Australia A national rugby union team

Australia A

Union	Australian Rugby Union
Emblem(s)	the Wallaby
Team kit

Australia A is a national representative rugby union football team of Australian rugby union. The last match played under the 'Australia A' name was in 2008, but the team was previously the second national side behind the Wallabies. Australia 'A' matches were used as a stepping-stone up to Wallaby selection, with the team playing at smaller venues than the Wallabies. Aspiring Wallaby players were given a chance to impress selectors during these games. In the past, the team would also play touring sides, such as the British and Irish Lions, when they visited Australia.

In 2010, the ARU arranged for an Australian Barbarians team to play two matches against the visiting England national team.^[1] The Australian Barbarians side was nominated as the national second-tier team and was, as such, essentially Australia A by another name. The team also played a pre-World Cup friendly against Canada in 2011.^[2]

In 2015 the Australian Barbarians were reconstituted with National Rugby Championship to play two matches against the New Zealand Heartland XV representative team. "... at the 2015 Buildcorp NRC season launch is that an Australian Barbarians side – chosen from players playing in the Buildcorp NRC who were not contracted to Super Rugby franchises in 2015 – will take on a New Zealand Heartland XV in November. The two-match series against a Heartland XV, selected from uncontracted Super Rugby players playing in the Heartland Championship ... The selection committee for the Australian Barbarians will comprise of a panel chaired by Pathway Services Manager - Talent Development at the Australian Rugby Union, Adrian Thompson."^[3]

Australia A plays Japan in the 2008 Pacific Nations Cup at Level-5 Stadium in Fukuoka

Pacific Nations Cup: 2006–08

Australia was originally invited to take part in the IRB Pacific Nations Cup but decided against sending a team, stating a need to focus on domestic competition. However, Australia hosted two games in the inaugural 2006 tournament. Australia A played two matches against Fiji after the 2006 tournament, and then joined the competition in 2007.^[4][5]

In the 2007 Pacific Nations Cup, Australia A played 5 matches for 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. The team finished second in the tournament won by the Junior All Blacks.

In the 2008 Pacific Nations Cup, Australia A played 5 matches for 4 wins and 1 loss. The team finished second in the tournament won by New Zealand Māori. At the end of the 2008, however, the Australian Rugby Union decided to scrap the Australia A team, citing financial constraints. Australia withdrew from the 2009 tournament.^[6]

Results

Date	Tournament	Location	Venue	Opponent	Result	Score
June 5, 2003		Tokyo	Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium	Japan	WIN	66-15
June 5, 2003		Osaka	Nagai Stadium	Japan	WIN	63-5
November 17, 2004	2004 Spring Tour	Paris	Stade Jean Bouin	French Barbarians	WIN	45-15
July 14, 2006		Adelaide	Adelaide Oval	Fiji	WIN	47-18
July 22, 2006		Melbourne	Olympic Park	Fiji	WIN	80-9
November 1, 2006	2006 Spring Tour	Swansea	Liberty Stadium	Ospreys	Loss	16-24
November 15, 2006	2006 Spring Tour	Limerick	Thomond Park	Ireland Wolfhounds	WIN	24-17
November 21, 2006	2006 Spring Tour	Perth, Scotland	McDiarmid Park	Scotland A	WIN	44-20
25 May, 2007	Pacific Nations Cup	Sydney	Aussie Stadium	Tonga	WIN	60-15
2 June, 2007	Pacific Nations Cup	Coffs Harbour	BCU International Stadium	Samoa	WIN	27-15
9 June, 2007	Pacific Nations Cup	Townsville	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Japan	WIN	71-10
16 June, 2007	Pacific Nations Cup	Dunedin	Carisbrook	Junior All Blacks	Loss	0-50
23 June, 2007	Pacific Nations Cup	Suva	ANZ National Stadium	Fiji	Draw	14-14
8 June, 2008	Pacific Nations Cup	Fukuoka	Level-5 Stadium	Japan	WIN	42-21
14 June, 2008	Pacific Nations Cup	Samoa	Apia Park	Samoa	WIN	20-15
22 June, 2008	Pacific Nations Cup	Sydney	North Sydney Oval	Tonga	WIN	90-7
29 June, 2008	Pacific Nations Cup	Brisbane	Ballymore Stadium	Fiji	WIN	50-13
5 July, 2008	Pacific Nations Cup	Brisbane	Ballymore Stadium	Māori	Loss	18-21

Australian Barbarians

Date	Tournament	Location	Venue	Opponent	Result	Score
June 8, 2010	England tour of Australasia	Perth, Australia	Subiaco Oval	England XV	Draw	28-28
June 19, 2010	England tour of Australasia	Gosford	Central Coast Stadium	England XV	Loss	9-15
August 26, 2011	World Cup warm-up	Gold Coast	Skilled Park	Canada XV	WIN	38-14
November 10, 2015	2015 tour to New Zealand*	Levin	Levin Domain	Heartland XV	WIN	38-32
November 10, 2015	2015 tour to New Zealand*	Wanganui	Cooks Gardens	Heartland XV	WIN	40-24

Note:

• The 2015 tour to New Zealand by the Australian Barbarians Club was selected only from NRC players not contracted to professional Super Rugby teams. As such it was not the second national side.

See also

• The Wallabies

References

1. "England to play Australian Barbarians". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 March 2010. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
2. "Wallabies power Barbarians' victory". 26 August 2011. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
3. Australian Barbarians
4. "'Australia A' to play Fiji in Adelaide and Melbourne". rugby.com.au. 9 June 2006. Archived from the original on 1 Jul 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
5. "Australia A to join Pacific Cup". BBC. 18 October 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2006.
6. Swanton, Will (December 22, 2008). "Financial crisis forces sacrifice of Australia A". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 June 2012.

External links

• Eight Wallabies to start for Australia A, as Campbell debuts as captain
• Strong team named for Australia A clash with Japan