AUSTRALIAN RAPTORS RUGBY ACADEMY

U18 GLOBAL YOUTH SEVENS TRIALS

The Australian Raptors Rugby Academy is holding player trials for selection in our U18 Boys Green & Gold Teams and U18 Girls Team competing at the Global Youth Sevens Tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.

This is an exciting opportunity for talented and committed players to represent the Australian Raptors on the international stage and compete against quality youth rugby teams from around the world.

TRIAL & TOUR DETAILS

TRIAL DATES: Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 November 2026
TRIAL VENUE: Camden Rugby Park

TOURNAMENT: Global Youth Sevens – Auckland, New Zealand
TOUR DATES: 16–21 December 2026
PLAYER TOUR COST: $4,500 per player

TRIAL DAY SCHEDULE

Please ensure players arrive by their allocated registration time and are ready to commence the trial at the scheduled warm-up time.

U18 BOYS

12:00pm – Player Registration
12:30pm – Warm Up
12:45pm – Fitness Testing + Game Assessment
2:30pm – Trial Finishes

U18 GIRLS

2:00pm – Player Registration
2:30pm – Warm Up
2:45pm – Fitness Testing + Game Assessment
4:30pm – Trial Finishes

Players should arrive prepared to participate in a full rugby trial session and bring rugby boots, mouthguard, suitable training clothing and a water bottle.

PLEASE READ BEFORE REGISTERING

These trials are being conducted specifically to select our touring teams for the Global Youth Sevens in Auckland, New Zealand.

Players should only register and attend these trials if they are genuinely prepared and able to accept a position in the touring squad if selected.

Before registering, players and their parents/guardians must ensure they have discussed and are comfortable with:

• the $4,500 player tour cost and associated payment commitments;
• availability to travel from 16–21 December 2026;
• attending the required team training and preparation sessions listed below;
• travelling to Forshaw Rugby Park, Sylvania Waters for team training;
• holding or obtaining a valid passport and meeting all international travel requirements; and
• the commitment, behaviour and standards expected when representing the Australian Raptors Rugby Academy.

These trials are not a general development or experience-based trial. They are being held specifically to select players who are ready, available and committed to joining the touring squad.

If you already know that the tour dates, financial commitment, training schedule or other commitments may prevent you from accepting a position, we respectfully ask that you do not register for this trial.

This allows our coaches to conduct a fair and effective selection process and ensures touring positions can be offered to players who are ready and able to commit.

TEAM TRAINING COMMITMENT

Players selected for the Global Youth Sevens touring squads will be expected to attend scheduled team training sessions in preparation for the tournament.

TEAM TRAINING VENUE: Forshaw Rugby Park, Sylvania Waters
TEAM TRAINING TIME: 6:00pm – 8:00pm

TEAM TRAINING DATES

• Friday 13 November 2026
• Friday 20 November 2026
• Friday 27 November 2026
• Friday 4 December 2026
• Friday 11 December 2026

Attendance at team training is an important part of accepting a position in the touring squad. Players and families should consider their ability to attend these sessions before registering for the trials. If any issues, please email tara@raptorsrugby.org

TEAM STAFF

U18 Girls Coach
Illiseva Batibisaga

U18 Boys Coaches
Donovan Nepia & Gerard Mahony

Assistant Coach
Brett Pyke

Trainers
King Manu & Levi Mahony

Team Manager
Kwang Arnfield

PLAYER SELECTION

Players will be assessed across a range of areas including:

Rugby Skills | Game Awareness | Decision-Making | Athletic Ability | Fitness | Work Rate | Attitude | Coachability | Positional Requirements

Our coaching and selection team will also consider overall squad balance and the positional requirements of each touring team.

Registration and participation in the trial does not guarantee selection.

Successful players will receive an official Australian Raptors Global Youth Sevens Team Selection Offer, outlining the process and timeframe for accepting their position and making the required tour payment.

Once a player accepts their position, they will be expected to fully commit to the team's training, preparation, payment, travel and participation requirements.

READY TO REPRESENT THE RAPTORS?

This is your opportunity to compete for a place in the Australian Raptors U18 touring squad and represent the Academy at the Global Youth Sevens in Auckland, New Zealand.

If you're ready to compete for your position, commit to your team and take your rugby onto the international stage, we'd love to see you at the trials.

Register now to secure your trial place.