Junior Hurricanes squad announced for January training camp

The Hurricanes U20s Development Squad has been announced, with plenty of familiar faces and some established players in the mix.

The squad comes together for the first time for 2023 in a camp on 21 January in Palmerston North.

Some 44 players from around the Hurricanes region will assemble on Wellington Anniversary weekend, comprising 15 players contracted to the Wellington Rugby Football Union, 14 from Hawke’s Bay, 7 from Manawatu, three from Whanganui and two each from Wairarapa-Bush and Horowhenua-Kapiti and one from Poverty Bay.

Several players are returning from this squad from last year, several from last year’s New Zealand Schools, Barbarians and NZ U18 Maori squads and a handful travelled to South Africa with the New Zealand U19s late last year.

A match schedule of their games is expected to be released in the coming weeks.

The players are: (by region – 2022 school/club affiliation and position if known in brackets):

Wellington:

Senio Sanele (St Pat’s Silverstream, prop)

Siale Lauaki (Tawa, prop)

Bradley Crichton (Northern United, prop)

Leon Tuiloma (Wellington, hooker)

Maea Tema-Schimdt (Poneke, lock)

Dominic Ropeti (Old Boys University, loose forward)

Pene To’o (Upper Hutt Rams, loose forward)

Sam Howling (Poneke, halfback)

Matolu Petaia (Hastings Boys’ High School, lock)

Toby Crosby (Upper Hutt Rams, loose forward)

Chicago Doyle (Marist St Pat’s, first-five)

Stanley Solomon (Wellington College, first-five)

Elijah Maene-Lokeni (Old Boys-University, wing)

Jack O’Brien (St John’s College, Hamilton)

Tofuku Paongo (Tawa, midfield)

Hawke’s Bay

Matt Monaghan (Napier Old Boys Marist)

Cooper Flanders (Havelock North, flanker)

Josiah Sakaria (MAC, wing)

Harry Godfrey (Petone/Central HB, first five/fullback)

Hunter Morrison (Te Kawau, lock)

Tom Allen (Hastings Boys’ High School)

Corey Berkett (Napier Boys’ High School, first-five)

Meni Manase (MAC, midfield)

Kere Penitoto (St John’s Hastings, midfield)

Kade Manuel (Feilding High School, halfback)

Patrick Tuifua (Lindisfarne College, No. 8)

William Fonohema (Feilding High school, prop)

Tino Savea (Taradale, flanker)

Bethel Malasia (Napier Tech, midfield)

Manawatu

Raymond Tuputupu (Freyberg, hooker)

Vernon Bason (Feilding High School, hooker)

Joe Simpson Smith (Palmerston North Boys’ High School, flanker)

Epeli (Waqa) Waqaicece (Whanganui Collegiate, 2021 centre, wing)

Malakai Ngatai-Hala (Manukura, prop)

Jordi Viljoen (Hastings Boys’ High School 2021, halfback)

Isaia Armstrong-Ravula (College Old Boys, first-five)

Whanganui

Konradd Newland (Whanganui Collegiate, prop)

Lafo Takiari-Ah Ching (midfield)

Josh Brunger (Whanganui Collegiate, centre)

Wairarapa-Bush

Hayden Cooper (Wairarapa College 2021, first five)

Wiremu Bartlett (Rathkeale College, flanker)

Horowhenua-Kapiti

Darren Falaniko (Paraparaumu, midfield, wing)

Max Hosking (Paraparaumu, wing)

Poverty Bay

Carlos Hihi (Gisborne Boys’ High School, first-five)

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