Tamati Tua joins breeding ground of emerging talent

Tamati Tua in action with Eastern during the 2015 Mangonui club season. He has been selected to attend the national U20 development camp in Palmerston North next month. Photo / Nada Jurlina

Tamati Tua is the only Northlander named among the 49 players selected to attend the New Zealand Under 20 development camp in Palmerston North next month.

Tua grew up playing JMB and then IMB rugby for the Eastern United RFC as well as 1st XV competition with Kaitaia College.

He was one of several young guns who made the step up to play his first season at senior level in 2015 after Northland, was forced to abandon an under-18 competition, for Eastern.

He helped the side make the Mangonui club competition final that year.

He then secured work in Whangarei the following season and played for Hikurangi in the Southern Districts club championship in 2016.

As the former coach of the Hawkes Bay Magpies and ex assistant coach with the New Zealand U20, Philpott said he was excited at being given the opportunity to step up and replace Scott Robertson as the head coach.

He said the development camp in Palmerston North from December 1-7 will allow him to identify and develop the next crop of talent to prepare for the U20 world championships in Georgia next year.

He said 10 of this latest crop had also been involved in last year's campaign.

"Playing for New Zealand under-20 can be the launch pad to a professional rugby career, and this development camp is an integral component of the player development system in this country.

"This programme is a great breeding ground for new talent to put their hand up for higher honours," he said. Ten players from this year's team had been selected for Investec Super Rugby squads in 2017, while 23 of the players on the 2016 All Black Northern Hemisphere tour had previously been part of the U20 programme.

"The message to the boys is clear - if you work hard and show determination you have a real chance of turning rugby into a profession. The development camp introduces them to a high-performance environment and the higher level of expectation, fitness and discipline that goes along with that."

The New Zealand U20s will hold further camps in March and April next year, before taking part in the Oceania Tournament on the Gold Coast in April and May.

A squad of 28 will be selected to go to the 2017 U20 World Championship in Georgia from May 25 to June 18.