Australian U20 rugby squad: local NSW, ACT, Qld, WA clubs producing our Future Wallabies
The first Australian U20 rugby squad for 2025 is dominated by teenagers from two famous local footy clubs. Who’s producing the most rising stars and how do other clubs stack up?
They may have finished dead last in Super Rugb last season but the resurgent Waratahs have plenty to crow about outside this competition when it comes to their future talent and Wallabies.
Now fourth on the ladder with just a loss in four outings, the Waratahs are looking good heading into their first match across the ditch against the Hurricanes this Friday.
And so are the Tahs next generation athletes with more Waratahs young guns selected in the new Australian U20 squad than any other state.
Add players who have graduated from their pathway now associated with rival Super Rugby franchises and the Waratahs numbers swell.
New Australian coach Chris Whitaker has named 13 Waratahs athletes in the 32-strong squad with players like Finn Baxter and Malayke Enasio, who came through their pathway, now based at the ACT Brumbies.
Both the Brumbies and Reds have eight players each in the new squad with the remaining three - including former Waratah Boston Fakafanua — now at Western Force.
Sydney club powerhouses Eastern Suburbs and Sydney University boast the lions share of athletes heading to Coffs Harbour next month for an intensive camp ahead of the U20 Rugby Championship in South Africa and the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy.
Nathaniel Tiitii, Edwin Langi, Charlie O’Kane, Jacob Veiru, Toby Brial and Cooper Watters are all tied up with Eastern Suburbs.
Eamon Doyle, Joe Mangelsdorf, Hwi Sharples, Joey Fowler and Liam Grover are all Sydney University players with Brumby Beau Morrison also with Uni.
Nick Hill is the sole squad member from Warringah and Kaleb Ah-Colt is with Randwick
The local club with the next best representation is the Gungahlin Eagles in the ACT with Baxter, Lachlan Smith and Enasio.
Souths (Trevor King,-Xavier Rubens), University of Queensland (John Grenfell and Tom Robinson) and Brothers (Charlie Brosnan and Dre Pakeho) have two each as does West Scarborough with Fakafanua and Finn Prass.
The Waratahs also have four players unavailable for selection this time round due to injury in
Luca Cleverley, Leo Jaques, Will Goddard and Austin Durbidge plus three Sevens players unavailable in Aden Ekanayake, Hadley Tonga and Sid Harvey.
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