Narrabri boys to represent Australia at the U20 World Championships in Italy

Two former junior Blue Boars will line up on the world stage later this month after Narrabri boys Joey Fowler and Sid Harvey were named in the 30-man Australian squad for the Under-20 World Rugby Championships in Italy.

The duo were part of the green and gold’s undefeated run at The Rugby Championship U20 tournament in South Africa last month and they have retained their spots for the tournament that will kick off on Sunday, June 29.

The Aussies are in pool A alongside defending champions England, TRC opponents South Africa and second-tier World Trophy winners Scotland.

There are 12 teams in total across three pools, with the winners of each pool to advance to the semi-finals to be joined by the best-placed second-ranked team.

For Fowler and Harvey, their latest Aussie selection is another brilliant achievement in the careers of two young guns who have pulled on the green and gold many times before.

Fowler has represented Australia at the under-18 level, and last year was a part of the under-20s squad at The Rugby Championship tournament on the Sunshine Coast. The talented five-eighth missed out on the 2024 World Championships in South Africa but has well and truly earned his spot for this year’s tournament.

His international experience also includes a NSW Waratahs Tour to Japan in November last year when he was selected for the squad to play against the Kubota Spears in Tokyo.

Harvey first represented Australia at the Global Youth Sevens tournament in Auckland in 2023 and debuted for the Aussie senior men’s sevens side in this year’s Sevens World Series, playing in six tournaments across the globe.

The fullback’s selection in the green and gold at The Rugby Championship in South Africa this year was his first in the 15s arena, and he was certainly deserving of a recall for the World Championships squad.

Australia will kick off the event on June 29 against the South Africans at Stadio San Michele, Calvisano. They will then meet Scotland on Friday,
July 4 at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana, before playing their final pool round contest against England on Wednesday, July 9 at Payanini Center, Verona.

The semi-finals will be held on Tuesday, July 15, and the tournament will wrap up with the final on Sunday, July 20.
Aussie coach Chris Whitaker said their opponents would provide tough challenges, but declared the side had prepared well to tackle them head-on.

“This group of young men have worked extremely hard to earn the opportunity to represent Australia on the biggest stage in age-grade rugby,” Whitaker said.

“They’re all excited to pull on the gold jersey and test themselves against the best in the world.

“Every match we play in Italy will present a formidable challenge, however we believe our preparation has set us up to meet that challenge.”