Queensland Reds name elite under-18s and under-20s teams to tackle Waratahs on Saturday
The Queensland Reds will usher in more than 40 of their finest young guns for battle against the Waratahs on Saturday. Read an insight into the teen talent lining up in the U18s and U20s teams here.
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The next instalment of a fierce interstate rivalry between the Queensland Reds and New South Wales will start at noon on Saturday when the clubs’ elite under-18 and under-20 teams butt horns.
The Super Rugby Pacific clash is scheduled for 6.35pm at Suncorp where the stars of today will jostle for the Bob Templeton Cup. At Ballymore a few short hours before, some of the nation’s finest teens will be out to show their wares.
The Reds have named two highly-promising squads sure to ruffle the feathers of their counterparts, who always aim up in these fiery academy clashes.
THE PREVIEW
Queensland will roll out a Rolls Royce under-18s outfit for the Waratahs on Saturday, with a mix of power and speed sure to test the New South Welshmen.
Impressive loosehead prop Kingsley Uys returns to the fold a year older and wiser after last spring representing the under-19s as a 16-year-old.
He will lock down the scrum alongside Gregory Terrace senior Charlie Hollyman and Nudgee College border Levi Slater (tighthead).
Hollyman was a young high achiever having played in the Reds Under-16s in 2023, the same year he played a full season of GPS First XV rugby as a Year 10 front rower.
Slater, who played an important part in Nudgee College’s three-peat premiership last season, has been rewarded with his first maroon jersey.
A sport prefect at the school, Slater will bring tenacity, aggression and plenty of leg drive in the scrums and running the ball.
Slater will have a handful of his premiership teammates run out with him, including Year 12 lock Bennett Armistead.
The towering Norths junior will partner tall timber Will Ross in the second row.
Armistead wins lineouts in his sleep and his twin-tower pairing Ross is not bad himself.
He has not lost a game in seven years playing rugby at Padua College.
The young giant, like Armistead, won a cherished First XV premiership last year in the AIC competition.
At blindside flanker will be sporting all-rounder Gray O’Neill. He is a fine rower from Brisbane Boys’ College who has progressed nicely since making an impact in the 2023 Super Rugby competition for the Reds Under-16s.
He can slot conversions from almost anywhere and loves an offload.
The powerful Isaac Rauluni will be tested in a new position, openside flanker, after previously playing his rugby as a prop.
Rauluni will do well if he implements a tip or two from his older brother Noah, the best flanker in Colts 1 last season alongside Charlie Cooke (Wests).
Rauluni’s flanker at school last season, Adam Latham, has been named at No.8 which is a reflection of his natural talent and potential.
Latham, the son of 78-Test Wallaby Chris, was an underrated backrower last year and is the type of player who could really thrive in colts rugby. He will be eligible for three seasons in the under-20s competition and is a great enhancement to this side.
Another son of a gun will feature for Queensland in halfback Isaac Kefu.
His father Toutai Kefu, alongside Steve, coached Brisbane State High to runners up in last year’s GPS First XV rugby competition.
At the same time, nippy scrumhalf Isaac was getting better with every match for BBC. On his day, he is very effective with his running, passing and kicking.
At flyhalf Finn Mackay will be looking to give the Reds a leg-up with his booming exit kicks and sharp goalkicking.
The Australian Under-18s squad member (2024) is a class player with time on his hands.
He will be smiling ear to ear knowing he can pass it off to any of his backs and bam!
Anything can happen.
Manning each wing will be Treyvon Pritchard and Myles Rosemond, two superb schoolboys who have also progressed from the 2023 Reds Under-16s.
You can’t look away with these two. They move quickly and are deadly.
Rosemond is a Townsville Brothers product now in the dorms at Toowoomba Grammar while the high-flying Pritchard has a blend of Kiwi and African heritage from his father Dan and mother Brenda.
Almost three years ago Treyvon’s brother Kadin, 20, was picked in a similar Reds under-18s team and he recently made his Super Rugby Pacific debut for the Brumbies.
Adding to the excitement at fullback was Nick Conway, the son of former Bronco Bob and a two-time First XV premiership winner with Nudgee College.
Conway was a league boy at heart but has been all in on rugby over the past two years. In that time, he helped the Australian Under-18s snare a sensational victory over the New Zealand Schools across the ditch.
In the midfield the Reds will be a handful. Outside centre Tai Taka will bring Fijian flair and at inside centre, Brisbane Grammar ace Harper Enasio adds toughness and skill.
Enasio missed most of the school season last year through injury but has made up for lost time making this side. He is a top notch running, passing and kicking option who has fast feet and firepower on his outside in Taka.
When the going gets tough, Queensland can serve up a storm off the bench.
Australian Under-16s selection Harrison Asi is sure to maintain the rage at hooker, while prop pairing Cyrus Suniala and Kingbenjamin Swirling are known to send shockwaves in close quarter battle.
