Round two of the U16 and U19 National Championships have seen the NSW Waratahs and Melbourne Rebels produce statement victories over their rivals.
Both sides did it in vastly different fashions, however, set the scene for an exciting match-up this Sunday as the two undefeated teams face off in Sydney.
The Melbourne Rebels, who had a bye in the first round, produced two gutsy victories to hold off an impressive Western Force at Power House Rugby Club.
Meanwhile, the NSW Waratahs were dominant against the ACT Brumbies, with both sides reaching the half-century in thumping victories.
Rugby.com.au recaps all the action from round two
UNDER 16s
The Rebels have produced a gutsy 19-17 victory over the Western Force.
The hosts started strong as they built pressure on the Force line, however, it was the visitors that opened the scoring as flanker Luke Holt-Brown scored his third try in two weeks.
They extend their lead to 12-0 after a series of pick and drives allowed Zane Wesley to dive over the line.
The hosts missed a late penalty chance in the half before Jackson Jury snatched an intercept on halfway to get them back into the contest.
A string of penalties saw Force lock Manaia Te Tana sent for ten, however, an off-the-ball tackle in the build-up saw Rebels back-rower Sam Fangatua join him on the sidelines.
With both teams down to 14, the Force took the chance to strike as Josh Whittingham finished in the corner.
Needing a response, a line out just inside the 22 allowed a dominant Rebels pack to charge over for the penalty try.
Four minutes later, Jury turned provider, breaking free before a great offload found Joseph Vela as the Rebels held on for the 19-17 victory.
UNDER 19s
The Rebels have secured a sweep over the Western Force in a low-scoring thriller, holding on 14-10.
The hosts struck first as lock Max Johnson earned the breakdown turnover 10 metres out, with a quick tap putting Divad Palu over the line.
David Vaihu, brother of Rebels wing Glen, looked to have extended the lead before some great scramble defence forced the mistake.
Vaihu then produced some magic in the 30th minute, chipping from inside his own 22 for Jozef Ah Kuoi, backing up to put Eyda Haisila in under the posts to take a 14-0 lead into the break.
The Force came out firing to start the second half as Ryan Mcgloin shuffled past two defenders to dive over the line following a great run from winger Justin Talemaira.
Both sides hunted for points in the greasy, wet conditions as the Rebels continued to hold strong.
A yellow card to Leafi Talataina for repeated infringements with ten minutes to go opened the doors for the Force to reduce the margin, with Ned Slack-Smith taking the ball from the back of the resulting maul to score.
Down a man, the Rebels managed to control field territory for the final ten minutes and despite a promising final attack, the Force were unable to find a late winner as the hosts held on.
UNDER 16s
The Waratahs have cruised to a 51-10 victory over the Brumbies to extend their margin at the top of the ladder.
Tom Farr-Jones, the nephew of former Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones, finished with a double as a second-half blitz powered them to victory.
The winger opened the scoring after an electric dummy and step from the impressive Tylan Black-Berryman drew in the defender.
Farr-Jones was denied a spectacle double after an incredible aerobatic effort, however, made up for it minutes later after another Black-Berryman break to take a 15-3 lead in the break.
The Waratahs took it to another level in the second half despite a yellow card to Matthew Humphries.
Toby Brial, son of former Wallaby Michael, finished off some nice interchange between the back-rowers to kickstart their attack as Leo Jacques raced away after a break started from their own goal-line.
Another yellow card, this time to Brial, allowed the Brumbies to strike as Talia’uli Latukefu dummied and dived over the line.
In the end, the Waratahs ran away with the contest with four tries in the final ten minutes for the bonus-point victory.
UNDER 19s
A second-half blitz has powered the Waratahs to a thumping 55-15 win over the Brumbies.
The visitors started strong as flyhalf Syris Schmidt dived on a charge down to open the scoring.
Needing a spark, the Waratahs got themselves back into the contest as Clem Halaholo continued his breakout tournament as he barged over from close range.
The Waratahs then ran away with the contest before the break, scoring three tries in eight minutes to take a 34-15 lead into the break, with the Brumbies down a man thanks to a late tackle from Luron Patea after Riley Hemsworth’s try.
Halaholo crossed for his second after the break as the hosts cruised away with the game.
Patea once again drew the ire of the referee after a high shot, earning his second yellow after a high tackle, minutes after a strong break from the back-rower.
Jackson Ropata put the final touches to the victory after an electric step and break from tighthead prop Jamie Clark.
