Australia national under-20 rugby union team
Union | Rugby Australia | |
---|---|---|
Coach(es) | Nathan Grey | |
| ||
First international | ||
Australia 81–12 Canada (6 June 2008) | ||
Largest win | ||
Australia 91–7 Tonga (1 May 2019) | ||
Largest defeat | ||
Australia 12–69 New Zealand (10 July 2022) | ||
World Cup | ||
Appearances | 7 (First in 2008) | |
Best result | Runners-up, 2010 and 2019 |
The Junior Wallabies is the national under-20 team that represents Australia playing rugby union. The team has been competing at the annual World Rugby U20 Championship since it began in 2008, replacing the previously held under-19 and under-21 championships. The team also competes at the Oceania U20 Championship as of 2015.
Australia's highest finish at the World Rugby Under 20 Championship was as runner-up in 2010 and 2019. The team finished third in 2011 by beating France in the third place playoff, and fourth in 2009 after losing to South Africa 32–5 in the third place playoff.
Team name
The Junior Wallabies name was incorporated into the Australian under-20 crest prior to the 2018 season, but the name was also previously applied to several other teams in the history of Australian rugby. In the era of amateur rugby from the 1950s onwards, the Junior Wallabies team was selected from uncapped players (with no age restriction) to play against touring Test sides or to represent Australia on goodwill tours to Asia and the Pacific. Media publications sometimes also used the name Junior Wallabies to refer to age-graded national teams such as the Australian under 19 side, Australian Schoolboys, and later the Australian under 20 team.
Overall record
Summary for all under 20 matches at the World and Oceania championships up to and including the 2023 World Rugby Championship:
Opposition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | % Won |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 50% |
Canada | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
England | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 13% |
Fiji | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
France | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 43% |
Ireland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 50% |
Italy | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
New Zealand | 15 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 27% |
Samoa | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Scotland | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 67% |
South Africa | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33% |
Tonga | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Wales | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 80% |
Total | 84 | 51 | 1 | 32 | 61% |
World Rugby U20 Championship record
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | 5th place | 5th | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 221 | 68 |
2009 | Semi-finals | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 186 | 74 |
2010 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 239 | 131 |
2011 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 166 | 117 |
2012 | 8th place | 8th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 107 | 94 |
2013 | 7th place | 7th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 114 | 84 |
2014 | 5th place | 5th | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 176 | 101 |
2015 | 5th place | 5th | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 136 | 110 |
2016 | 6th place | 6th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 120 | 116 |
2017 | 6th place | 6th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 135 | 106 |
2018 | 5th place | 5th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 178 | 103 |
2019 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 171 | 122 |
2023 | 5th place | 5th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 179 | 157 |
Total | 13/13 | 0 titles | 65 | 39 | 1 | 25 | 2,128 | 1,383 |
Oceania Rugby U20 Championship record
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 109 | 87 |
2016 | Runners-up | 2nd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 54 |
2017 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 81 | 87 |
2018 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 170 | 55 |
2019 | Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 14 |
2022 | 3rd place | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 91 | 98 |
Total | 6/6 | 1 title | 17 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 590 | 395 |
Head coaches
- 2008: Brian Melrose
- 2009–2012: David Nucifora
- 2013–2016: Adrian Thompson
- 2017: Simon Cron
- 2018–2019: Jason Gilmore
- 2020–present: Nathan Grey
Honours
- Oceania Junior Championship
-
- Winners (1): 2019
- Runners-up (4): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018