Suniala was impressive for Brisbane State High in all facets last season while Swirling has been a player of note in the TAS rugby competition (The Associated Schools) for quite some time.
The John Paul College old boy walked into the 2023 and 2024 Team of the Season after being utilised as a No.8 and centre just as much as a front rower.
He is highly-skilled and could kick like an inside back.
Towering sportsman Hayden Keldie-Genner will wear jersey No.19 which is a great reward for his efforts in The Southport School’s second row last season.
He is a blue collar worker who rarely puts a foot wrong or drops a lineout ball. His background in cricket, representing Southport, helps him deliver the ball on a platter for his halfback.
Terrace The Brave tone-setter Oliver Nasser will add energy off the bench. He is the son of former Wallaby Brendan ‘Bobby’ Nasser and the younger brother of Reds hooker Josh and Australian 7s captain Bella.
He hasn’t made it this far because of that last name.
Nasser is a fine prospect who his teammates looked to for inspiration when captain of last year’s First XV.
He was a Year 11 student.
Emerging scrumhalf Alfie Bowman will add the finishing touches in the No.21 jersey. He came into his own at the back end of last season and it culminated in an Australian Under-16s call up.
He has a massive boot and finds the bread basket often.
Padua College senior Damon Humphrys, Angus Tagicakibau and towering teen Tavita Loughland round out the bench and bring a mix of finesse, attacking prowess and size.
Humphrys steered Padua to its first AIC First XV premiership in eight years last season from flyhalf while Tagicakibau made a name for himself in both rugby and 7s.
Gold Coast Eagles product Loughland has been a steady improver at BBC who first caught the eye as a lineout target in the 2022 Emerging Reds Cup at Riverside Rugby Club.
THE TEAM
1. Kingsley Uys
2. Charlie Hollyman
3. Levi Slater
4. Bennett Armistead
5. Will Ross
6. Gray O’Neill
7. Isaac Rauluni
8. Adam Latham
9. Isaac Kefu
10. Finn Mackay
11. Treyvon Pritchard
12. Harper Enasio
13. Tai Taka
14. Myles Rosemond
15. Nick Conway
16. Harrison Asi
17. Cyrus Suniala
18. Kingbenjamin Swirling
19. Hayden Keldie-Genner
20. Oliver Nasser
21. Alfie Bowman
22. Damon Humphrys (Padua)
23. Angus Tagicakibau
24. Tavita Loughland
Queensland are shaping up nicely in the under-20s as well, with familiar faces abound.
Byron Murphy, arguably the best and most consistent prop in Colts 1 last season for Easts, and thunderous Fijian Trevor King have been named at loosehead and tighthead respectively.
In between them is Cooper Hoare, an Easts newcomer who won the Colts 1 competition last year with Souths.
The scrum is in safe hands.
In the second row are two project players with very high ceilings: Fergus Gillan and Charlie Brosnan.
Gold Coast product Gillan gave the Reds under-19s his best last year as the player of the series and not far behind him was Thallon terror Brosnan.
Brosnan was a head-turner as a Churchie schoolboy in 2022 and won a Colts 1 chip with Brothers in 2023. He had to sit on the sidelines in 2024 through injury before returning with gusto to influence matches in the Super Rugby under-19s competition.
All signs point towards a ripper 2025 campaign.
In the flanks were two proud Gregory Terrace old boys from 2023: Charlie Cooke and Tom Robinson.
Cooke is always near the action. Last year for Wests he exceeded any expectation and was the best flanker in the competition before sustaining a shoulder injury.
Watch for his rib-crunching tackles, goose stepping, offload game and overall scrappiness.
Robinson, a fine young leader, will captain the side which shouldn’t come as a surprise.
He is a vocal, encouraging type who will lead in more ways than one.
The progression of mobile big man Vaiuta Latu (Brothers) will continue as well with the former St Peters Lutheran College forward leader named at No.8.
He is highly skilled with soft hands and a knack for winning the contact.
The boundless James Martens will have first dibs in attack when the time is right to go from scrumhalf.
Martens, a livewire, makes things happen like no other halfback out there.
His frantic but fantastic style of play is his only pitfall but the Reds wouldn’t trade him for anyone because finding an attacking scrumhalf like him is like finding a four leaf clover.
He will find Toowoomba talent Will Nason at flyhalf.
Head coach Dale Roberson knows what he is going to get from Nason. He is a Mr Reliable who grew up playing fullback and is now a Steady Eddie playmaker who has been a staple in Reds academy teams over the past 18 months.
Souths’ appearance in the last two Colts 1 grand finals is the first indicator as to why.
However Nason will switch black and white for green and gold this season having followed his trusty Souths coach Cian O’Connor to the Kennel.
A Toowoomba Grammar schoolmate of Nason, Harry Newnham, will make his long-awaited return to representative footy off the bench after the exciting outside back missed most of 2024 through injury.
