S14 stars in Wallaby U20 squad
Rising star: Super 14 rookie Robert Horne
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) have announced a 26-man squad, including an astonishing 10 players with Super 14 experience, for the inaugural International Rugby Board (IRB) Junior World Championship to be held in Wales in June.
Waratahs fly-half Kurtley Beale and centre Rob Horne, Reds pivot Quade Cooper and scrum-half Will Genia along with Western Force second row Sam Wykes and loose forward David Pocock headline the 26-man squad named for the U20 tournament, which follows the IRB merger of the U19 and U21 tournaments.
Underlying the depth of young talent coming through the Australian Rugby ranks, several players are still in contention for Wallabies and Australia A selection this season, which may impact on the final composition of the U20 squad.
Speedsters Alfi Mafi (Waratahs) and Blair Connor (Queensland) have both been called up to their third national team in a year, with the duo having played in the U19 World Championship in Belfast in 2007 and also having competed on the sevens circuit in the current IRB World Series.
Full-back Dane Haylett-Petty's selection highlights a special week for the 18-year-old who made his Super 14 debut off the bench against the Chiefs in the Force's dramatic last minute win in Perth on Saturday.
Queensland Reds contracted forwards Ben Daley and Rob Simmons have again been selected after appearing in the U19 tournament last year.
Western Force prodigy James O'Connor and the Brumbies' Afusipa Taumoepeau would have both been selected in the final squad but both are ineligible for the tournament as they are under 18 years of age.
The ARU unsuccessfully applied for dispensation for three players - O'Connor, Taumoepeau and Matt Toomua - from Rule 4.3 of the IRB Tournament Rules on Eligibility which states: The player shall be born between 1 January 1988 and 31 December 1989. No player born outside the stipulated period shall be permitted to play in the tournament.
Australian U20 Coach Brian Melrose, who coached the Western Sydney Rams to the final of the Australian Rugby Championship ARC) last year, said the squad comprised of the best young talent in the country.
"It's a highly competitive squad to get into and now we're looking forward to our final preparations for the tournament," said Melrose .
"Of course future selection of the Wallabies and Australia A may have a bearing on the final squad, but we've picked the best team available and we intend to be very competitive in Wales .
"Many of the teams at the World Championships will be full of players with provincial experience and playing in these tournaments presents our young players with a great stepping stone on the way to the Wallabies."
The team has a one-day training session on May 12, before their final preparations begin in Canberra on May 20.
A shadow squad of 12 players has also been named to cover any injuries or withdrawals prior to the squad's departure.
Australia U20 squad: Albert Anae (Queensland), Kurtley Beale (NSW), Peter Betham (NSW), Nathan Charles (NSW), Blair Connor (Queensland), Quade Cooper (Queensland), Ben Coridas (NSW), Ben Daley (Queensland), Tetera Faulkner (ACT), Will Genia (Queensland), James Hanson (Queensland), Dane Haylett-Petty (WA), Robert Horne (NSW), Seilala Lam (ACT), Richard Kingi (Queensland), Alfi Mafi (NSW), Ben McCalman (NSW), Tom Murday (WA), Ratu Nasiganiyavi (NSW), Daniel Palmer (NSW), David Pocock (WA), Andrew Rossiter (Queensland), Robert Simmons (Queensland), Jeremy Sua (NSW), Ben Tapuai (Queensland), Sam Wykes (NSW)