Reds starlet to lead Australia U20
Queensland Reds openside flank Liam Gill will lead the 28-man Australian Under-20 squad at the 2012 IRB Junior World Championships in South Africa in June.
Coaches Anthony Eddy and David Nucifora announced their final selection following extensive work with a group of more than 60 players from across Australia, having held two selection camps and watched players closely in their respective environments.
There are five Super Rugby players in the squad with Gill being joined by Force flyhalf Kyle Godwin and Reds teammates Nick Frisby, Chris Sautia and Ulupano Seuteni.
Meanwhile, six members of the Australian Sevens squad have earned selection, five of whom have been busy of late representing their country in the Sevens World Series.
Sean McMahon, Matt Lucas, Allan Faalavaau, Con Foley and Lewis Holland will enter camp having returned from the last two legs of the series in Glasgow and London and will be joined by Lindsay Crook, who represented Australia at the Gold Coast Sevens and the Dubai Sevens earlier this season.
The squad also sees the return of four members of last year's Australian U20 squad, with Gill, Apo Latunipulu, Lucas and Roach having all experienced the championship before.
The remainder of the squad have been selected from club rugby and the Australian Rugby Union National Academy, which has players based in both New South Wales and Queensland, after being changed over from the original state-run academy system.
"The squad we've been able to select is a good mix and we are fortunate to be taking some players to South Africa that have experienced the elite environments of international and professional rugby," Nucifora said.
"Having this kind of experience in the group will go a long way in helping the entire squad prepare for the intensity of the Junior World Championship," he added.
Last year's Australian U20 side finished third at the IRB Junior World Championships, after losing 37-7 to New Zealand in the semifinals. They went on to beat France 30-17 in the third/fourth-place play-off game.
The 2012 fixture will see the Australian U20s enter as the first seed in Pool C, taking on France, Argentina and Scotland.
Pool A will feature New Zealand, Fiji, Wales and Samoa and Pool B will contain England, South Africa, Ireland and Italy.
Australia Under-20 squad: Allan Alaalatoa, Curtis Browning, Lindsay Crook, Steven Cummins, Thomas Cusack, James Dargaville, Allan Faalavaau, Con Foley, Nicholas Frisby, Liam Gill, Kyle Godwin, Malietoa Hingano, Lewis Holland, Jed Holloway, Oliver Hoskins, Sam Jeffries, Silatolu Latu, Apolosi Latunipulu, Matthew Lucas, Leslie Makin, Sean McMahon, Benn Melrose, Maile Ngauamo, Pettowa Paraka, Sam Reiser, Hugh Roach, Christopher Sautia, Ulupano Seuteni.