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Australia national under-20 rugby union team

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Australia
UnionRugby Australia
Nickname(s)Junior Wallabies
Coach(es)Nathan Grey
Team kit
First international
 Australia 81–12 Canada 
(6 June 2008; Rodney Parade, Newport)
Largest win
 Australia 91–7 Tonga 
(1 May 2018; Bond Sports Park, Gold Coast)
Largest defeat
 Australia 12–69 New Zealand 
(10 July 2022; SC Stadium, Bokarina)
World Cup
Appearances14 (First in 2008)
Best resultRunners-up (2010, 2019)
Logo 2008–2017

The Australia national under-20 rugby union team, nicknamed the Junior Wallabies, is the national under-20 rugby union team that represents Australia. The team has been competing at the annual World Rugby U20 Championship since it began in 2008, replacing the previously held under-19 and under-21 championships. The team also competes at the Oceania U20 Championship as of 2015 and the U20 Rugby Championship since 2024.

Australia's highest finish at the World Rugby U20 Championship was second-place in 2010[1][2] and 2019. The team finished third in 2011 by beating France in the third place playoff,[3] and fourth in 2009 after losing to South Africa 32–5 in the third place playoff.[4] The Junior Wallabies also finished second in the first four editions of the Oceania U20 Championship before being crowned champions in 2019 after defeating New Zealand 24–0.[5][6][7]

Team name

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The Junior Wallabies name was incorporated into the Australian under-20 crest prior to the 2018 season, but the name was also previously applied to several other teams in the history of Australian rugby.[8][9] In the era of amateur rugby from the 1950s onwards, the Junior Wallabies team was selected from uncapped players (with no age restriction) to play against touring Test sides[10][11] or to represent Australia on goodwill tours to Asia and the Pacific.[12][13] Media publications sometimes also used the name Junior Wallabies to refer to age-graded national teams such as the Australian under-19 side,[14] Australian Schoolboys,[15][16] and later the Australian under-20 team.[17][18]

Overall record

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Summary for all competitive test matches up to and including the 2024 season:

As of 19 July 2024.
Opponent Pld W D L W% PF PA Diff.
 Argentina 8 3 0 5 37.5% 162 145 +17
 Canada 2 2 0 0 100% 167 12 +155
 England 8 1 1 6 12.5% 165 204 –39
 Fiji 8 8 0 0 100% 352 125 +228
 France 7 3 0 4 42.86% 178 170 +8
 Georgia 1 1 0 0 100% 35 11 +24
 Ireland 4 2 0 2 50% 98 84 +14
 Italy 7 6 0 1 85.71% 232 91 +141
 Japan 3 3 0 0 100% 165 64 +101
 New Zealand 17 4 0 13 23.53% 348 597 –249
 Samoa 6 6 0 0 100% 228 94 +134
 Scotland 6 4 0 2 66.67% 218 104 +114
 South Africa 4 2 0 2 50% 84 132 –48
 Tonga 4 4 0 0 100% 252 25 +227
 Wales 6 5 0 1 83.33% 204 133 +71
Total 91 54 1 36 59.34% 2,788 1,991 +797

World Rugby U20 Championship record

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World Rugby U20 Championship record
Year Round Pld W D L PF PA
2008 Fifth place 5 4 0 1 221 68
2009 Fourth place 5 3 0 2 186 74
2010 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 239 131
2011 Third place 5 3 0 2 166 117
2012 Eighth place 5 1 0 4 107 94
2013 Seventh place 5 2 0 3 114 84
2014 Fifth place 5 4 0 1 176 101
2015 Fifth place 5 4 0 1 136 110
2016 Sixth place 5 2 0 3 120 116
2017 Sixth place 5 3 0 2 135 106
2018 Fifth place 5 3 0 2 178 103
2019 Runners-up 5 3 0 2 171 122
2023 Fifth place 5 3 1 1 179 157
2024[a] Sixth place 4[a] 2 0 2 89 71
2025 To be determined.
Total Runners-up (2) 69 41 1 27 2,217 1,454

U20 Rugby Championship record

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U20 Rugby Championship record
Year Round Pld W D L PF PA
2024 Fourth place 3 1 0 2 55 80
2025 To be determined.
Total Fourth place (1) 3 1 0 3 55 80

