Squad – James O’Connor, Quade Cooper and David Pocock – all have participated in previous editions of the tournament in recent years.

In what has shaped as a good week for the Pocock family, David’s younger brother Steven has been selected in the Queensland White team, also as a flanker.

Not only does the tournament allow the best up-and-coming players in the country to pit themselves against each other on the field, the championships also provide players with vital education about off-field issues and the demands of professional Rugby.

Specifically designed to educate the players, coaches, managers, referees and physiotherapists the workshops include nutrition, hydration and anti-doping education. Skills and drills will be run by professional staff from the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and the State Unions.

“From a high performance perspective the Championships provide an excellent opportunity to identify players with the potential to develop their skills and abilities to a higher level,” the ARU’s National Programs Manager Anthony Eddy said.

“It’s also a fantastic opportunity for players outside of the traditional rugby heartlands to get exposure to high level Rugby and press their claims for higher representative honours.

Supporting sponsor Ford will announce a “Player of the Championships” after the final on Friday. Ford Academy staff, including members of the ARU High Performance Unit and Queensland Reds coaching staff will form the judging panel for the award.

The 12 teams go into camp this Sunday (28 September) and play matches next week on Monday and Wednesday, with the Finals played on Friday (3 October).

Editors Note: Team lists available upon request. Full draw and tournament notes below.



2008 National U16 Championships
Monday 29 September – Friday 3 October
St Josephs College Nudgee, Brisbane

Division 1
Knockout competition based on seedings from results of 2007 Championship

Seed

Team

1

NSW Schools

2

Queensland Red

3

Sydney Juniors

4

Queensland White

5

Victoria

6

Western Australia

7

Brumbies

8

NSW Country


Division 2
Round robin tournament

A
National Indigenous
B
South Australia
C
Tasmania
D
Northern Territory



MATCH DAY 1 – Monday 29 September

0910

NSW Schools (1) v NSW Country (8)
Wilkes Oval
Div 1 - Game A

1000

Northern Territory v South Australia
Ross Oval
Div 2

1030

Queensland Red (2) v Brumbies (7)
Wilkes Oval
Div 1 - Game B

1350

Tasmania v National Indigenous
Ross Oval
Div 2

1430

Sydney Juniors (3) v Western Australia (6)
Wilkes Oval
Div 1 - Game C

1510

Queensland White (4) v Victoria (5)
Ross Oval
Div 1 - Game D


MATCH DAY 2 – Wednesday 1 October

0910

South Australia v Tasmania
Wilkes Oval
Div 2

1000

Loser Game B v Loser Game C
Ross Oval
Div 1 - Game E

1030

Northern Territory v National Indigenous
Wilkes Oval
Div 2

1350

Winner Game B v Winner Game C
Ross Oval
Div 1 - Game F

1430

Loser Game A v Loser Game D
Wilkes Oval
Div 1 - Game G

1510

Winner Game A v Winner Game D
Ross Oval
Div 1 - Game H


MATCH DAY 3 – Friday 3 October

0845

Tasmania v Northern Territory
Wilkes Oval
Div 2

0900

Loser Game E v Loser Game G
Ross Oval
Div 1 - 7th/8th playoff

1000

South Australia v National Indigenous
Wilkes Oval
Div 2

1015

Loser Game H v Loser Game F
Ross Oval
Div 1 – 5th/6th playoff

1115

Winner Game E v Loser Game G
Wilkes Oval
Div 1- 3rd/4th playoff

1130

Winner Game H v Winner Game F
Ross Oval
Div 1 – Final


Rod Macqueen Shield = winner of the Division 1 Final
Nick Farr-Jones Shield = winner of plate (5th/6th playoff)
John Eales Shield = winner of the Division 2


Some interesting notes

• NSW Schools lock James Williams is the son of Classic Wallaby Steve Williams, who played 28 Tests at lock for the Wallabies in the early 80s.

• NSW Schools Myles McCaffery’s elder brother Lachlan has just secured a contract with the NSW Junior Waratahs, while team mate Rhys Brodie’s father (Scott Brodie) has the rare distinction of having claimed the title of “world’s strongest cop” at the International Police Olympics in Sydney in 1988, as well as several bodybuilding titles including Mr. Australasia and Mr. Oceania.

· Queensland Red’s flyhalf Matt Lucas is brother of Ben, a current Queensland Red and Australian Sevens player

· Queensland Red Assistant coach Garrick Morgan played 24 Tests at flanker and lock for the Wallabies between 1992-97.

· Newly named Qantas Wallabies flanker David Pocock’s younger brother, Steven, has been selected for Queensland White

· Michael Bermingham of Queensland Red is the great-grandson of Classic Wallaby Vincent Bermingham who was part of the first Australian team to claim a Bledisloe Cup Series victory in 1934.



http://www.rugby.com.au/news/stars_o.../section/21893

[laura]

Congrats to Steve Pocock, maybe he will come over to the Force too!!

Is there a list of the WA team going over there?