The final weekend of domestic rugby is upon us with the finals of the Super Rugby U16s and U19s bringing down the curtain on the regular domestic rugby season for the year – and all eyes soon set to turn to the upcoming tours of Australia XV and the Wallabies.

The final round of both competitions saw the Reds surge into finals contention, with a clean sweep of the Melbourne Rebels at Ballymore.

First up, the U16s overcame moments of brilliance from the Victorians to eventually run out 46-11 winners, with the forwards’ dominance a key factor in the Reds’ victory. 

The final scoreline however was not a reflection of the overall contest, with the Rebels putting together a phenomenal defensive effort to keep the Reds to just one try in the first half.

With two additional long-range penalty goals, the visitors led at halftime 6-5, but after a charge down in the second half that saw Oliver Kennedy cross over, the floodgates finally opened in the last twenty minutes, with the Reds scoring six tries – including a double to hooker Aiden Luke. 

Despite the scoreline, the progression of the Rebels U16s side this season was nothing short of exceptional – bouncing back from a horror opening round against the Waratahs to produce some quality rugby. 

The result locks in the Reds for the grand final next week, where they will come up against the undefeated Waratahs.

However, the following U19s fixture saw a much more one-sided affair, with the Reds knocking off the Rebels 67-0. 

With a hat-trick to scrum-half James Martens and a double to winger Dominic Kallquist, the Reds kicked on similarly with six tries in the final twenty minutes – and were further bolstered with Rebels backrower Wyatt Ballenger being sent to the bin.

With the Brumbies all but locked in to make the final and go for a U19s title defence, the Reds needed a bonus point win to knock the Waratahs out of contention, with this win all but securing their ticket to the big dance.

However, despite being kicked out of contention, it wasn’t all bad news for the Waratahs, who enjoyed a clean sweep of the Western Force over in Perth.

The U16s confirmed they remain the team to beat, as they demolished the Force 70-12 – and finished the season with an impressive points differential of +272.

Darcy Feltham capped off a sensational season, scoring five tries in the rout – with Jack Kalms also enjoying a strong performance at fullback. 

However, the Force picked up two tries in the second half to Chase Bunce and Luke Wessels, giving the home fans something to smile about as their season came to a close.

The U19s saw a similarly one-sided affair, with the Waratahs losing their grand final ticket but finishing their season in style with a 67-14 victory, overcoming a resilient home side to run away with the game in the second half.

Liam Grover has proven himself to be an ideal find for the Waratahs, masterminding a strong backline performance and being well-supported by fullback Sid Harvey.

However, the real stars of this match were in the forward pack, with the Tahs taking advantage of several injuries affecting the hosts to dominate with the rolling maul in the closing stages of the game, with replacement hooker Will Guilfoyle picking up a hat-trick for the pack’s efforts.

Despite the loss, the Force also found several quality forwards in their ranks, with prop Daniel Christodoulou and backrower Jackson Bridges both picking up two brilliant tries to keep the Force in touch in the first half. 

While it was a disappointing end to their campaign, there was enough to suggest that there are the makings of some good rugby players in the West.

The results set up a final weekend, set to be played out at Ballymore – with the Reds now set to feature in both matches – a solid result for their programs.

Despite this, they will be up against it in both fixtures, with both opposition the current title holders in their respective competitions.

Kicking off the U16s, the Waratahs will be chasing their third-straight championship – having overcome the Reds 50-20 at Norths Rugby Club earlier in the season.

Given the dominance of the Tahs all season, the Reds come in as an outside chance to win the clash – however the Ballymore faithful will fancy their chances a bit more in the following fixture.

The U19s final will see the Brumbies out to go back-to-back – and they’ll likely be wary of the Reds, with the Sunshine State handing them their sole loss of the season – a 53-12 demolition at Viking Park.

Despite the result, the clash will likely be a much closer affair, with the earlier loss seeing the Brumbies subsequently produce their best form – including beating the third-placed Waratahs, who handed the Reds their sole loss of the season.

Both finals will be available to watch in full on Stan Sport. 

The weekend at Ballymore will serve as the final weekend of regular action in 2024 on the Australian domestic rugby calendar – however, the Reds and Waratahs senior teams are set to play several tour games, while the Wallabies and Australia XV head to Europe for their respective tours.

2024 Super Rugby Men’s U16 and U19 Grand Finals
Sunday 3 November – Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane

Waratahs U16 v Reds U16 – 12.05pm AEST (1.05pm AEDT)Reds U19 v Brumbies U19 – 2.35pm AEST (3.35pm AEDT)

Force looks to finish Japan tour on a high

The Western Force will wrap up their 2024 season on Saturday as well, as their Super Rugby Women’s side completes their three-match tour of Japan on Saturday.

The team have gone down in two close fixtures, with their first fixture being two forty-minute hybrid games against the Mie Pearls and Yokohama TKM, losing both 19-12 and 17-12, respectively – with Wanneroo and Wallaroos back-rower Tamika Jones returning from injury in emphatic fashion, scoring a double.

Their second match saw their first clash against the Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix, with the Force leading early scoring four tries to one, before the Phoenix fought back to clinch the match at the death, 27-24. 

Their final match of the tour this weekend, again against the Phoenix, will bring the curtain down on the men’s and women’s programs for the year in the West, as the Force Women’s side continues to eye up a potential title run next year – following their semi-final exit at the hands of the Fijiana Drua in 2024. 

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