He has the basics down pat and a sprinkle of flair.
The same can be said about fullback Maddox Maclean and outside centre Xavier Rubens.
They were rivals in school rugby representing Nudgee College and BBC but last year came together as teammates to deliver Souths a Colts 1 premiership.
They are a dynamic duo with the tools to be anything in the code. Souths Hospital Cup coach and 24-Test Wallaby Garrick Morgan knows he is spoiled for choice when it comes to young centres at the club.
He was mightily impressed with the pre-season form of goalkicking flyhalf, inside centre or fullback Maclean and would argue outside centre Rubens is destined for Super Rugby.
Rubens’ schoolmate from BBC, electric Papua New Guinean winger Dan Malum, will continue his rapid rise when he runs out in jersey No.14.
Malum’s selection here is a testament to his hard work, commitment and natural ability.
In 2022 Malum was the starting fullback in BBC’s First XV but in 2023 found himself playing the majority of the school season in the seconds.
The instinctual outside back used that as fuel because his fantastic form in the Colts 1 competition last season took opposition players and coaches by storm.
A theme of star power is embedded in this backline. Winger Tom Howard looms a large attacking threat at the back.
The sharp-stepping Ashgrove local is another of great rugby pedigree. His father Pat, grandfather Jake and great grandfather Cyril Towers all played for the Wallabies.
The fleet-footed Marist Ashgrove product, who received interest from NRL clubs before committing to the Reds Academy, is so impressive University first grade coach Elton Berrange has visions of blooding him in the Hospital Cup at some point this season.
At inside centre will be Frankie Goldsbrough, Queensland’s latest Super Rugby Pacific debutant.
Goldsbrough, 19, came off the bench in the Reds’ away defeat against the Crusaders in round 4 and will be a ferocious force in both attack and defence.
The quality of Queensland’s top rugby rookies extends to the bench where front-row finishers Blaze Moana, Jacob Job and Slater Galloway will get their chance to stick it to the ‘Tahs.
TSS old boy Moana looked as polished as a schoolboy hooker can get in his three-year First XV tenure.
He will add the finishing touches alongside BBC products Jacob Job, an unsung hero from Souths, and Slater Galloway (UQ).
It’s worth noting Galloway bolstered the Brumbies’ under-19s forward pack in the club’s Super Rugby triumph late last year.
Fun fact about Emerald product Jacob Job: He pulled off an ATAR score of 99.6 and was a rugby-rowing all-rounder.
The BBC boys will be in full force with another old boy, Avery Thomson, set to come off the bench.
A player of considerable potential, Thomson catches the eye with his height and imposing stature.
He is no chum on the footy field. Winning lineouts are his bread and butter and provided he stays healthy, we will be seeing a lot of him in the Hospital Cup for the Gallopers.
Another impressive young leader has also been named on the bench and that is Charlie Macauley. He was Bond University’s Colts 1 captain last year and they stunned plenty on their way to a sudden-death semi final against Souths - won by Souths on the hooter.
The bid-bodied Brisbane Grammar old boy was well coached at school by Phil Mooney and at the Canal by former All Black Rico Gear.
Rounding out the bench was an awesome foursome of backs: Callum Reidy (Norths), Josh Takai (Brothers), Samu Tuisau (University) and Netani Lesimaikimatuku (Sunnybank).
All four would do a top job if given a starting role but, given the depth of the squad, they will have to warm their engines on the bench.
Reidy is a plucky and passionate scrumhalf who has spearheaded Norths’ colts resurgence over the past 24 months while utility Lesimaikimatuku was a highlight reel player for the Dragons in 2024.
He is a sniper off the tee who could play fullback or flyhalf on Saturday.
Takai, Lesimaikimatuku’s midfielder in the 2023 GPS rugby season for Brisbane State High, will wear jersey No.23.
He was a key cog in the Australian Under-18s side that broke a five-year drought when they beat their Trans-Tasman foes.
The 2024 club rugby discovery player of the year, University speedster Samu Tuisau, can also add backline punch for Queensland.
The Fijian flyer, born and raised in Sydney, was a first-grade staple for the Red Heavies last year.
Elusion is his middle name.
THE TEAM
1. Byron Murphy
2. Cooper Hoare
3. Trevor King
4. Fergus Gillan
5. Charlie Brosnan
6. Charlie Cooke
7. Tom Robinson
8. Vaiuta Latu
9. James Martens
10. Will Nason
11. Tom Howard
12. Frankie Goldsbrough
13. Xavier Rubens
14. Dan Malum
15. Maddox Maclean
16. Blaze Moana
17. Jacob Job
18. Slater Galloway
19. Avery Thomson
20. Charlie Macauley
21. Callum Reidy
22. Josh Takai
23. Samu Tuisau
24. Netani Lesimaikimatuku
25. Harry Newnham
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