Held during the NRC (National Rugby Championship) period, the tournament will see U15 representative sides under the established banners of the Western Sydney Rams, Sydney Rays and the NSW Country Eagles.
The representative season is split into two conferences; one with the three NSW teams, South Australia as well as an ACT Brumbies side. The other features three Queensland-based teams as well as one from Victoria and Western Australia.
NSW Rugby Coach Education and Pathways Manager Matt Evrard says that this competition one of the first steps along the NSW pathway to higher honours.
“NSW entry level representative program for the 15-a-side format,” said Evrard.
“This program is seen as a preliminary identification tool for our 2018 Gen Blue program.”
Each squad has selected 25 aspiring athletes and appointed to each are two coaches who have been identified in the NSW coaching pathway.
All roads meet on the final day of the National U16 Championships in September, where the winner of each conference will play it out for the silverware.
Evrard says the competition is a perfect platform for young players to gain experience at a higher representative level.
“The ARU Junior Gold Cup is a fantastic competition that exposes players to a different level of competition and training,” he said.
“Teams will get the chance to integrate with NRC teams during the 2017 NRC competition.”
Congratulations to the following players for their selection in the three squads:
DRAW:
Round 1
Saturday 9th September
Sydney Rays vs South Australia – Macquarie University, Sydney
Country Eagle vs ACT Brumbies – Macquarie University, Sydney
Sunday 10th September
Country Eagles vs South Australia – Macquarie University, Sydney
Tuesday 12th September
Western Sydney Rams vs South Australia – Sydney TBA
Round 2Saturday 16th September Sydney Rays vs ACT Brumbies – Canberra, venue TBA
Country Eagles vs Western Sydney Rams – Canberra, venue TBA
Sunday 17th September
Western Sydney Rams vs ACT Brumbies – Canberra, venue TBA
Country Eagles vs Sydney Rays – Canberra, venue TBA
Round 3Sydney Rays vs Western Sydney Rams – Pittwater Rugby Park, Warringah
