Five Illawarra players in NSW Country Colts Squad

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NSW Country LogoIn preparation for a busy 2014 season, NSW Country have announced a 27-man training squad to take up training in early February. Selection in this squad is the first step in the selection pathway for the Australian U20s team which will contest the U20 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in June.

Daniel Grenhan (Kiama), Junior Mapesone (Camden), Nick Mastro (Avondale), Patrick Mau (Vikings) and Carlin Simon (Kiama) will join the squad in Sydney and play a series of trial matches against the Waratahs Colts training squads.

At the completion of the training camp twenty five players phone number list will be selected for the NRMA NSW Country Cockatoo Colts to participate in the Southern States Colts Championships in Adelaide on 22 – 24 February 2014.


Teams from ACT, NSW Country, Queensland Country, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia will contest the Southern States Colts Championships. A Southern States Colts Team will be selected at the conclusion of these championships which will then play a series of matches against the Reds and Waratahs Colts for final selection in the Australian U20’s for the RWC.

NSW Country Coach Matt Thomas said “selecting the squad had been a mammoth exercise given the early timing of the Southern States, but it had been pleasing to see the large number of players who had trialled”.

He went on to say “the Southern States Championships was a great pathway opportunity for Country players, and was something NSW Country Rugby Union had been pushing for with the ARU for several years”.

This first U20s Country squad is for the Southern States Colts Championship in February. Following the Country Championships in Mudgee another squad will be selected for the remainder of the 2014 NSW Country Colts program. which includes the Country Development Tour to the USA at the end of the year. To be eligible for selection for the Country Development Tour, players must participate in the Country Championships at Mudgee at the end of March.