Super U20s Championship to kick off in 2016

Feb 17 • Australia, General News • 1623 Views • Comments Off on Super U20s Championship to kick off in 2016

The Australian Rugby Union today announced that for the first time there would be a regular weekly U20s competition with all five Australian Super Rugby teams competing for the Super U20s Championship in 2016.

Kicking off on Saturday 27 February, the six-week competition will see each side play each other across the country, with a final between the top two ranked teams to decide the inaugural Super U20s champion.

The five teams competing will be Queensland U20s, NSW Gen Blue U20s, Brumbies Colts (U20s), Melbourne Rebels U20s and the Western Force U20s.

The competition replaces the former Australian U20s Championship and will be the breeding ground for the BMW Australian U20s side, as well as showcasing the next generation of Australian Super Rugby stars coming through the ranks.

All but two matches in the inaugural Super U20s competition will be played as curtain raisers to Asteron Life Super Rugby matches, adding to the match day experience for fans.

Australian Rugby Union General Manager, High Performance, Ben Whitaker said: “The Super U20s Championship will be an exciting platform for the next generation of Australian players to enhance their abilities in the elite professional environments our Super Rugby clubs provide.

“The competition is an important addition to the BMW Pathway to Gold program in ensuring that we build sustainable elite success across our NRC and Super Rugby teams, as well as the BMW Australian U20s and ultimately the Qantas Wallabies and Qantas Australian Sevens team.“

2016 Super U20s Championship Draw:

Round One	Match	Venue	Time (all times local)
Saturday 27 February	Western Force U20s v Melbourne Rebels	nib Stadium, Perth	4.20pm
Saturday 27 February	Gen Blue U20s v Queensland U20s	TBC	5.15pm
Round Two
Friday 4 March	Brumbies Colts (U20s) v Gen Blue U20s	GIO Stadium, Canberra	5.10pm
Saturday 5 March	Queensland U20s v Western Force U20s	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane	5.10pm
Round Three
Friday 11 March	Western Force U20s v Brumbies Colts (U20s)	nib Stadium, Perth	4.35pm
Saturday 12 March	Melbourne Rebels U20s v Queensland U20s	AAMI Park, Melbourne	TBC
Round Four
Saturday 19 March	Gen Blue U20s v Melbourne Rebels U20s	Sydney University	1.25pm
Saturday 19 March	Queensland U20s v Brumbies Colts	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane	5.10pm
Round Five
Saturday 26 March	Melbourne Rebels U20s v Brumbies Colts (U20s)	AAMI Park, Melbourne	TBC
Saturday 26 March	Western Force U20s v Gen Blue U20s	UWA Sports Park, Perth	4.30pm