Photo: RUGBY.com.au/Stu Walmsley
Sydney University Football Club members Angus Bell, Darcy Breen and Henry Robertson have been selected in the 28-man Junior Wallabies squad to contest the 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship.
The Junior Wallabies, coached by Jason Gilmore, will take on Italy, Ireland and England in Pool B of the Championship, which will be held in Argentina from 4-22 June.
A top four finish in the pool matches would secure Australia a semi-final berth.
The squad was selected after the 2019 Oceania Cup, which was contested last week between Australia, Japan, Fiji and New Zealand at Bond University on the Gold Coast.
Bell, Breen and Robertson were in the Australian squad that won the Oceania Cup, with a 64-14 win over Japan, a hard-fought 16-nil win over Fiji, and a 24-nil win of the Junior All Blacks.
It was just the second time the Junior Wallabies have beaten the New Zealand Under 20s.
By all accounts, the Junior Wallabies scrum was strong throughout the Oceania Cup, particularly in the Junior All Blacks encounter, prompting the selections of the two SUFC props.
Australia’s three World Cup pool matches will be played at Club de Rugby Ateneo Inmaculada, Santa Fe, kicking off against Italy at on Tuesday, 4 June. They’ll then meet Ireland on Saturday, 8 June and England on Thursday, 13 June.
“Following on from Oceania everyone is quite keen to get together again as a group,” coach Gilmore said. “We’re drawn in a strong pool; it contains some tough sides but we’re looking to build on our experiences from Oceania.
“Our opposition will be fresh off their Six Nations campaign and as a team we are excited by the challenge that it will offer.”
The Junior Wallabies will reconvene for a camp at the Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation in Narrabeen on Saturday, 18 May. The side will also play a warm-up match against the Australian Barbarians at Chatswood Oval, kicking off at 7pm on Wednesday, 22 May.
