The Central West Schoolboys will head into Saturday's exhibition clash against their Samoan counterparts as underdogs, but head coach Shane Cantrill is hopeful his Blue Bulls will rise to the challenge and is intrigued to see what they can produce.
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Central West's composite side will host the Samoan Schoolboys outfit at Bathurst's Anne Ashwood Park as part of the visitors' two-week tour, with Saturday's clash their third lead-up game before a blockbuster showdown with the Australian Schools Barbarians at Sydney next week.
Samoa opened their tour with a 59-nil thumping of the Shoalhaven Schoolboys last week before knocking off the ACT Schoolboys in a thriller earlier this week, and arrived in Bathurst on Thursday afternoon.
I imagine Samoa would have a few bigger guys but after what we saw at training we're impressed and we're interested to see how they go.
- Central West Schoolboys coach Shane Cantrill
Facing a national side is a rare opportunity for the Central West outfit, one that is made up of under-18 players from across the zone, with St Stanislaus College Bathurst, Kinross and James Sheahan the best-represented.
Stannies' Angus Butcher, Dylan Chalita, John Spora, Joe Sullivan and Oscar Ward, Kinross' Alex Brien, Lachlan Donnelly, Sam Ridley and Will Smith and James Sheahan's Tom Francis, Eden Hoy, Logan Mason and Will Ryan headline the side.
Orange High's Callan Arden and Orange Anglican Grammar's Oscar Watson will also line-up, with the side to face the Samoans' traditional siva tau challenge dance prior to the clash as well.
"It's a great opportunity for our kids. Not only do they get to represent the zone but they get to play an international opponent," Cantrill said.
"Samoa asked for some extra games of footy. They played ACT Schoolboys on Wednesday, and won that game, then they play Australian [Schools Barbarians] next week so they wanted a game in between.
"They were keen to come out to the country and having the game here on the Saturday will be really great for the kids."
Cantrill said Samoa will be an unknown quantity in a way but he's expecting an immense forward pack amid an imposing presence in the middle of the park, while Central West Rugby Union CEO Matt Tink predicted the visitors will "almost definitely" boast a few future internationals.
"It's mainly year 11 kids team playing," Cantrill said of his young side, that being due to the HSC.
"We had a training run [on] Thursday and they showed a lot of talent. We're looking forward to seeing if they can come off the line quickly and knock over the bigger guys.
"I imagine Samoa would have a few bigger guys but after what we saw at training we're impressed and we're interested to see how they go."
Cantrill said he's looking to several of his side's guns to lead the way, among them Sullivan and Smith, who both earned NSW nods this year. Sadly Dubbo's Jayden Blake was forced to withdraw as he continues recovering from an injury he picked up in this year's grand final.
"Ben Robson is a great halfback from Mudgee. There's a really hard-running centre and good tackler in Toby Denyer, who's from Condobolin," he said.
"In the forwards we've got a kid Joe Sullivan, who made the [NSWII] side.
"There's some really great kids we get to work with and hopefully the others go with them and make a good fist of it.
"It's great to see so much talent around the zone and hopefully they stick around here for the next couple of years and can work around the region as they progress through our colts system."
Kick-off at Ashwood Park is Saturday 2pm, with and under-13 lead-up game prior to that from 1pm.
After facing off in the under-13 grand final this year Orange City and Orange Emus have combined to form a blockbuster outfit to take on Bathurst Bulldogs, they'll join Central West Schoolboys in facing Samoa's siva tau too.
"That'll be a great experience for those under-13 boys, there'll be plenty of talent in that game and it's great to Emus and City coming together for that," Tink said.
- CENTRAL WEST: Callan Arden (Orange High), Jack Bell, Taine Marchant (Macquarie Anglican Grammar), James Finch (Dubbo Senior Campus), Alex Brien, Lachlan Donnelly, Sam Ridley, Will Smith (Kinross Wolaroi), Angus Butcher, Dylan Chalita, John Spora, Joe Sullivan, Oscar Ward (St Stanislaus' College Bathurst), Toby Denyer (Condobolin High), Tom Francis, Eden Hoy, Logan Mason, Will Ryan (James Sheahan), Myles Harland (West Wylaong High), Alex Heap (St John's Dubbo), Sam Nixon (Red Bend), Ben Robson (St Matthew's Mudgee), Oscar Watson (Orange Anglican Grammar)
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