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Australia

Union	Rugby Australia
Nickname(s)	Junior Wallabies
Coach(es)	Nathan Grey
Team kit
First international
Australia 81–12 Canada  (6 June 2008; Rodney Parade, Newport)
Largest win
Australia 91–7 Tonga  (1 May 2018; Bond Sports Park, Gold Coast)
Largest defeat
Australia 12–69 New Zealand  (10 July 2022; SC Stadium, Bokarina)
World Cup
Appearances	14 (First in 2008)
Best result	Runners-up (2010, 2019)

The Australia national under-20 rugby union team, nicknamed the Junior Wallabies, is the national under-20 rugby union team that represents Australia. 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 and the U20 Rugby Championship since 2024.

Australia's highest finish at the World Rugby U20 Championship was second-place 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. The Junior Wallabies also finished second in the first four editions of the Oceania U20 Championship before being crowned champions in 2019 after defeating New Zealand 24–0.

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 competitive test matches up to and including the 2024 season:

As of 19 July 2024.

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	W%	PF	PA	Diff.
Argentina	8	3	0	5	37.5%	162	145	+17
Canada	2	2	0	0	100%	167	12	+155
England	8	1	1	6	12.5%	165	204	–39
Fiji	8	8	0	0	100%	352	125	+228
France	7	3	0	4	42.86%	178	170	+8
Georgia	1	1	0	0	100%	35	11	+24
Ireland	4	2	0	2	50%	98	84	+14
Italy	7	6	0	1	85.71%	232	91	+141
Japan	3	3	0	0	100%	165	64	+101
New Zealand	17	4	0	13	23.53%	348	597	–249
Samoa	6	6	0	0	100%	228	94	+134
Scotland	6	4	0	2	66.67%	218	104	+114
South Africa	4	2	0	2	50%	84	132	–48
Tonga	4	4	0	0	100%	252	25	+227
Wales	6	5	0	1	83.33%	204	133	+71
Total	91	54	1	36	59.34%	2,788	1,991	+797

World Rugby U20 Championship record

World Rugby U20 Championship record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA
2008	Fifth place	5	4	0	1	221	68
2009	Fourth place	5	3	0	2	186	74
2010	Runners-up	5	4	0	1	239	131
2011	Third place	5	3	0	2	166	117
2012	Eighth place	5	1	0	4	107	94
2013	Seventh place	5	2	0	3	114	84
2014	Fifth place	5	4	0	1	176	101
2015	Fifth place	5	4	0	1	136	110
2016	Sixth place	5	2	0	3	120	116
2017	Sixth place	5	3	0	2	135	106
2018	Fifth place	5	3	0	2	178	103
2019	Runners-up	5	3	0	2	171	122
2023	Fifth place	5	3	1	1	179	157
2024	Sixth place	4	2	0	2	89	71
2025	To be determined.
Total	Runners-up (2)	69	41	1	27	2,217	1,454

U20 Rugby Championship record

U20 Rugby Championship record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA
2024	Fourth place	3	1	0	2	55	80
2025	To be determined.
Total	Fourth place (1)	3	1	0	3	55	80

Oceania Rugby U20 Championship record

Oceania Rugby U20 Championship record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA
2015	Runners-up	3	2	0	1	109	87
2016	Runners-up	2	1	0	1	35	54
2017	Runners-up	3	2	0	1	81	87
2018	Runners-up	3	2	0	1	170	55
2019	Champions	3	3	0	0	104	14
2022	Third place	3	1	0	2	91	98
Total	Champions (1)	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

World Junior Championship

• Runners-up (2): 2010, 2019

Oceania Junior Championship

• Winners (1): 2019
• Runners-up (4): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

Award winners

The following Australia U20s players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2008:

See also

• Australian Under 20 Rugby Championship
• Australia national under-19 rugby union team
• Australia national under-21 rugby union team

Notes

1. ^ In the pool stage of the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship, Australia's scheduled fixture against Ireland was cancelled due to weather conditions, rendering the pitch unplayable and unsafe. Each team was awarded two points. Thus Australia did not play the expected three pool stage matches followed-up by two knockout stage matches. Rather, Australia played two pool stage matches and two knockout stage matches, or four in total.

References

1. "New Zealand crowned JWC 2010 champions". IRB. 21 June 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
2. "Young Wallabies finish runners up at Junior Worlds". 2010.
3. "France 17–30 Australia". IRB. 26 June 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
4. "Australia finishes fourth at IRB Junior World Championship". 2009.
5. "Rugby – Junior Wallabies beat New Zealand to win Oceania under-20s crown". Special Broadcasting Service. 5 May 2019.
6. Decent, Tom (5 May 2019). "Junior Wallabies thumping of NZ provides lift game desperately needs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019.
7. "Junior Wallabies deliver good news with Oceania title win over New Zealand". The Australian. News Corp Australia. 6 May 2019.
8. "John Weatherstone, 22, left, who will leave Australia on Saturday to tour Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan with the Junior Wallabies". The Canberra Times. 6 March 1972. p. 36, col. 4. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
9. "S. Africa names a strong side". The Canberra Times. 27 July 1971. p. 22, col. 4. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
10. Australian Rugby Union (27 January 2009). "Biographies - Norman Peter Reilly". Brave and Game. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
11. "Third visit in five years". The Canberra Times. 8 July 1990. p. 36. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
12. "State Players Nominated". The West Australian. Perth. 25 June 1953. p.18, col. 2. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
13. "Union teams selected for Ceylon, Fiji tours". Illawarra Daily Mercury. Wollongong. 9 July 1953. p.12, col. 5. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
14. "Roff keen to tackle NZ side". The Canberra Times. 22 July 1994. p. 28. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
15. "Junior Wallabies maintain unbeaten record". The Canberra Times. 22 January 1982. p. 18. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
16. "Schoolboys still dominant". The Canberra Times. 28 January 1982. p. 26. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
17. Tucker, Jim (7 May 2016). "Goalkicker Mack Mason proves hero as junior Wallabies become history-makers in beating All Blacks". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
18. "Sport: Samoa expecting full-strength Australia in U20 opener". Radio New Zealand. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
19. "Ireland v Australia in World U20 Championship cancelled". BBC Sport. BBC. 9 July 2024.
20. ^ Williamson, Nathan (9 July 2024). "Australia U20s coach Grey blasts call to cancel Ireland game, ending World Championship semi-final hopes". rugby.com.au. Rugby Australia.
21. "Australia announce strong U20s squad". ESPN. 6 May 2008. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
22. "Annual Report 2009" (PDF). Australian Rugby Union. pp. 40–41. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
23. "Trans-Tasman rivals set for final showdown". ESPN. 20 June 2010. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
24. "Australian U20s coach announced". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 February 2013. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
25. "Simon Cron, who led Northern Suburbs to Shute Shield win, named Australian U-20s coach". The Daily Telegraph. 9 November 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
26. "Jason Gilmore says Super Rugby experience with Reds will help him plot junior Wallabies revival". Fox Sports. 10 April 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
27. Williamson, Nathan (18 June 2021). "Junior Wallabies name squad for Oceania Tournament". rugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021.
28. "Awards Roll of Honour - World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 21 November 2024.

External links

• Australia U-20

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