{"id":22395,"date":"2025-04-07T15:02:06","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T03:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/?p=22395"},"modified":"2025-04-07T16:04:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T04:04:47","slug":"2025-new-zealand-under-20-squad-and-coaching-group-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/2025\/04\/07\/2025-new-zealand-under-20-squad-and-coaching-group-announced\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 New Zealand Under 20 squad and coaching group announced"},"content":{"rendered":"

Above PHOTO: First-five Rico Simpson in action for the New Zealand Under 20s during The Rugby Championship U20s in Australia in 2024. Simpson is one of six players from the 2024 team named in the 2025 squad. CREDIT: Tertius Pickard\/action press<\/span><\/p>\n

New Head Coach Milton Haig has announced a talented 31-man 2025 New Zealand Under 20s squad for The Rugby Championship (TRC) Under 20 tournament in South Africa in May.<\/p>\n

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has announced Haig will lead the Under 20 coaching group alongside returning assistant coaches Jarrad Hoeata and Craig Dunlea with the addition of Alex Robertson.<\/p>\n

The group have selected a 2025 squad featuring six returning players from the squad that won the inaugural TRC Under 20 tournament in\u00a0Australia last year including halves Dylan Pledger and Rico Simpson, front rowers Manumaua Letiu and Sika Pole, loose forward Mosese Bason, and outside back Stanley Solomon.<\/p>\n

The squad has a broad regional make up with players spread across New Zealand\u2019s five Super Rugby clubs with the Blues (9), Crusaders (7), Chiefs (6), Hurricanes (5) and Highlanders (4).<\/p>\n

Haig replaces Jono Gibbes, who led the team in 2023 and 2024 but is now focusing on his coaching role with the Chiefs in DHL Super Rugby Pacific. Current Canterbury Bunnings NPC Assistant Coach Robertson will take over the attack coach duties after four years with the Crusaders Under 20s.<\/p>\n

Haig is a vastly experienced coach who started as a club rugby coach in Tauranga in 1991and most recently with Suntory in Japan since 2020 as well as a high-performance consultancy role with World Rugby since 2023.<\/p>\n

He was the Counties-Manukau\u2019s Head Coach in the NPC from 2008 to 2011 before spending eight years leading Georgia\u2019s national team, taking the side to two Rugby World Cups. He has also held assistant coaching roles with the Chiefs and M\u0101ori All Blacks and was last involved in NZR\u2019s age-grade system as an assistant coach with the then New Zealand U21 team in 2006-07.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to be back in New Zealand and coaching the under 20s. A lot has changed since I was last coaching at home, but the immense amount of talent and potential of our young players remains the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a highly skilled coaching group with Craig, Jarrad and Alex and we\u2019re really happy with the squad we\u2019ve selected. The depth of talent this year was evident at the U20 tournament in Taupo and although it was difficult team to pick, we believe we have the right group and there is some great leadership including a number of players from last year\u2019s campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

New Zealand Rugby High Performance Player Development Manager Matt Sexton said:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to have a coach of Milton\u2019s calibre return home to New Zealand he will bring a wealth of experience after coaching extensively around the world in different environments. It\u2019s a well-rounded coaching group and they have selected an exciting squad to kick off a big year for this group of young men.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2025 squad will assemble for the first time at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation in Sport (NZCIS) in Wellington from 18-23 April. \u00a0Selectors will review selections after the TRC campaign before announcing the New Zealand Under 20 squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy from 29 June to 19 July.<\/p>\n

The 2025 New Zealand U20 squad is:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hookers<\/strong>
\nShaun Kempton, Highlanders\/Southland
\nManumaua Letiu, Crusaders\/Canterbury
\nEli Oudenryn, Crusaders\/Tasman<\/p>\n

Props<\/strong>
\nTamiano Ahloo, Blues\/Auckland
\nRobson Faleafa, Blues\/Auckland
\nDane Johnston, Chiefs\/Taranaki
\nRiley Tofilau, Blues\/North Harbour
\nSika Pole, Blues\/Auckland<\/p>\n

Locks<\/strong>
\nDylan Eti, Chiefs\/Waikato
\nJoshua Tengblad, Highlanders\/Otago
\nRandall Baker, Blues\/Auckland<\/p>\n

Loose Forwards<\/strong>
\nMosese Bason, Hurricanes\/Manawat\u016b
\nMicah Fale, Chiefs\/Waikato
\nHarry Irving, Hurricanes\/Wellington
\nAio Keith, Blues\/Auckland
\nXavier Treacy, Crusaders\/Canterbury
\nCaleb Woodley, Blues\/Auckland
\nFinn McLeod, Crusaders\/Canterbury<\/p>\n

Halfbacks<\/strong>
\nDylan Pledger, Highlanders\/Otago
\nCharlie Sinton, Chiefs\/Bay of Plenty
\nJai Tamati, Hurricanes\/ Manawat\u016b<\/p>\n

First five-eighth<\/strong>
\nWill Cole, Hurricanes\/Hawke\u2019s Bay
\nRico Simpson, Blues\/Auckland<\/p>\n

Midfielders<\/strong>
\nJames Cameron, Crusaders\/Canterbury
\nTayne Harvey, Highlanders\/Southland
\nCooper Roberts, Crusaders\/Tasman
\nJack Wiseman, Chiefs\/Taranaki<\/p>\n

Outside backs<\/strong>
\nMaloni Kunawave, Crusaders\/Tasman
\nTaniela Maisiri, Chiefs\/Bay of Plenty
\nHarlyn Saunoa, Blues\/Auckland
\nStanley Solomon, Hurricanes\/Wellington<\/p>\n

Unavailable due to injury<\/strong>
\nLogan Wallace, Aisake Vakasiuola, Jayden Sa.<\/p>\n

Unavailable due to All Blacks Sevens duties<\/strong>
\nOli Mathis, Joey Taumateine, Xavier Tito-Harris, Frank Vaenuku.<\/p>\n

Milton Haig bio<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Haig is a vastly experienced coach who started as a club rugby coach in Tauranga in 1991and most recently with Suntory in Japan since 2020 as well as a high-performance consultancy role with World Rugby since 2023. He was last involved in NZR\u2019s age-grade system as an assistant coach with the then New Zealand U21 team in 2006-07. Haig was the Counties-Manukau\u2019s Head Coach in the Bunnings NPC from 2008 to 2011 before spending eight years leading Georgia\u2019s national team, taking the side to two Rugby World Cups. Other coaching roles have included assistant coaching roles with the Chiefs and M\u0101ori All Blacks.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This slideshow requires JavaScript.<\/p>

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Above PHOTO: First-five Rico Simpson in action for the New Zealand Under 20s during The Rugby Championship U20s in Australia in 2024. Simpson is one of six players from the 2024 team named in the 2025 squad. CREDIT: Tertius Pickard\/action press New Head Coach Milton Haig has announced a talented 31-man 2025 New Zealand Under…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":22401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rugbyheartland-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/vaqs2.jpg?fit=987%2C764&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4wlzH-5Pd","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20794,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/2024\/05\/01\/new-zealand-u20-team-named-to-play-south-africa-u20\/","url_meta":{"origin":22395,"position":0},"title":"New Zealand U20 team named to play South Africa U20","author":"Kevin Hare","date":"May 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"PHOTO: New Zealand U20 captain Vernon Bason poses for the TRC U20 Captain\u2019s Call with South Africa U20 captain Zachary Porthen at Point Arkwright, Coolum. 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