Australia A national rugby union team


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. Matches played by 'Australia A' were used as a stepping-stone 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.

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.
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.

Australian Barbarians: 2010–11

For the 2010 England tour to Australia, the ARU arranged for the Australian Barbarians Rugby Club to play two matches against the visiting national team. This side was nominated as the second national team and was, as such, essentially Australia A by another name for the England matches. The Australian Barbarians also played a pre-World Cup friendly against in 2011.
In 2015 the Australian Barbarians club selected a side from National Rugby Championship players not contracted by professional clubs to play two matches against the New Zealand Heartland XV representative team, but this was not the second national side.

Results

DateTour/SeriesLocationOpponentResultScore
19 June 20012001 Lions tourGosford British and Irish LionsWin28–25
5 June 2003OsakaWin63–5
8 June 2003TokyoWin66–15
17 November 20042004 Wallaby tourParis French BarbariansWin45–15
26 June 2005Canberra Junior All BlacksLoss23–19
1 July 2005Sydney Junior All BlacksLoss31–34
1 November 20052005 Wallaby tourBordeaux French BarbariansWin42–12
15 July 2006AdelaideWin47–18
22 July 2006MelbourneWin80–9
1 November 20062006 Wallaby tourSwansea OspreysLoss16–24
15 November 20062006 Wallaby tourLimerickWin24–17
21 November 20062006 Wallaby tourPerth, ScotlandWin44–20
25 May 2007Pacific Nations CupSydneyWin60–15
2 June 2007Pacific Nations CupCoffs HarbourWin27–15
9 June 2007Pacific Nations CupTownsvilleWin71–10
16 June 2007Pacific Nations CupDunedin Junior All BlacksLoss0–50
23 June 2007Pacific Nations CupSuvaDraw14–14
8 June 2008Pacific Nations CupFukuokaWin42–21
14 June 2008Pacific Nations CupApiaWin20–15
22 June 2008Pacific Nations CupSydneyWin90–7
29 June 2008Pacific Nations CupBrisbaneWin50–13
5 July 2008Pacific Nations CupBrisbaneLoss18–21

Australian Barbarians

Matches played by the Australian Barbarians Club when selected as the second national team:
DateTour/SeriesLocationOpponentResultScore
8 June 2010England tourPerth, AustraliaDraw28–28
19 June 2010England tourGosfordLoss9–15
26 August 2011Pre–RWC trialGold CoastWin38–14

Notes: