Five Wellington players selected to NZ U20s World Championship squad
Five Wellington players have been selected in the New Zealand Under 20s squad for the World Rugby U20 Championships in Georgia.
Asafo Aumua, Alex Fidow, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Kemara Hauiti-Parapara, and Thomas Umaga-Jensen have all made the final 28-man squad.
Front rowers Aumua and Fidow and lock Walker-Leawere were members of the Wellington Lions 2016 Mitre 10 Cup squad, while halfback Hauiti-Parapara was in the Wellington Under 19s.
Umaga-Jensen has signed with Wellington Rugby for the 2017 season after several seasons based in Dunedin where he has been playing club rugby.
The selections of Aumua (Avalon), Fidow (Oriental-Rongotai), Walker-Leawere (Poneke), Hauiti-Parapara (Tawa) and Umaga-Jensen (Wainuiomata) highlight the strength of the Wellington club competition.
CAPTION: Oriental-Rongotai prop Alex Fidow in action for the Hurricanes 20s against Argentina U20s earlier this season. PHOTO: David Brownlie
Aumua, Fidow, Walker-Leawere and Hauiti-Parpara also all gained game time with the Hurricanes during the Investec Super Rugby preseason.
New Zealand Under 20 head coach Craig Philpott said it was a difficult task to select his final squad to travel to Georgia.
CAPTION: Poneke lock Isaia Walker-Leawere in action for the Wellington Lions during the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup. PHOTO: Dave Lintott Photography
"All 32 players we took on the successful Oceania Tournament campaign last week put their hands up for World Championship selection, and all merited the opportunity to wear the black jersey in Georgia. We had to make some tough calls and no doubt there will be some disappointed players.
"The squad has a good base of experience with seven players returning from last year's Under 20 World Championship in Manchester. However, we also want to learn the lessons from the last World Championship and in particular ensure that we are competitive in the forwards against the big northern hemisphere teams.
"There is a lot to be happy with from our win in the Oceania Tournament. We focused on a handful of important aspects of our game, especially defence, and were proud of the fact we conceded only two tries in the tournament. With more time together we will hone in on our scrummaging which will no doubt be a decisive area of the games in Georgia.
CAPTION: Avalon hooker Asafo Aumua charges ahead for the Wellington Lions during the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup. PHOTO: Dave Lintott Photography
"We also want to play our natural high tempo game and provide our backs plenty of space and opportunity to run. We scored a lot of tries on the Gold Coast, and our focus now is on ensuring we play with both speed and accuracy.
"At the World Championship we are focusing one game at a time and not getting ahead of ourselves. The nature of the draw means we need to ensure we come out top of our pool to guarantee a place in the play offs, and with games against Scotland, Italy and Ireland that is no small task.
"We can't afford to lose concentration and our goal is to play world class rugby in every game."
The New Zealand Under 20 team assembles in Mount Maunganui later this week and travels to Georgia on 24 May. Their pool matches are against Scotland on the May 31, Italy on June 4 and Ireland on June 8.
The New Zealand under-20s squad for the World Rugby U20 Championships in Georgia is:
Forwards: Asafo Aumua (Wellington), Sam Caird (Waikato), Adrian Choat (Auckland), Tom Christie (Canterbury), Ryan Coxon (Waikato), Tim Farrell (Hawke's Bay), Alex Fidow (Wellington), Luke Jacobson (c) (Waikato), Ezekiel Lindenmuth (Auckland), Marino Mikaele-Tuu (Hawke's Bay), Dalton Papalii (Auckland), Jacob Pierce (Auckland), John (JP) Sauni (Auckland), Samuel Slade (Auckland), Pouri Rakete-Stones (Hawke's Bay), Isaia Walker-Leawere (Wellington).
Backs: Caleb Clarke (Auckland), Ereatara Enari (vc) (Canterbury), Braydon Ennor (Canterbury), Tima Faingaanuku (Tasman), Tiaan Falcon (Hawke's Bay), Will Jordan (Tasman), Kemara Hauiti-Parapara (Wellington), Orbyn Leger (Counties Manukau), Josh McKay (Canterbury), Jona Nareki (Otago), Tamati Tua (Northland), Thomas Umaga-Jensen (Wellington).