Australia has a dominant rugby team — and that’s good news for the Wallabies

Australian rugby fans are desperate for a return to the good old days, and these are the young men who are ready to bring back that winning feeling.

• Schoolboys learning from the World’s best
• Why the Wallabies are a laughing stock of Aussie sport

With the Junior Wallabies smashing everyone in their path at the Under 20s World Cup in Argentina, the future of Australian Rugby has never looked brighter.

Australian rugby fans are desperate for a return to the good old days and while they may not be familiar with the talented next generation that’s coming through, they soon may be.

It’s no fluke that the current emerging crop of talented players are already looking like seasoned veterans, because in many ways they are, the products of an improved national pathway system that is designed not only to foster the best players, but keep them from being poached by rugby league.

Lachlan Lonergan of Australia U20 celebrates with his teammates after scoring a try at the World Rugby U20 Championships. Picture: Amilcar Orfali/Getty Images

The new development pathways, which include state-based academy programs for kids aged from 15 to 20, has already been a roaring success as shown by the eye-popping displays in Latin America.

Already regarded as the most exciting Australian Under 20s team in years after belting New Zealand to win this year’s Oceania junior championship, the squad features a dozen players that have come through the NSW system.

“We’re really happy with the numbers that are in the under 20s squad,” NSW’s General manager of professional rugby Tim Rapp told Rugby Central.

“Every year you’re going to get a batch of guys who are going to come through and potentially become Wallabies but that’s a little way off yet.

“What I would say is that these guys have definitely got a special group of people and competitively, against their age, they’re definitely playing at a very high level.”

Australian players celebrate winning the Oceania U20 Championship after beating the New Zealand U20s. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

In a team packed with upcoming stars who have only just finished high school, a handful are already standing out.

Five-eighth Will Harrison played for the Australian Schoolboys in 2017 and the Junior Wallabies last year and has already been contracted to the Waratahs Super Rugby squad.

Towering flanker Will Harris played for Australian Schools and Australian Under 18s last year and is a contracted development player.

Prop Angus Bell, now in his first year at Sydney University, is a product of the NSW Gen Blue Academy, and is also on a development contract. He captained the Australian Schools and U18s last year and if the surname sounds familiar to rugby diehards, it’s because his father is the former Wallabies Test hooker Mark Bell.

Mark Nawaqanitawase of Australia U20 runs with the ball during a first-round match between Australia U20 and Italy U20 as part of World Rugby U20 Championship 2019 at Club de Rugby Ateneo Inmaculada. Picture: Amilcar Orfali/Getty Images

Then there’s Mark Nawaqanitawase, the leaping Eastwood winger who’s been likened to Israel Folau because of his incredible aerial skills.

A latecomer to rugby, he only linked up with the NSW Generation Blue program this year but has already pushed his way into the Junior Wallabies squad.

“That’s one of the keys about these programs. There’s a lot of different entry and exit points,” Rapp said.

“While there’s a focus on high performance at the U20s level, it’s really about engaging as many players as possible to keep them in the game.”

Sick of seeing their best players poached by wealthy NRL clubs, Rugby Australia has also established a fighting fund to help retain the best talent and it’s working so far, with a lot of current Junior Wallabies having turned down approaches from the 13-man game.

The programs are steadily evolving and one of the latest changes is to do away with the Australian Schoolboys team and replace it with a national U18s side so that players that leave school early can still represent their country at what is a critical age for talented players.

The NSW system has already produced several Wallabies, including Ned Hanigan, Tom Robertson, Jack Dempsey and Jack Maddocks and while Rapp doesn’t want to place too much expectations on the current crop, he expects plenty more will make it all the way.

“For the transition into professional rugby, they’ve definitely still got some work to because they won’t be playing against just their own age group any more,” he said.

“So that’s where the challenges come but hopefully they will continue to prosper and become the Wallabies of the future.”

Originally published as Australia has a dominant rugby team — and that’s good news for the Wallabies