Oceania Rugby U20 Championship record

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Oceania Rugby U20 Championship record
Year Round Pld W D L PF PA
2015 Runners-up 3 2 0 1 109 87
2016 Runners-up 2 1 0 1 35 54
2017 Runners-up 3 2 0 1 81 87
2018 Runners-up 3 2 0 1 170 55
2019 Champions 3 3 0 0 104 14
2022 Third place 3 1 0 2 91 98
Total Champions (1) 17 11 0 6 590 395

Head coaches

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Honours

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World Junior Championship
Oceania Junior Championship
  • Winners (1): 2019
  • Runners-up (4): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

Award winners

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The following Australia U20s players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2008:[28]

World Rugby Junior Player of the Year
Year Nominees Winners
2009 Richard Kingi —
2010 Robbie Coleman
2015 Jonah Placid
2019 Fraser McReight

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b In the pool stage of the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship, Australia's scheduled fixture against Ireland was cancelled due to weather conditions, rendering the pitch unplayable and unsafe.[19][20] Each team was awarded two points.[20] Thus Australia did not play the expected three pool stage matches followed-up by two knockout stage matches. Rather, Australia played two pool stage matches and two knockout stage matches, or four in total.

References

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  1. ^ "New Zealand crowned JWC 2010 champions". IRB. 21 June 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  2. ^ "Young Wallabies finish runners up at Junior Worlds". 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ "France 17–30 Australia". IRB. 26 June 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Australia finishes fourth at IRB Junior World Championship". 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Rugby – Junior Wallabies beat New Zealand to win Oceania under-20s crown". Special Broadcasting Service. 5 May 2019.
  6. ^ Decent, Tom (5 May 2019). "Junior Wallabies thumping of NZ provides lift game desperately needs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Junior Wallabies deliver good news with Oceania title win over New Zealand". The Australian. News Corp Australia. 6 May 2019.
  8. ^ "John Weatherstone, 22, left, who will leave Australia on Saturday to tour Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan with the Junior Wallabies". The Canberra Times. 6 March 1972. p. 36, col. 4. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  9. ^ "S. Africa names a strong side". The Canberra Times. 27 July 1971. p. 22, col. 4. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  10. ^ Australian Rugby Union (27 January 2009). "Biographies - Norman Peter Reilly". Brave and Game. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  11. ^ "Third visit in five years". The Canberra Times. 8 July 1990. p. 36. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  12. ^ "State Players Nominated". The West Australian. Perth. 25 June 1953. p.18, col. 2. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Union teams selected for Ceylon, Fiji tours". Illawarra Daily Mercury. Wollongong. 9 July 1953. p.12, col. 5. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Roff keen to tackle NZ side". The Canberra Times. 22 July 1994. p. 28. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Junior Wallabies maintain unbeaten record". The Canberra Times. 22 January 1982. p. 18. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Schoolboys still dominant". The Canberra Times. 28 January 1982. p. 26. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  17. ^ Tucker, Jim (7 May 2016). "Goalkicker Mack Mason proves hero as junior Wallabies become history-makers in beating All Blacks". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Sport: Samoa expecting full-strength Australia in U20 opener". Radio New Zealand. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Ireland v Australia in World U20 Championship cancelled". BBC Sport. BBC. 9 July 2024.
  20. ^ a b Williamson, Nathan (9 July 2024). "Australia U20s coach Grey blasts call to cancel Ireland game, ending World Championship semi-final hopes". rugby.com.au. Rugby Australia.
  21. ^ "Australia announce strong U20s squad". ESPN. 6 May 2008. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  22. ^ "Annual Report 2009" (PDF). Australian Rugby Union. pp. 40–41. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  23. ^ "Trans-Tasman rivals set for final showdown". ESPN. 20 June 2010. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  24. ^ "Australian U20s coach announced". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 February 2013. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  25. ^ "Simon Cron, who led Northern Suburbs to Shute Shield win, named Australian U-20s coach". The Daily Telegraph. 9 November 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  26. ^ "Jason Gilmore says Super Rugby experience with Reds will help him plot junior Wallabies revival". Fox Sports. 10 April 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  27. ^ Williamson, Nathan (18 June 2021). "Junior Wallabies name squad for Oceania Tournament". rugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021.
  28. ^ "Awards Roll of Honour - World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
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