Australia U20 head coach Chris Whitaker has revealed a 30-man squad for their Junior World Championship campaign in Georgia.
The squad will assemble in Sydney next Wednesday before flying out to Kutaisi, Georgia, where they will play all of their three Pool D group games.
The squad consists of 27 players in Super Rugby programs, two Australian Sevens members and two overseas-based players.
Queensland Reds flanker Tom Robinson will retain the captaincy from the recent Rugby Championship U20.
The Australia U20s will start the World Championship against Spain in the early hours of Sunday 28 June before taking on Fiji and then closing out the group against U20 Six Nations winners, France.
The four pool winners will progress to the semi-finals, while second-placed teams will compete for fifth to eighth place. Third and fourth-placed teams will contest rankings from ninth to 12th and 13th to 16th respectively, with seedings based on pool-stage competition points.
The Junior World Championship 2026 will also mark a significant step forward in player welfare, becoming the first international competition to feature a trial of lowering the legal tackle height. The initiative, designed to enhance safety and reduce head contact, builds on successful trials at community and domestic levels.
The selection of Lehopo Leota [pictured below] and Kingbenjamin Swerling-Finaipepe for the Australia U20s has also laid the groundwork for keeping a host of overseas players connected to the gold jersey.
That’s the view of coach Chris Whitaker as he calls in the monster front-row pair for the upcoming Junior World Championship.
It’s the first time the junior program has selected overseas players for the Championship event.
Leota (Racing 92) and Swerling-Finaipepe (Castres) are two of several young stars plying their trades within the European academies, with Leota even making his Top 14 debut late last year.
Both were signed straight out of the Queensland system, Leota featuring for the Queensland U16s and 19s, while Swerling-Finaipepe played for University of Queensland Colts in 2024 and 2025, plus three first-grade games at just 18 last year.
Former Australia U18s star Heinz Lemoto is another big-name prospect in France, sitting out of the Championship after a long-term shoulder injury derailed his 2026 season.
“There’s a number of Aussie players overseas and I think it’s two-fold in the sense of keeping these kids connected to the game in Australia and the dream of playing for the Wallabies and the gold jersey whilst allowing us to fill in bits and pieces in areas for us,” Whitaker said to Rugby.com.au.
“This year it’s the front-row where we’ve had a couple of injuries there with a few out so the guys over there have played a lot of footy in the top grades and the Top 14, they’re becoming pretty important for us.
“The big thing for us is Lehopa and Kingbenjamin flying straight in from France and working on how we’re going to get them into the system as quickly as possible.”
Whitaker is forming deep ties to these players overseas, drawing on his connections from his time playing in Ireland and coaching in France.
It’s part of an extensive support unit that has been set up to ensure the teenagers are looked after away from home, whilst keeping them connected to what’s happening in Australia.
“I’ve started up a group chat with all the boys, just to make sure there’s a connection with those kids in England and France to make sure they’re okay and they have the support they need
“We’re trying to keep that connection to the guys, just to let them know that we’re still watching their games and our analysts cut up their games every week, so we know how they’re playing and going.
“On top of that, the Wallabies physio, Byron [Field], is over there at the moment doing the rounds to make sure they’re ok and on the injury side of things, ensuring their prehab is doing well and they’re on track to get back on the field as quickly as possible.
“There’s a concerted effort from not just the 20s but from above to keep that connection with the gold jersey and making sure they know it’s there.”
This connection continues at the state level as well, with the Queensland Reds eager to bring them back home to pull on the maroon jersey at some stage.
“Both boys were a part of the Queensland Reds pathway programs. (Reds forwards coach) Zane Hilton and I enjoyed a catch up with Lehopo when he was last home at the end of last year,” said former Wallaby Paul Carozza, the Queensland Reds Head of Talent Management.
“We are keen to stay in touch with the Queensland pathway boys and we will with Kingbenjamin when the chance arises.
“I hope he comes back to the Reds just so we can have his name on the big screen at Suncorp Stadium.”
Australia U20 Squad:
ACT Brumbies
Ewald Kruger – Hooker
Eli Langi – Backrow
Chayse Geros – Scrumhalf/Fullback
Queensland Reds
Jacob Job – Prop
Charles Hollyman – Hooker
John Grenfell – Hooker
Kenneth Harris – Lock
William Ross – Lock
Tom Robinson (c) – Backrow
Finn Mackay – Flyhalf
Taione Taka – Centre/Wing
Treyvon Pritchard – Centre/Fullback
NSW Waratahs
Edwin Langi – Prop
Matthew Sauao – Prop
Isaac Fonua – Backrow/Lock
Toby Brial – Backrow/Lock
Luca Cleverley – Backrow
Marshall Le Maitre – Backrow
TJ Talaileva – Backrow
Angus Grover – Scrumhalf
Sam Blank – Scrumhalf
Jonty Fowler – Flyhalf
Zach Fittler – Centre
Leo Jaques – Centre/Wing
Charlie Bird – Centre/Fullback
Tom Farr-Jones – Wing
Australian Sevens
Cooper Watters – Wing
Wallace Charlie (Western Force) – Wing/Fullback
Overseas-based
Kingbenjamin Swerling-Finaipepe (Castres) – Prop
Lehopoame Leota (Racing 92) – Prop
Unavailable for Selection
Bennett Armistead (Reds, injury)
Kingsley Uys – (Reds, injury)
Nicholas Conway (Reds, injury)
Justice Taumoepeau (Waratahs, injury)
Nick Hill – (Waratahs, injury)