Australia U18s coach Shannon Fraser is brimming with pride after their 38-31 win over New Zealand Schools.
Fraser engineered an incredible victory in Hamilton that saw the Australians dominate from the opening whistle to take down their Kiwi counterparts.
It's the first time the Australians have defeated the NZ Schools since 2019 when the likes of Billy Pollard, Josh Flook and Joseph Suaalii held on for an 18-14 win.
“I’m absolutely pumped," he said.
"This is a special result for this team and for Australian Rugby.
"The players showed full commitment to the gold jersey, and earned every part of that victory.”
The result has been months in the making after last year's pair of defeats, with Fraser telling Rugby.com.au last month of the importance they placed on dominating the collision battle.
"I think between game one and game two last year, a big difference in our preparation was around the collision," he explained.
"You saw in that first half (in 2023) there was a try just before halftime and one just after halftime that put a two-score gap between the teams.
"Part of our preparation is to make sure that the players remain calm and controlled particularly through those championship windows before and after halftime."
This mindset proved the difference in the see-sawing battle.
Angus Grover's try in the 30th minute gave the Aussies the lead before the break with a great burst from the scrumhalf.
Star prop Kingsley Uys backed this up at the start of the second half as the 16-year-old threw a perfect ball to set up winger Nick Conway as Fraser's side built a buffer they'd keep for the majority of the second half.
Uys was the breakout star of the tour alongside number eight Heinz Lemoto, who devastated New Zealand with his physicality.
He is one of the double-digit players in the squad still eligible for next year's U18 program as they show off the fruits of the investments into the U16s Super Rugby program.
