Australia U16s had delivered a comfortable 34-12 win over the Pacific U16s All Stars at the AIS.
It was a showcase of the best talent from the Super Rugby 16s competition and the future of Australian Rugby as Waratahs duo Tom Hartman and Rex Bassingthwaighte proved the difference for the Australians.
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It took just two minutes for the opening try for Tim Rapp's Australian side as flyhalf Finn Mackay found Heamasi Makasini in space, with the bulking wing beating a couple of defenders to score in the corner.
However, the Pacific side rocking unique numbers proved they were up to the fight when captain and prop VJ Vakauta (rocking the number eight on his back) set the physical tempo with a barge over try.
The Australians, who had come together on Friday, displayed some set-piece nerves early on after missing a couple of throws.
When they did get it right, they proved tough to stop from the rolling maul as their forwards regularly got forward momentum.
They launched a dominant charge from the Pacific 22 in the 17th minute, forcing the deliberate collapsing by Jerome Pongi, which resulted in a yellow card and a penalty try.
The two Waratah speedsters then combined to extend the lead, with Hartman stripping the ball clear for Bassingthwaighte to race 60 metres to score.
Hartman then finished off in the corner on half-time after an Angus Glover break for a 22-5 lead at the break.
The Aussies continued to apply the pressure and forced another professional foul, this time a deliberate knockdown from Filipe Huahulu.
It created further space for the electric Bassingthwaighte to strike, skillfully stepping through multiple defenders to cross the line.
From here, the game started to break down as both sides drew the ire of the referee thanks to discipline issues
The Pacific side started to build phases and eventually were rewarded when replacement half Jireh-Trey Stewart dived over the line after a 5 metre scrum.
In the end, it was the Australian side that finished the stronger team, with prop Kingsley Uys putting the exclamation mark on the game with a powerful try.
