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world-rugby-u20-championship
New Zealand U20 head coach Milton Haig has named his squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship match in South Africa in Might, together with standouts from the Super Rugby Pacific U20 competitors held in Taupo final month, in addition to six returning gamers from final 12 months’s World Rugby U20 Championship.
Haig is the brand new head coach of the facet, following on from present Chiefs useful resource coach Jono Gibbes, who will give attention to his Chiefs teaching function.
The 61-year-old new head coach was concerned within the Counties Manukau NPC group between 2008 and 2011. Haig then coached Georgia to 2 Rugby World Cups earlier than returning to New Zealand to teach the NZ U21’s group in 2006-07.
Haig will likely be joined by Jarrad Hoeata and present Canterbury Bunnings NPC assistant coaches Alex Robertson and Craig Dunlea.
Robertson will likely be in command of the assault after spending 4 years with the Crusaders U20’s. Dunlea, who takes care of the forwards within the Bunnings NPC, will be a part of Hoeata and Robertson as assistant coaches for the NZ U20’s.
The six returning gamers from final 12 months’s marketing campaign are halfback Dylan Pledger, first 5 Rico Simpson, entrance rowers Manumaua Letiu and Sika Pole, Hurricanes U20 unfastened ahead Mosese Bason, and out of doors again Stanley Solomon.
Haig is worked up concerning the enjoying group they’ve chosen, in addition to their skilled teaching group.
“I’m thrilled to be again in New Zealand and training the under-20s. Loads has modified since I used to be final teaching at dwelling, however the immense quantity of expertise and potential of our younger gamers stays the identical,” Haig advised New Zealand Rugby’s official web site.
“We’ve obtained a extremely expert teaching group with Craig, Jarrad and Alex and we’re actually proud of the squad we’ve chosen. The depth of expertise this 12 months was evident on the U20 match in Taupo and though it was a troublesome group to select, we consider we now have the suitable group and there’s some nice management together with a number of gamers from final 12 months’s marketing campaign.”
New Zealand Rugby’s Excessive Efficiency Participant Growth Supervisor Matt Sexton is happy with how the teaching group has come collectively.
“It’s nice to have a coach of Milton’s calibre return dwelling to New Zealand he’ll deliver a wealth of expertise after teaching extensively world wide in several environments. It’s a well-rounded teaching group and so they have chosen an thrilling squad to kick off an enormous 12 months for this group of younger males,” Sexton advised New Zealand Rugby’s official web site.
The present enjoying squad of 31 is just for the TRC (The Rugby Championship U20) and will likely be accessed and re-named on the finish of that competitors, forward of the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy from 29 June to 19 July.
The 2025 New Zealand U20 squad is:
Hookers
Shaun Kempton, Highlanders/Southland
Manumaua Letiu, Crusaders/Canterbury
Eli Oudenryn, Crusaders/Tasman
Props
Tamiano Ahloo, Blues/Auckland
Robson Faleafa, Blues/Auckland
Dane Johnston, Chiefs/Taranaki
Riley Tofilau, Blues/North Harbour
Sika Pole, Blues/Auckland
Locks
Dylan Eti, Chiefs/Waikato
Joshua Tengblad, Highlanders/Otago
Randall Baker, Blues/Auckland
Free Forwards
Mosese Bason, Hurricanes/Manawatu
Micah Fale, Chiefs/Waikato
Harry Irving, Hurricanes/Wellington
Aio Keith, Blues/Auckland
Xavier Treacy, Crusaders/Canterbury
Caleb Woodley, Blues/Auckland
Finn McLeod, Crusaders/Canterbury
Halfbacks
Dylan Pledger, Highlanders/Otago
Charlie Sinton, Chiefs/Bay of A lot
Jai Tamati, Hurricanes/ Manawatu
First five-eighth
Will Cole, Hurricanes/Hawke’s Bay
Rico Simpson, Blues/Auckland
Midfielders
James Cameron, Crusaders/Canterbury
Tayne Harvey, Highlanders/Southland
Cooper Roberts, Crusaders/Tasman
Jack Wiseman, Chiefs/Taranaki
Exterior backs
Maloni Kunawave, Crusaders/Tasman
Taniela Maisiri, Chiefs/Bay of A lot
Harlyn Saunoa, Blues/Auckland
Stanley Solomon, Hurricanes/Wellington
Unavailable attributable to harm
Logan Wallace, Aisake Vakasiuola, Jayden Sa.
Unavailable attributable to All Blacks Sevens duties
Oli Mathis, Joey Taumateine, Xavier Tito-Harris, Frank Vaenuku.
