Eight aspiring Crusaders named in the New Zealand U20 Rugby Championship squad

Eight aspiring Crusaders have been named in the New Zealand U20 Rugby Championship squad to travel to Australia in early May. 

Their naming in the national squad comes two weeks after the Crusaders U20 squad won the Super Rugby U20 championship in Taupo.  

They are Ben O’Donovan (Canterbury), Cooper Grant (Tasman), Isaac Hutchinson (Canterbury), Jonathan Lee (Canterbury), Liam Jack (Canterbury), Manumaua Letiu (Canterbury), Matt Lowe (Tasman) and Toby Bell (Canterbury). 

“All of us across the Crusaders whanau are hugely proud of our boys and the management group who’ve supported them. They’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to where they are,”

said Aaron Webb, Crusaders Academy Manager. 

“There’s a lot of pressure in representing your region and a Super Rugby club, and these guys in particular embraced that and used it as fuel to be better.” 

New Zealand Rugby said the Under 20s squad was selected following a comprehensive player identification process across last month’s Super Rugby U20 tournament held in Taupō, and training camps held late last year 

“As a result of having a strong performance pathway established, we are able to assemble an exciting group of talented young men to represent New Zealand,” said Jono Gibbes, New Zealand Under 20 Head Coach. 

“The tournament will be a great opportunity to test ourselves and gauge where we are, what we need to improve on before we embark on a competitive and tough Rugby World Championship later in the year.” 

All Rugby Championship Under 20 matches will all be broadcast live on Sky Sport. 

The Rugby Championship Under 20 Schedule: 

New Zealand v South Africa, Thursday 2 May, 5.00pm (AUT), Sunshine Coast Stadium, Australia 

New Zealand v Argentina, Tuesday 7 May, 5.00pm (AUT), Sunshine Coast, Australia 

New Zealand v Australia, Sunday 12 May, 3.30pm (AUT), Sunshine Coast, Australia