The New Zealand team to face Georgia in their opening match of the World Rugby Under 20 Championship 2016 in Manchester, England, has been named. The team is as follows: 1. Ayden Johnstone 2. Leni Apisai (c) 3. Sosefo Kautai 4. Quinten Strange 5. Isaia Walker-Leawere 6. Luke Jacobson 7. Mitchell Jacobson 8. Marino Mikaele-Tu’u 9. Sam Nock 10. TJ Va’a 11. Jonah Lowe 12. Jordie Barrett 13. Patelesio Tomkinson 14. Caleb Makene 15. Shaun Stevenson Reserves: 16. Asafo Aumua 17. Shaun Stodart 18. Alex Fidow 19. Hamish Dalzell 20. Hapakuki Moala-Liava’a 21. Jonathan Taumateine 22. Stephen Perofeta 23. Malo Tuitama Head Coach Scott Robertson and Assistant Coaches Craig Philpott and Willie Rickards have included five Super Rugby players in the run-on 15 as they begin their defence of the title won in Italy last year. New Zealand open their campaign against first-timers Georgia, who qualified this year by winning the Tier Two competition. Robertson feels the Investec Super Rugby players have brought both leadership and professionalism to a young team that also includes nine players who will be eligible to play again next year. “The Super Rugby boys have been superb around leadership and the professional day to day conduct, and they understand how a professional environment works,” explained Robertson. “They’ve definitely lifted the standard and improved the willingness of the young players. As a coach that’s what you want, the experienced players in the team to be driving it, because we’ve got nine young players who will be looking up to them. “These guys bring their leadership and they understand the game well, so we’ve got a really good balance. “Our captain Leni Apisai brings strengths from the Hurricanes and Shaun Stevenson has come in from being in a Chiefs environment and has had a couple of opportunities for them. “TJ Va’a has also come in from the Hurricanes and although he hasn’t been given much opportunity to play this year because of a knee injury, he’s in great condition. He creates a good combination with Blues player Sam Nock,” added Robertson. Highlanders centre Patelesio (Sio) Tomkinson also debuts for the team and has been widely tipped as one of the tournament players to watch, while Jordan Trainor who has been involved in the Blues squad, sits out the first game. Robertson expects some tough competition from all three Pool A opponents Georgia, Ireland and Wales, and has placed a great emphasis on ensuring his team is well-prepared to take on each challenge. “We arrived a day early to acclimatise and get our body clocks right. We’re making sure we prepare well and we’ve really taken on the learnings from last year – about the basic pressure, confronting the times when things are tough, but importantly to enjoy touring together,” said Robertson. “Our game planning doesn’t change very much, it’s still 80:20, 80% yourself and 20% them. We really respect everyone when we prepare to play them. For opposition players, they are going to play the test match of their lives because they want to play against and beat New Zealand, and so it’s really important we respect those we play against. “It’s the first time we’ve come up against Georgia. They love anything in the contact area, they love a drive, they love a scrum, and they’re very similar to an Argentinian or French team. They’re big and strong - it’ll be a bit of Greco-Roman wrestling!” The match against Georgia, being played at AJ Bel Stadium, Salford, kicks off on Tuesday 7 June at 7.45pm local time (Wednesday 8 June, 6.45am NZT). Live Broadcast New Zealand v Georgia will be broadcast live on SKY Sports 1 from 6.40am NZT. New Zealand U20 playing schedule (local times): Saturday, 11 June 1.30pm (Sunday 12 June, 12.30am NZT) v Ireland, Manchester City Academy, Manchester Wednesday, 15 June 5.30pm (Thursday 16 June, 4.30am NZT) v Wales, AJ Bel Stadium, Salford Semi-finals will be played on 20 June ahead of the 25 June final. Heretaunga College is a proud co-ed school in the Hutt Valley with a 700-strong roll. In rugby, the school’s most famous player in recent years is 53-Test All Black Cory Jane, while the sports co-ordinator is New Zealand Sevens Development player Max Pearson. The First XV rugby team plays in Premier 3, two levels below the WelTec Premiership which includes the likes of recent national champions Scots College and nearby St Pat’s Silverstream. But can those big local and national schools boast not one but two players who have been in the First XV for five years? Meet Jannaia Fuimano and Markus Heemi. The best mates and Year 13 students have both been in the Heretaunga College’s First XV since Year 9. Going into this weekend’s match against Hutt Valley High School, Jannaia has played 64 matches for the First XV and Markus 55. Jannaia is the team’s captain and explained that they’re both utility players “Markus and I have covered most positions in the team since we started in Year 9, we even played together as props,” he said. “I mostly play No. 8 now, but have also played in the backs too.” Jannaia has stepped up to captain the side this year, after being vice-captain in 2015. Markus is related to Apa Heemi who has played over 100 matches at prop for the local senior club side the Upper Hutt Rams and for the Wellington Maori team. Jannaia said there are also young players coming through. “We’re quite a young team; we have some Year 10s and one Year 9 who has played already this year for our First XV.” “It was quite a feeling starting off college and making the First XV, the rugby culture is not as big as other schools but there was also an U15 team and I was