Camden Rugby Club will play host to the NSW Country Cockatoos and Cockatoos Colts representative fixtures this Sunday 17 June in a round-robin style competition.
Their opponents? Five NSW Generation Blue Under 19s sides and a Brumbies Provincial team representing regional ACT.
While the day marks an important day in the NSW Country calendar, it also spells the first trials for admission into the next year of the NSW Gen Blue programme.
The programme enables a select number of Under 20 players to train out of the David Philips Sports Complex, Daceyville, in preparation for what will be the 2019 Premiership Colts competition in Sydney.
The Country Cockatoo Colts will play in a very important Gen Blue selection trial, with players identified from the trial to be put forward for potential selection in URC Under 19s Rugby Championship competition sides.
The URC competition will be played from 28 September and afterwards, a wider Australian Under 20s squad will be selected.
The day will begin with the first NSW Gen Blue side facing off against the Cockatoo Colts taking turns with the three other Gen Blue sides in round-robin fixtures until the NSW Country Cockatoos take on the Brumbies Provincial team at 1:20pm (AEST).
NSW Country Cockatoos Colts Head Coach, Brett Merchant, is confident his side has done the work to tackle their interstate rivals.
“We had a really successful training camp in Singleton recently, with all the boys working extremely hard so am looking forward to this weekend which marks our first opportunity to play together as a team,” said Merchant.
“We’ve got some great raw talent amongst our country players with many having played first grade for their clubs and in some cases been the stars of their clubs too.”
NSW Waratahs Elite Youth recognises the importance of this weekend’s trials in selecting his talent for the next season of the Generation Blue programme and the new URC Under 19s Rugby Championship on the horizon.
“It’s vital that we have representative matches like this upcoming weekend where the NSW Country Colts take on city-based teams in order to be inclusive and create an opportunity for all players in NSW to be selected for our URC Under 19s sides,” said McCutcheon.
“We will be looking to fill a Sydney and NSW Country side to compete in the new Under 19s competition that will ultimately feed into our next crop of players for the 2019 Gen Blue programme.”
The action kicks off at 10:00am (AEST) on Sunday 17 June at the Camden Rugby Club with the NSW Country Cockatoo Colts facing off against the first Generation Blue Under 19s side.
At 1:20pm, the NSW Country Cockatoos will face Brumbies Provincial.
ICYMI: 2,600 players from 122 teams competed last weekend at the Junior State Championships all across NSW.
Cockatoos Squad to Play ACT Provincial:
Tom Baker (University of Wollongong)
Sam Callow (Southern Districts University)
Takunda Chimwaza (University of Wollongong)
Andrew Collins (Tamworth Pirates)
Ed Cordingley (Walcha)
Leighton Cowley (Kiama)
Benjamin Damen (Wollongbar)
Mahe Fangupo (Forbes)
Peter Fitzsimmons (Bathurst)
Charlie French (Forbes)
Tom Green (Orange Emus)
Marc Koetczky (Terrigal)
Sam Latu (University of Wollongong)
Eddie Laupola (Ourimbah)
Amos Leef (University of Wollongong)
Chris Logan (Gloucester)
Kevin McNamara (Warnervale)
Chris Miller (Cowra)
Dan Ryan (Parkes)
Jay Spenser (Camden)
Richie Steele (Warren)
Tuumuliilevao Taiti-Taanoa (Avondale)
Aisake Tuevu (Tech Waratahs)
Cockatoo Colts Squad to Play NSW Generation Blue
Jack Allen (Hamilton)
Reece Apolo (University of Wollongong)
Pat Berryman (Dubbo Roos)
Rhys Bray (Merewether Carlton)
Lachlan Buckton (CSU Bathurst)
Nick Cracknell (Woonona Shamrocks)
Oliver Dark (Ourimbah)
Hone Edwards (University of Newcastle)
Nick Fisher (Orange City)
Ethan Fowles (Merewether Carlton)
Hayden Goodall (Orange City)
Sam Greatbatch (Orange Emus)
Angus Hickey (Southern Cross University)
Josh Jasprizza (Dubbo Roos)
Hayden Leopold (Orange City)
Eli McCulloch (Merewether Carlton)
Will McDonald (Terrigal)
Lachlan Miller (Merewther Carlton)
William Morley (Narrabri)
Connor Mulhearn (Hamilton)
Opeti Taufahema (University of Wollongong)
Isaac Ulberg (Maitland)
Ben Wood (Maitland)
NSW Generation Blue Squad:
Ben Baker (Easts)
Bo Abra (Easts)
Brooklyn Hardaker (Easts)
Conor O’Brien (Easts)
Harry Turner (Easts)
Dylan Dowling (Gordon)
Francis Cutler (Gordon)
Matt Coghill (Gordon)
Max Cutrone (Gordon)
Mike Pavlakis (Gordon)
Nicholas Jansen (Gordon)
Saul McCredie (Gordon)
Simon Rahme (Gordon)
Felix Quinn (Manly)
James Sidery (Manly)
Brady Dawson (Norths)
Charlie Beatty (Norths)
Cody Edstein-Boyes (Norths)
Jack Brewer (Norths)
Percy Duncan (Norths)
Sebastian Cameron (Norths)
Simione Kauvesi (Norths)
Ata Taylauniu Mariota (Parramatta)
Haitoni Hafoka (Parramatta)
Lack Lafolafo (Parramatta)
John Peaumomo Liam Le’ota (Parramatta)
Lachlan Fleming (Parramatta)
Luke Russo (Parramatta)
Simote Siale Ululua (parramatta)
William Finau (Parramatta)
Raymond Nansen (Penrith)
Ben Donaldson (Randwick)
Ben Duckworth (Randwick)
Ben Houston (Randwick)
Callum Quinn (Randwick)
Finn Wright (Randwick)
Fiu Gibson (Randwick)
Joel Ellis (Randwick)
Liam Cornish (Randwick)
Nick Katsogiannis (Randwick)
William McCormick (Radnwick)
Bailey Lamb (Southern Districts)
Cassius Wright (Southern Districts)
Connor Ryan (Southern Districts)
Deon Evans-Ao (Southern Districts)
Mitchel Gasnier (Southern Districts)
Nathan Lawson (Southern Districts)
Rory Lynch (Southern Districts)
Alex Simson (Sydney Uni)
Darcy Breen (Sydney Uni)
Henry Robertson (Sydney Uni)
Jack Murry (Sydney Uni)
Max Robson (Sydney Uni)
Mitieli Tuiakauvadra (Sydney Uni)
Riley Alcorn (Sydney Uni)
Sam Begbie (Sydney Uni)
Daniel Chun (Warringah)
Joshua Thrum (Warringah)
David Kim (Wests)
John McGregor (Wests)
Maylee Semu (Wests)
Tauteau Taufa (Wests)
Zion Epiha (Wests)
