Rugby Australia has announced 12 NSW players to represent the Australian Under 18s 7s and Australian Schoolgirls teams to compete at the 2025 Global Youth 7s at Dilworth School in Auckland on December 19-21.
The Global Youth Sevens is an international Under 18s rugby tournament for boys and girls, established in 2016, that brings together some of the world’s best youth Sevens players to showcase their skills and talent on a global stage.
Respective Australian coaches Shannon Parry and Luke Zeremes have named their squads for the annual tournament, which acts as a key development pathway towards Rugby Australia's national 7s program.
An impressive 90 per cent of the full-time Australian Sevens program have graduated from the Global Youth 7s teams, including captain Isabella Nasser, Maddison Levi and Faith Nathan.
Having won the tournament in 2018, 2019, 2023 and runners-up in 2017, 2022, 2024, the Australian Under 18s team will go in again as a strong contender.
The team was selected from a wider squad of 45 players who attended three selection camps across the year, with Wallaroos World Cup squad member Waiaria Ellis headlining the side.
Ellis, 18, made her XVs debut for Australia in July and joins Darci Turinui, the daughter of former Wallaby Morgan Turinui, who was the leading try scorer in the recent Next Gen 7s competition.
Rugby Australia Head of Women’s Pathways, Lachlan Parkinson, said: “The Australian Under 18s team will be looking to go one better than last year after losing the final to Japan.
“This has become a great rivalry with the Japanese girls after they won in 2022, before we regained the title in 2023, and they won it back in 2024.
“The Australian Schoolgirls Under 18s program is also a major part of the 7s pathway in Australia, providing additional opportunities for our elite youth players to participate in an international tournament.
“The two programs work closely together to support the development of the athletes.”
The Australian Schoolgirls side will feature in the tournament for a third time, having won the title in their inaugural season in 2023.
Australian Schools Rugby Union Executive Sarah Ridgewell said: “This year's selection process was incredibly competitive, which is exactly what we want to see.
“We've assembled a squad that balances experience with emerging talent, with these student athletes having shown tremendous commitment to earning their places.
“We continue to see remarkable growth in schoolgirls 7s across Australia, with more schools embracing the format for its fast-paced and fun nature and recognising it as an accessible entry point into rugby.
“What's particularly encouraging is that schools are viewing 7s not just as a participation sport, but as a genuine pathway to high-performance school representative opportunities.”
The Global Youth 7s can be streamed next month via the streaming hub at https://www.globalyouthsevens.rugby/watch
Aimee Henry – Queensland Charli Nikola – Queensland Cobi Ryan-Last – NSW Darci Turinui – NSW Darcie Prosser-Shaw – NSW Kaelyn Passi – Queensland Lacey Cross – NSW Layne Prince – Queensland Logan Lemusu – NSW Maddi Pomerenke – Queensland Peyton Lefau-Fakaosilea – Queensland Tahlia O’Brien – NSW Waiaria Ellis – NSW
Head Coach – Shannon Parry Manager – Ryan Webster Athletic Performance – Katelyn Murray Physiotherapist – Emma Craig
Billie Backus – King's Christian College, Queensland Chloe Sivewright – Richmond River High School, NSW Ellazae Elers – Hunter Sports High School, NSW Georgina Hayes – Mater Dei Catholic College, NSW Keira Callaghan – Hunter Sports High School, NSW Lusiana Vesikula – Kingsgrove High School, NSW Matilda Vial – Keebra Park State High School, Queensland Matilda Richards – Mt. St Michael's College, Queensland Mia Byrnes – The Glennie School, Queensland Poppy Gibbons – The Glennie School, Queensland Reese Orcher – Clayfield College, Queensland Tiki Calliste – King's Christian College, Queensland TJ Murray – King's Christian College, Queensland Jenna Aiono – Copperfield College, Victoria (Shadow player) Laura-May McGovern – Siena Catholic College, Queensland (Shadow player)
Head Coach – Luke Zeremes - St John's College Assistant Coach – Kieran Smith - Dubbo College Senior Campus Manager – Sophie Shadlow - The Glennie School ASRU Executive – Sarah Ridgewell - Matthew Flinders Anglican College
