Hurricanes U18s and Wellington U19 trial team to meet tonight

Many of Wellington's and the Hurricanes region's hottest young players are in action this evening at Porirua Park in a match between the recently selected Hurricanes U18 team (pictured above at their training camp last week) and a Wellington U19 trial side, featuring some prominent young Jubilee Cup and Hardham Cup players.

The Wellington U19s representative team has a busy schedule of matches coming in August and September against the other U19 sides from Hurricanes region provincial sides and against Bay of Plenty. This is leading up to the all-new NZRU National U19 tournament in Taupo at the end of September and early October.

The Wellington U19 selection will include several Wellington club rugby Premier players, such as Best & Fairest competition joint leader Chase Tiatia, who scored his 14^th try of the year on Saturday against Tawa and has scored a try against every team he has played against this season.

The Hurricanes U18 team has been selected from all age-eligible players from the eight provincial unions aligned to the Hurricanes.

The first Central Regions Schools team (the fore-runner of the Hurricanes U18 team) was formed 35 years ago in 1979, where it played and defeated an English Schools team at Athletic Park.

A New Zealand Secondary Schools Regional Tournament was then established in 1986. The Regional Tournament saw teams play for the Barbarian Shield, of which the Hurricanes won in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, before losing it to the Blues in the final year of the competition in 2011.

The U18 team also played the Australian Secondary Schools team in 2006 and 2008, winning both matches.

The team was reformed in 2013, playing a one-off fixture against a Chiefs U18 selection in Taupo.

Last week the U18s took part in a gruelling camp held in Feilding, where they have been drilled, analysed, and educated on the game of rugby. While the camp finished on Friday, the work isn't over for those who have been selected to play this week.

Tonight's match at Porirua Park will kick off at 6.30 pm.

The Hurricanes U18 team to face the Wellington U19 trialists is;

Max Fryatt (Feilding High School)

Luther Hirini (Feilding High School)

Alex Hawira (Feilding High School)

Mason Kean (Hastings Boys' High School)

Ben Power (Hutt International Boys' School)

Anthony Pettett (Newlands College)

Patrick Fenika (Scots College)

Peter Umaga-Jensen (Scots College)

Malo Tuitama (Scots College)

TJ Va'a (Scots College)

Jarrod Adams (St Pat's Silverstream)

Losi Filipo (St Pat's Silverstream)

Delano Morkel (St Pat's Silverstream)

Lui Okeamoa-Luamanu (St Pat's Silverstream)

Leni Apisai (Wellington Academy)

Kemara Hauiti-Parapara (Wellington College)

Pepesana Patafilo (Wellington College)

Sam Tufuga (Rathkeale College)

Isaia Walker-Leawere (Gisborne Boys' High School)

Hayden Spencer (Palmerston North Boys' High School)

Mason Emerson (Lindisfarne College)

Caleb Makene (Napier Boy's High School)

Te Atuarere Albert (Wanganui Collegiate)

Coaches: Darren Larsen (Wellington), Earl Va'a (Wellington), Tom Cairns (Poverty Bay)

Manager: Nick Reid

Trainer: James Dickie (Wellington)?

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