Kiwis v Aussies who are you picking?

Plenty to appreciate in Australia and New Zealand Global Youth Sevens squads

Australia have named a powerful boys U18 squad to defend their Global Youth Sevens title in Auckland from December 19-21, including four stars from their 15s squad who ran rampant against New Zealand Schools back in October.

Mercurial midfield back Treyvon Pritchard. who scored three tries against New Zealand Schools in two tests and was late named Australia’s Bronze Boot (MVP) winner from the transtasman series, has been named in the sevens squad, along with winger Brody Folkes, openside flanker Jarvis Orr and utility back and dual-code prospect Chayse Geros.

Orr was also a member of the 2024 champion Australian team, while other returning players are Tom Hartman and Bailey Roberts-Lintmeijer. Roberts-Lintmeijer and Folkes are on development contracts with the Australia Men’s Sevens national programme, further hinting at their deep reservoir of talent.

Rugby Australia’s men’s sevens pathways head Shannon Fraser is among those who reckons his squad has the potential to go back-to-back, when the tournament kicks off at Dilworth School.
But the New Zealand boys sevens U18s may see things differently, with a squad that features three players who were in the 2025 New Zealand Schools 15s squad in flankers Elijah Solomona (Silverstream) and Jake Hutchings (Rotorua) and No.8 Rupeni Raviyawa (Feilding), who was one of the few to shine on the short tour to Canberra, scoring three tries against Australia.
Raviyawa and New Plymouth’s Brayden Neilson are the only players returning from last year’s New Zealand squad, while there are also a host of exciting young prospects named.
These include eyecatching Westlake centre Matt Fleming, Tauranga’s fleet-footed fullback Tommy McQuoid and Whangārei’s Brock Reid, a driving force behind his school’s shock win at the Condor Sevens.
Meanwhile Tafai Ioasa returns as New Zealand’s head coach and is joined this year by former All Blacks Sevens legend DJ Forbes.
Australia U18’s Boys Sevens: Brody Folkes, Chayse Geros, Tom Hartman, Ryder Koia, Iziah Lolohea, Julian Minto, Tom O’Hara, Jarvis Orr, Treyvon Pritchard, Max Prykiel, Bailey Roberts-Lintmeijer, Will Trostel, Ian Tunufa’i.
New Zealand U18 Boys Sevens: Jake Hutchings (Rotorua), Elijah Solomona (St Patrick’s Silverstream), Rupeni Raviyawa (Feilding), Brock Reid (Whangārei), Cameron Jones (Christchurch), Matt Fleming (Westlake), Jake Hill (King’s High), Brayden Neilson (New Plymouth), Henry Speedy (Palmerston North), Anru Erasmus (Marlborough), Tommy McQuoid (Tauranga), James Tuituba (Feilding).