The New Zealand U20s line up for the national anthem during the inaugural 2024 Rugby Championship. A New Zealand U18 team will join the high performance pathway programme in 2025. Photo: Tertius Pickard / action press
New Zealand Rugby is introducing a men's New Zealand U18 team to create opportunities for young players who have left high school.
The team, which will be included in the men's national high performance pathway programme, will be selected for the first time in 2025 and will play two away fixtures against Australia U18 in September and October.
NZR's general manager of professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum believes the new team will benefit the teenagers involved.
"The introduction of the New Zealand U18 team provides an exciting opportunity to include a greater number of young players in our national pathways programme and exposure to international matches, "Lendrum said.
"We know from our registration data that nearly 30 percent of U18 eligible players were playing at clubs in 2024 and we want to include those players in what we believe is a crucial step in our pathways programme."
The New Zealand U18 team will be announced following a high-performance camp and a series of matches from 16-21 September, featuring the New Zealand Secondary Schools (NSSS), New Zealand U18 Māori and New Zealand Barbarians U18 teams, with a fourth team to be confirmed.
"The New Zealand Secondary Schools team and Barbarians have long been an integral and special part of the rugby pathway and ecosystem, and the U18 Māori programme has been a major success since its introduction in 2016," Lendrum said.
NZR high performance manager Matt Sexton said school staff would play a key role in the New Zealand U18 team's management and coaching groups.
"It's vital we maintain the lens of providing pastoral care to our young players, most of whom will still be at school. We believe teachers and school staff are best placed to provide that support in the team environment alongside NZR high performance staff," Sexton said.
The introduction of the New Zealand U18 team comes after a consultation process that began in 2023 and has included feedback from the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rugby Union (NZSSRU), NZSS management, Provincial Unions and Super Rugby clubs.
"We spoke to a large number of people involved in age-grade rugby and while there were some mixed views, we firmly believe a New Zealand U18 team will deliver the best outcome from the greatest number of players," Sexton said.
Garry Chronican, chairman of the New Zealand Schools' Rugby Union, is confident the new team will be positive for the sport in Aotearoa and won't affect the strength of the NZ secondary schools side.
"NZ Schools' Rugby Union remain committed to the annual selection of a NZ Schools Rugby team and appreciate NZ Rugby's support in continuing to share this commitment."
Chronican said NZSSRU were "very happy" with the high-performance camp and a series of matches scheduled for 2025 including the NZSS, U18 Barbarians and Māori U18 Ngā Whatukura.
"We understand the desire by NZ Rugby to provide a pathway for all under 18 players, including those who have recently left school, and that this is the norm in our competitor countries, including Australia. We also understand that it is a rare occurrence in 2025 that the New Zealand and Australian school holidays align the schedule around the New Zealand Under 18s versus Australia U18s fixtures.
"We remain committed to working alongside NZ Rugby to plan the New Zealand Schools programme in future and look forward to providing similar opportunities for girls."
