Junior Wallabies Head Coach Jason Gilmore says Rebels listed players Esei Ha’angana and Trevor Hosea, as well as Academy product Navarre Haisila all performed well at the weekend’s Junior Wallabies Camp.
The weekend long camp in Canberra was the second major get together of the year, as the squad prepares for the Under 20’s Oceania Championships in April and the World Championships in June.
While fellow Under 20’s squad members Semisi Tupou and Sione Tui missed the camp through touring in South Africa and from injury respectively, Gilmore says Ha’angana, Haisila and Hosea all represented Melbourne with aplomb.
“The purpose of the camp centred around unit and team preparation,” Gilmore said.
“The Rebels boys are a very respectful group of young men (and they) worked hard both on and off the field with their preparation and performance.”
“We are lucky to have Trevor, Esei and Semisi back from last year and they are an important part of the group both on and off the field.”
While Hosea, Tupou and Ha’angana all played in the Under 20’s World Championships in 2018, Gilmore says no selections are guaranteed for this year’s competition.
“Selections are always tight with this squad,” Gilmore said.
“There is still a lot of work to be done and performances across the next six weeks will dictate selections from Super Rugby, Club Rugby and Junior Wallaby Camp performances.”
General Manager of Professional Rugby and Pathways Nick Ryan says the performance of the three boys at the Junior Wallabies Camp is an important step in their rugby development.
Ryan also paid tribute to the Rebels’ Academy staff who have helped guide the players to Junior Wallabies standard.
“The camp is important as it exposes the players to a high level of coaching and intensity and inspires them to know what is possible if they work hard and compete,” Ryan said.
“We received some very pleasing feedback to how they performed, which first and foremost is a great credit to the players, but also to the outstanding work done by Nic Henderson and Brendan Whelan in the Academy.”
