Rising stars with famous rugby, NRL brothers in NSW Waratahs U15s squad v Reds, 21 photos
There’s a four-try hero, teens with famous older brothers and one with a famous NRL surname in the new Waratahs U15s squad to take on the Queensland Reds. See who made the cut plus photos
A four-try hero from the finale of the Next Gen Cup was named Player of the Tournament and also in the new Waratahs U15s rugby squad to take on the Queensland Reds in an annual battle between the two top junior rugby academies in the country next month.
Khan Jackson, from the Dural Rugby Club, was the star of the Team Waugh v Team Baxter finale at the tournament at Camden but not on the right side of the result.
Team Baxter won the game after fighting back from 0-10 down to take the match and the Gen Next trophy 34-29.
The Next Gen tournament is used to identify the top young talent in the state from city, country and regional areas and gives players their first real taste of representative rugby.
Jackson also had plenty of his teammates from the Dural club crack the new Waratahs U15s squad, including big prop Chris Suaalii, the younger brothers of Wallaby gun Joseph and rising star Levi Perrett
However the younger Suaalii will have to pass a fitness test after leaving the field in the finale with a shoulder issue.
Billy Bowen from the Wahroonga Tigers, has also been named and is the brother of Waratahs gun Jack.
He also has plenty of Wahroonga teammates beside him, including other standouts of the tournament in Ezekiel Stanley-Ligaiviu and Max Wintzer and Saia Enasio.
Also making the side is Devida Hopates from the Manly Savers, the son of former NRL player John Hopoate and the brother of NRL talents. Levi, Will, Albert and Jamil,
Dylan Pullen from the Collaroy Cougars, has also made the squad.
The team also boasts young guns from the NSW Waratahs U14s including Avoca Beach’s Beau Hobbs and Gabriel Santarossa from the Maitland Blacks.
Leonard Salter from the Oatley rugby club turned plenty of heads across the weekend as did Randwick’s Riley Carr
Dural’s Samoagagalo Tuigamala was also hard to miss.
Waratahs U15s coach Mike Cross said he had been impressed with the level of talent on show at the two day event and described his new squad as “just awesome’’.
PLAYERS NAMED IN THE WARATAHS U15s SQUAD ON SUNDAY
Andrew Larkin, Beau Hobbs, Billy Bowen, Bronson Tupou, Chris Suaalii, Cooper Hayward, Cruz Holmes, Dean Sheridan, Devida Hopoate, Dylan Pullen, Ethan Mullins, Ezekiel Stanley-Ligaiviu, Gabriel Santarossa, Henry Perkins, Jack Corbett, Josaiah Manuofetoa, Khan Jackson, Leonard Salter. Levi Perrett. Lorima Seu Seu, Lucas Villate-Gallagher, Max Wintzer, Nathan Maier, Riley Carr, Saia Enasio, Sam Kakuleni, Samoagagalo Tuigamala, Seb Connor, Uriah Brown, Wesley Moala
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