Australia A national rugby union team

Australia A is a national representative rugby union football team of Australian rugby union. The last match played under the 'Australia A' name was in 2008, but the team was previously the second national side behind the Wallabies. Matches played by 'Australia A' were used as a stepping-stone to Wallaby selection, with the team playing at smaller venues than the Wallabies. Aspiring Wallaby players were given a chance to impress selectors during these games. In the past, the team would also play touring sides, such as the British and Irish Lions, when they visited Australia.

Australia A
UnionAustralian Rugby Union
Emblem(s)the Wallaby
Team kit
Australia A plays Japan in the 2008 Pacific Nations Cup at Level-5 Stadium in Fukuoka

Pacific Nations Cup: 2006–08

Australia was originally invited to take part in the IRB Pacific Nations Cup but decided against sending a team, stating a need to focus on domestic competition. However, Australia hosted two games in the inaugural 2006 tournament. Australia A played two matches against Fiji after the 2006 tournament, and then joined the competition in 2007.[1][2]

In the 2007 Pacific Nations Cup, Australia A played 5 matches for 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. The team finished second in the tournament won by the Junior All Blacks.

In the 2008 Pacific Nations Cup, Australia A played 5 matches for 4 wins and 1 loss. The team finished second in the tournament won by New Zealand Māori. At the end of the 2008, however, the Australian Rugby Union decided to scrap the Australia A team, citing financial constraints. Australia withdrew from the 2009 tournament.[3]

Australian Barbarians: 2010–11
Main article: Australian Barbarians

For the 2010 England tour to Australia, the ARU arranged for the Australian Barbarians Rugby Club to play two matches against the visiting England national team.[4] This side was nominated as the second national team and was, as such, essentially Australia A by another name for the England matches. The Australian Barbarians also played a pre-World Cup friendly against Canada in 2011.[5]

In 2015 the Australian Barbarians club selected a side from National Rugby Championship players not contracted by professional clubs to play two matches against the New Zealand Heartland XV representative team,[6] but this was not the second national side.

Results
Date Tour/Series Location Opponent Result Score
19 June 2001 2001 Lions tour Gosford British and Irish Lions Win 28–25
5 June 2003 Osaka  Japan Win 63–5
8 June 2003 Tokyo  Japan Win 66–15
17 November 2004 2004 Wallaby tour Paris French Barbarians Win 45–15
26 June 2005 Canberra Junior All Blacks Loss 23–19
1 July 2005 Sydney Junior All Blacks Loss 31–34
1 November 2005 2005 Wallaby tour Bordeaux French Barbarians Win 42–12
15 July 2006 Adelaide  Fiji Win 47–18
22 July 2006 Melbourne  Fiji Win 80–9
1 November 2006 2006 Wallaby tour Swansea Ospreys Loss 16–24
15 November 2006 2006 Wallaby tour Limerick  Ireland Wolfhounds Win 24–17
21 November 2006 2006 Wallaby tour Perth, Scotland  Scotland A Win 44–20
25 May 2007 Pacific Nations Cup Sydney  Tonga Win 60–15
2 June 2007 Pacific Nations Cup Coffs Harbour  Samoa Win 27–15
9 June 2007 Pacific Nations Cup Townsville  Japan Win 71–10
16 June 2007 Pacific Nations Cup Dunedin Junior All Blacks Loss 0–50
23 June 2007 Pacific Nations Cup Suva  Fiji Draw 14–14
8 June 2008 Pacific Nations Cup Fukuoka  Japan Win 42–21
14 June 2008 Pacific Nations Cup Apia  Samoa Win 20–15
22 June 2008 Pacific Nations Cup Sydney  Tonga Win 90–7
29 June 2008 Pacific Nations Cup Brisbane  Fiji Win 50–13
5 July 2008 Pacific Nations Cup Brisbane  Māori Loss 18–21

Australian Barbarians

Matches played by the Australian Barbarians Club when selected as the second national team:

Date Tour/Series Location Opponent Result Score
8 June 2010 England tour Perth, Australia  England XV Draw 28–28
19 June 2010 England tour Gosford  England XV Loss 9–15
26 August 2011 Pre–RWC trial Gold Coast  Canada XV Win 38–14

Notes:

  • The 2015 tour to New Zealand by the Australian Barbarians Club was selected only from NRC players not contracted to professional Super Rugby teams,[6] and as such it was not the second national side.

See also

References
  1. "'Australia A' to play Fiji in Adelaide and Melbourne". rugby.com.au. 9 June 2006. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  2. "Australia A to join Pacific Cup". BBC. 18 October 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2006.
  3. Swanton, Will (22 December 2008). "Financial crisis forces sacrifice of Australia A". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  4. "England to play Australian Barbarians". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 March 2010. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  5. "Wallabies power Barbarians' victory". 26 August 2011. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  6. "Australian Barbarians". Australian Rugby. 2015. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.