# Australia A national rugby union team

Australia A/Australia XV is the second national Rugby union team of Australia, behind the Wallabies. Matches played under the 'Australia A' title are traditionally non-test match fixtures and often offer a stepping-stone to Wallaby national selection. 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 & Irish Lions, or play mid-week games when the Wallabies are on tour.

## 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 the program will be called Australia XV 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.

## 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

| Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Competition |
| 6 August 1991 | Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane | New Zealand 'B' | 15–21 | 1991 New Zealand rugby union tour of Australia |
| 19 June 2001 | Central Coast Stadium, Gosford | British & Irish Lions | 28–25 | 2001 British & Irish Lions tour of Australia |
| 5 June 2003 | Nagai Stadium, Osaka | Japan | 5–63 | |
| 8 June 2003 | Chichibunomiya Stadium, Tokyo | Japan | 15–66 | |
| 5 November 2004 | Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris | French Barbarians | 15–47 | 2004 Australian tour of Europe |
| 26 June 2005 | Canberra Stadium, Canberra | Junior All Blacks | 19–23 | |
| 1 July 2005 | Sydney Football Stadium Sydney | Junior All Blacks | 31–34 | |
| 1 November 2005 | Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux | French Barbarians | 12–42 | 2005 Australian tour of Europe |
| 15 July 2006 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Fiji | 47–18 | |
| 22 July 2006 | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne | Fiji | 80–9 | |
| 15 November 2006 | Thomond Park, Limerick | Ireland A | 17–24 | 2006 Australian tour of Europe |
| 21 November 2006 | McDiarmid Park, Perth | Scotland A | 20–44 | 2006 Australian tour of Europe |
| 25 May 2007 | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Tonga | 60–15 | 2007 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 2 June 2007 | Coffs Stadium, Coffs Harbour | Samoa | 27–15 | 2007 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 9 June 2007 | Willows Sports Complex, Townsville | Japan | 71–10 | 2007 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 16 June 2007 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | Junior All Blacks | 50–0 | 2007 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 23 June 2007 | ANZ National Stadium, Suva | Fiji | 14–14 | 2007 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 8 June 2008 | Hakatanomori Stadium, Fukuoka | Japan | 21–42 | 2008 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 14 June 2008 | Apia Park, Apia | Samoa | 15–20 | 2008 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 22 June 2008 | North Sydney Oval, North Sydney | Tonga | 90–7 | 2008 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 29 June 2008 | Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane | Fiji | 50–13 | 2008 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 5 July 2008 | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | New Zealand Māori | 18–21 | 2008 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 24 November 2016 | Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux | French Barbarians | 19–11 | 2016 November international |
| 30 October 2020 | TG Millner Field, Sydney | Argentina | 15–19 | 2020 Tri Nations series warm-up match |
| 7 November 2020 | TG Millner Field, Sydney | Argentina | 24–57 | 2020 Tri Nations series warm-up match |
| 2 July 2022 | ANZ National Stadium, Suva | Samoa | 26–31 | 2022 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 9 July 2022 | Churchill Park, Lautoka | Fiji | 18–32 | 2022 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 16 July 2022 | Churchill Park, Lautoka | Tonga | 22–39 | 2022 Pacific Nations Cup |
| 1 October 2022 | Chichibunomiya Stadium, Tokyo | Japan XV | 22–34 | 2022 Autumn Internationals |
| 8 October 2022 | Best Denki Stadium, Fukuoka | Japan XV | 21–22 | 2022 Autumn Internationals |
| 14 October 2022 | Yodoko Sakura Stadium, Osaka | Japan XV | 52–48 | 2022 Autumn Internationals |
| 14 July 2023 | Teufaiva Sport Stadium, Nukuʻalofa | Tonga | 27–21 | 2023 RWC warm-up |
| 27 August 2023 | Stade Jules-Ladoumègue, Brou-sur-Chantereine, France | Portugal | 17–30 | 2023 RWC warm-up |
| 17 November 2024 | Twickenham Stoop, London | England Saxons | 38–17 | 2024 Autumn Internationals |

