The final round of the 2022 Oceania Rugby Under 20 Championship on the Sunshine Coast will see Argentina v Fiji kick off at 2pm Today (Sunday 10 July) followed by Australia and New Zealand at 4pm who are both battling for the title.
With two bonus-point wins and a +92 points differential, New Zealand, with an unchanged backline, are poised to secure their fifth Oceania Rugby U20 Championship title on.
Australia will need to secure a bonus-point win to prevent the Kiwis from winning the championship.
Argentina will be looking to finish second with a strong win against Fiji on Sunday.
While Fiji will be hoping to finish the tournament with a win after losing their opening two matches.
Referee Will Pugsley (FIJ) will oversee Fiji v Argentina assisted by David Vosalevu (FIJ) and Jordan Ryan (AUS) whilst Matt Kellahan (AUS) will be taking charge of Australia v New Zealand assisted by David Vosalevu (FIJ) and Jess Ling (AUS).
The wining team this year will be lifting a new Oceania Rugby U20 Championship Trophy commissioned by Oceania Rugby with event partners the Sunshine Coast Council. The Trophy will remain at Council Chambers between the yearly event reminding everyone that the Sunshine Coast is the new home of the Oceania Rugby U20 Championship.
The new trophy was handcrafted by Eumundi based designer, furniture maker, and timber artisan David Suters at his Timbercraftsman Studio Gallery.
Hand shaped from locally sourced Quandong, David carefully selected each piece of timber to create the surfboard form for its distinctive silvery blonde characteristics and grain, which provided the necessary contrast to highlight Oceania Rugby’s logo, text and symbolic design.
David teamed up with his local network of graphic designers, and precision laser-engraving specialists for this project, creating a commemorative plaque made exclusively here on the Sunshine Coast, which will last for generations to come.
With 40 years as a Timbercraftsman, and an established local business owner, David Suters is extremely proud and appreciative to Oceania Rugby, and Sunshine Coast Council, to have created the new trophy for the Oceania Rugby U20 Championship.
The Trophy incorporates artwork from local artist Kane Brunjes from the Kabi Kabi Nation titled ‘Guidance Through Country’. The artwork was commissioned by Sunshine Coast Council.
Burnjes explains his piece noting:
“Centre to the piece is my Yurdi, the brown snake representing who I am, my family. The line work within the snake is influence from the Bunya pine showing the strength and beauty in Country. The area the surrounds shows the Pandanus tree with thought to those that stand by the beach of Noosa.”
“Seen is a silhouette of the leaves and fruit from the Blue Quandong tree. This is influence from the beauty of place where I found myself sitting and drawing on Jinibara country at Woodford.”
All matches of the 2022 Oceania Rugby U20 Championship are live on Stan Sport (Australia), Spark Sport (New Zealand) and ESPN (Argentina AL Latam and South America).
