Australia A national rugby union team

History

Officially formed in 2001 as part of the 2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, Australia A played host to the British & Irish Lions in a mid-week game and offered fringe Wallabies players a chance to impress the national selectors ahead of the test series. Australia A won the match 28–25, inflicting the Lions' first loss of the tour.

Australia A next formed in 2003 as part of the 2003 Rugby World Cup warm-ups and 2003 June rugby union tests, where they faced Japan in back-to-back matches coming away with two victories in Osaka and Tokyo. Up until 2004, Australia A was used as a team to offer touring teams a chance to play mid-week matches or developing rugby nations a chance to play stronger opposition to maintain non-test match status. However, in November 2004, Australia A was used when the Wallabies toured Europe, whereby they played the French Barbarians in the lead up to the national sides meeting later on tour in Paris.

By 2005, Australia A had won every match they had played in, but after playing the Junior All Blacks (the All Blacks second team at the time) in 2005, their unbeaten run came to an end, losing 23–19 in Canberra.

In 2006, Australia was originally invited to take part in the inaugural IRB Pacific Nations Cup but decided against sending a team, stating a need to focus on domestic competition. However, Australia did however host two games in the opening stages of the 2006 tournament, where Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium hosted Tonga vs Fiji and later Tonga vs Samoa. Australia A later 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.

Despite withdrawing from the Australia A programme, between 2009 and 2010, Australia fielded several XV sides against Home Nations clubs, and although not officially titled Australia A, the side was often referred to it with these games used for fringe Wallabies players. For the 2010 England tour to Australia, the ARU arranged for the Australian Barbarians Rugby Club to play two matches against the visiting England 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 Canada in 2011.

Australia XV also returned in 2016, when they played against the French Barbarians during the Wallabies Spring tour. The side was selected from a handful of fringe players and with the team not being the official Wallabies side, the selectors were able to select players from outside the Australian Rugby Union selection policy and chose players based in Europe.

In February 2020, Rugby Australia had hinted at a possible return of the Australia A side where they would face Tier 2 opposition to strengthen the sides. However, any possible plans where paused due the COVID-19 pandemic, and in May 2022 having not formally participated in any event since 2008, the Australia A team was reignited by Rugby Australia to compete in the Pacific Nations Cup for July 2022 against Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, to take place in Fiji.

In 2024, Rugby Australia confirmed that Australia A will return (under the 'Australia XV' name) as they announced games against Bristol and England A. The program also expanded into the women's program, with the governing body announcing the first-ever women's Australia A side as a development team for Super Rugby Women's players transitioning to the Australia women's national rugby union team. The side would play their first ever match in 2024 against Samoa, losing 20-17.

In 2025, Rugby Australia announced that Australia A will play one game against Japan XV in October as a warm up leading up to the Wallabies test against Japan later in the month.

Matches against international sides

• Scores highlighted in red color denoted a loss.
• Home team's score listed first.
• These results denote being against non-provincial international opposition, played under the moniker of Australia A, Australia B, Australia XV, or Wallaby XV.

Men

Overall

Updated: 19 October 2025

Other matches

• Other non-international matches played as Australia, Australia XV, Wallaby XV, Australia A or Australia 'B' when selected as the second national team. This does not include matches involving the Australian Barbarians.

Squad

On 9 October, a 26-player squad was named for Australia A's match against Japan XV.

On 16 October, Lachlan Anderson was named in the matchday 23 in place of Sid Harvey who was ruled out due to hamstring strain.

Players in bold are players capped by the main national team.

Head Coach: NZL Simon Cron

List of Coaches

• AUS Eddie Jones (2001, vs. British & Irish Lions tour)
• AUS Adrian Thompson (2003, vs. Japan)
• AUS Eddie Jones (2004, vs. French Barbarians)
• AUS Ewen McKenzie (2005, vs. Junior All Blacks)
• AUS Eddie Jones (2005, vs. French Barbarians)
• AUS Laurie Fisher (2006, vs. Fiji)
• AUS John Connolly (2006 European Tour)
• AUS Laurie Fisher (2007, Pacific Nations Cup)
• AUS Phil Mooney (2008 Pacific Nations Cup)
• NZL Robbie Deans (2009 European Tour)
• NZL Robbie Deans (2010 England Series)
• NZL Robbie Deans (2010 European Tour)
• AUS Scott Wisemantel (2016, vs. French Barbarians)
• AUS Jason Gilmore (2022 Pacific Nations Cup & Japan tour)
• AUS Jason Gilmore (2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches)
• AUS Rod Seib (2024 Northern tour)
• NZL Simon Cron (2025, vs. Japan XV)

Notes

References

Not in use--

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|access-date=19 October 2006

|access-date = 28 June 2012

|access-date= 28 January 2015 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150129043332/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-03-18/england-to-play-australian-barbarians/369826 |archive-date=29 January 2015 }}

|access-date= 28 January 2015 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140309230846/http://www.espnscrum.com/australia/rugby/story/147189.html |archive-date= 9 March 2014}}

References

1. Williamson, Nathan. (9 October 2025). "10 capped Wallabies included in Australia A squad to face Japan XV".
2. Williamson, Nathan. (18 October 2025). "Osaka onslaught as Test stars shine in Australia A thumping of Japan XV".
3. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2001/lions_down_under/1396405.stm Clockwatch: Australia A 28-25 Lions]
4. [https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2020/02/04/rugby-australia-a Australia A back on radar as World Rugby look to strengthen 'tier two' schedule]
5. (19 May 2022). "Pacific Nations Cup returns in July for its 15th edition". [[World Rugby]].
6. Williamson, Nathan. (19 May 2022). "Australia A to return as part of Pacific Nations Cup". [[Rugby Australia.
7. (5 May 2022). "Return of Australia ‘A’ team prompts eligibility jitters in Super ranks". Sydney Morning Herald.
8. (2024-09-16). "Monster penalty goal sinks Australia A as Samoa win last-minute thriller".
9. (2025-06-27). "Australia A to play Japan XV in October".
10. (2022-10-01). "Tour Match: Japan vs Australia A". Australian Rugby.
11. (2022-10-01). "Nawaqanitawase adds gloss to Australia A win In Tokyo".
12. (2022-10-03). "Wallabies 2022: World Cup bolter emerges from Australia A win over Japan, score, analysis, video, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Langi Gleeson". Fox Sports Australia.
13. "Australia A pull away from promising Portugal for victory".
14. "Final flurry sees England A run out 38-17 victors over Australia XV".
15. [https://www.rugby.com.au/news/10-capped-wallabies-included-in-australia-a-squad-to-face-japan-xv-2025108, 10 capped Wallabies included in Australia A squad to face Japan XV] 9 October 2025.
16. [https://wallabies.rugby/news/faessler-to-captain-australia-a-against-japan-xv-20251015, Faessler to captain Australia A against Japan XV] 16 October 2025.
17. Decent, Tom. (21 November 2016). "Former Australian captain Ben Mowen joins Wallaby XV for French Barbarians clash". Sydney Morning Herald.
18. (19 May 2022). "Jason Gilmore named Australia A Head Coach for Pacific Nations Cup". [[New South Wales Rugby Union.
19. Woods, Melissa. (19 May 2022). "Australia A rugby revived for Pacific Cup". [[The Canberra Times]].