#### Overall

| Against | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win % |
| Argentina | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 00.00% |
| British & Irish Lions | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| England Saxons | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 00.00% |
| Fiji | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| French Barbarians | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.66% |
| Ireland A | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| Japan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| Japan XV | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.66% |
| All Blacks XV | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 00.00% |
| New Zealand Māori | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 00.00% |
| Portugal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| Samoa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.66% |
| Scotland A | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| Tonga | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.00% |
| Total | 34 | 22 | 12 | 0 | 64.70% |
Updated: 21 November 2024

#### 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.
| Date | Moniker | Venue | Opponent | Score | Winner | Competition |
| 1 November 2006 | Australia XV | Swansea Stadium, Swansea | Ospreys | 24–16 | Ospreys | 2006 Australian tour of Europe |
| 3 November 2009 | Australia XV | Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester | Gloucester | 5–36 | Australia A | 2009 Autumn Internationals |
| 24 November 2009 | Australia XV | Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff | Cardiff Blues | 3–31 | Australia A | 2009 Autumn Internationals |
| 9 November 2010 | Australia | Welford Road Stadium, Leicester | Leicester Tigers | 15–26 | Australia A | 2010 European Tour |
| 16 November 2010 | Australia | Thomond Park, Limerick | Munster | 15–6 | Munster | 2010 European Tour |
| 8 November 2024 | Australia XV | Ashton Gate, Bristol | Bristol Bears | 10–10 | draw | 2024 Autumn Internationals |

### Women

| Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Notes | Competition |
| 6 September 2024 | Apia Park, Apia | Samoa | 17–20 | | |

## Squad

On 22 October, a 30-player squad was named for Australia XV's 2024 Northern hemisphere tour with matches against English Premiership side Bristol Bears, and England A.
Following the withdrawal of Tom Robertson from the Wallabies squad due to a calf injury, Zane Nonggorr was elevated from Australia XV squad to replace him for their Northern Hemisphere tour. He was replaced in the Australia XV squad by Tiaan Tauakipulu.
Players in bold are players capped by the main national team.
Head Coach: Rod Seib
Forwards :
| Player | Position | Franchise |
| Tom Horton | Hooker | Force |
| Lachlan Lonergan | Hooker | Brumbies |
| Josh Nasser | Hooker | Reds |
| Massimo de Lutiis | Prop | Reds |
| Harry Hoopert | Prop | Force |
| Tom Lambert | Prop | Waratahs |
| Tiaan Tauakipulu | Prop | Force |
| Rhys van Nek | Prop | Brumbies |
| Angus Blyth | Lock | Reds |
| Josh Canham | Lock | Reds |
| Ryan Smith | Lock | Reds |
| Darcy Swain | Lock | Force |
| Joe Brial | Loose forward | Reds |
| John Bryant | Loose forward | Reds |
| Tom Hooper | Loose forward | Brumbies |
| Luke Reimer | Loose forward | Brumbies |
| Rory Scott | Loose forward | Brumbies |
Backs :
| Player | Position | Franchise |
| Issak Fines-Leleiwasa | Scrum-half | Force |
| Ryan Lonergan | Scrum-half | Brumbies |
| Tom Lynagh | Fly-half | Reds |
| Harry McLaughlin-Phillips | Fly-half | Reds |
| Josh Flook | Centre | Reds |
| Ollie Sapsford | Centre | Brumbies |
| Hamish Stewart | Centre | Force |
| Joey Walton | Centre | Waratahs |
| Lachie Anderson | Wing | Reds |
| Darby Lancaster | Wing | Waratahs |
| Andy Muirhead | Wing | Brumbies |
| Corey Toole | Wing | Brumbies |
| Jock Campbell | Full-back | Reds |

## List of Coaches

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