preparing to play for them when I first got the call up.” He recalls his debut match for the First XV as being against Aotea College in a pre-season game. “One of my very first games I played for the First XV I scored a try, and just the feeling of being a junior in the team with lots of Year 12s and 13s gave me a boost.” He said many players in the team from recent years are now playing Colts for senior clubs. Wing Brandon Mudzekenyedzi who was in the Hurricanes U18 squad last year is now in Japan on a rugby scholarship. Jannaia said the big games for Heretaunga College are always against nearby Upper Hutt College. In last weekend’s opening competition round Upper Hutt College beat Heretaunga 36-10. As well as being the First XV rugby captain, Jannaia is the captain of both Heretaunga’s Senior A volleyball team and Heretaunga’s dragon boating team. Heretaunga’s sports coordinator and New Zealand Sevens Development player Max Pearson helps out with the rugby team when he can, while having Cory Jane is an old boy is a positive. “We’re all aware that Cory Jane went to our school and played for our team, it would be really good to see him come and watch us play! “It’s great having people like him as former students, it shows that little schools like us also have people achieving in sport to a high level.” 1/6/2016 Sean Leach - The Dancing Prop!For three years Sean Leach was a strong and diligent prop in the Hutt International Boys' School First XV. In 2013, his first year in the First XV, he took the lead role in the school production. It was somewhat surprising to his teammates. "I was on the stage dancing topless in make-up. Some of the First XV turned up and spent the whole show giggling. It was a bit awkward," Leach recalls. In 2008 Leach confesses he was an awkward young man who struggled to "fit in." "I grew up in Taita before the family shifted to South Auckland. We moved around a bit and finally settled in Wellington. I wasn't very happy. There were a few things going on in my personal life and I was up to a bit of mischief," he recalls. In Year 9 at HIBS Leach witnessed a moment that was to change his life. "Chaz Cummings, a former New Zealand's Got Talent Winner, preformed at the school. I was awe-struck. I thought he was amazing. Later Chaz became a brother and a mentor. He has invested a lot of time and effort into my life which I'll be forever grateful for," Leach says. Leach decided to dance. It was the ideal outlet for his pent up frustration. "When I dance it makes me feel like I can do anything. It has taught me discipline and how to express myself positively. It has allowed me to reach out to other youth who feel like they don't belong anywhere. It's a passion and drive that has changed my life and allowed me to become a better person today," Leach says. In 2012 Leach won the National Secondary Schools' hip hop title and last year he choreographed a team from HIBS that won a bronze medal in a teams' event. He joined "The Company NZ," which is one of New Zealand's leading hip hop originations. Leach identifies The Company NZ," director Ben Uili as another "mentor" and "brother." Every year "The Company NZ," enters teams into the National Championships. The top three teams in every division qualify for the World Hip Hop Championships in Las Vegas. New Zealand is one of the top countries in the world and has won medals and world titles in every division. This year's event is held between August 4 and 16. Leach is Vegas bound after his team finished third at Nationals. Leach is competing in the Megacrew division which consists of 14-40 crew members of all ages. Each performance lasts between two and four minutes and is rated 1-10 by a group of ten judges. Leach and his crew are training close to 20 hours a week to perfect their routine which will be showcased in front of 48 countries and over 3,500 competitors. "This year will be the first year I will be able to go and compete as I made the difficult decision to not play rugby and pursue my dream of becoming a world champion dancer. This was the hardest decision I've had to make as I really enjoy rugby and was making good progress and my family has strong connections to the game and kind of expected I would play rugby," Leach says. Leach's grandfather Kevin is a life member of Hutt Old Boys Marist and was a manager of the New Zealand Secondary Schools side. Sean's father and uncle also played for the Eagles. In Leach's three years in the First XV, HIBS beat Rongotai College, Wellington College, Palmerston North BHS, Lindisfarne College and Rathkeale College for the first time reaching Premier One status in the capital. "I think rugby and dance teach you similar things. They teach you about hard work, discipline, trust and brotherhood. I love rugby, but dancing is my focus at the moment," Leach says. It will cost Leach about $6,000 to attend the World Championships. He works in the produce department at New World, Lower Hutt and is involved in several fundraising activities in a bid to reach his financial target. The world of dance is cut throat, but can he highly lucrative. Cummings runs a leading Dance School in Sydney while former Company NZ dancers have worked for Chris Brown, Rihanna and Justin Bieber. Interestingly Julian Tocker is a dancer on Dancing with the Stars in the US. He is the son of WRFU President Murray Tocker. Leach concludes with his favourite saying, "hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard." Givealittle: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/seansroadtoworlds |
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