New Zealand’s U18 boys and girls squads to contest the 2025 Global Youth Sevens Tournament in Auckland from December 19-21, are set to be named on December 1.
While there are a host of other Global Youth Sevens team entries which are much further advanced in their squad selections for an event which uniquely showcases both club and international teams, New Zealand Rugby has good reason for its later scheduling.
New Zealand Rugby has a deep and longstanding connection with the independently-run Condor Sevens, the annual tournament for New Zealand boys’ and girls’ secondary schools teams, which is this year set for Blake Park on the weekend on November 29-30.
The national body has already received more than 80 U18 squad nominations from schools to go with players already in the mix from their earlier selection for New Zealand Schools, New Zealand Barbarians U18 and New Zealand Māori U18 teams.
However national sevens selection is purposely delayed to allow players to press their case at Mt Maunganui.
New Zealand Rugby’s high-performance talent identification manager P.J. Williams said sevens provided a genuine pathway into professional rugby, as has long been proved by the quality of players who have come through it, from the likes of Christian Cullen and Jonah Lomu in earlier days through to Beauden Barrett and Leroy Carter in more recent times.
“While other invitation teams try and pick squads months in advance, the New Zealand team is selected after Condor, out of respect for it being one of the world’s premier youth tournaments,” Williams said.
Meanwhile Australia U18 boys selection process is beginning with a camp in New South Wales on November 7-9 and a second camp on November 21-23, after which a Global Youth Sevens squad will be announced to defend their 2024 title.
The Australian U18 girls squad is expected to be named on November 3. Australia won the girls title in 2023 but last year Japan beat Australia 26-15 in the final, after trailing at the break.
