Australia and New Zealand to meet in first-ever Under-21 women's rugby international

Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby have confirmed a historic Under-21 women’s international, with the two nations set to meet at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch on October 31 — the first time either country has fielded a national women’s age-grade side against the other.

The fixture will form part of a double-header alongside the Black Ferns versus France WXV Global Series Test, giving the next generation of Australian and New Zealand women’s players a high-profile stage for their debut cross-Tasman encounter.

Three former Wallaroos will lead Australia’s coaching staff. Iliseva Batibasaga, a 26-Test Wallaroo and two-time Rugby World Cup representative, will serve as head coach with a focus on attack. Former Wallaroos captain Shannon Parry takes charge of defence as assistant coach, while four-Test Wallaroo Alapeta Ngauamo will oversee the set-piece. Red Roses representative Fran Matthews rounds out the group as high-performance strength and conditioning coach.

General Manager of Women’s Rugby Jilly Collins said the fixture represents the next step in Australia’s NextGen program. “The Australian squad will feature some of our most promising young talent and future stars of the game,” she said. “Crucially, the program also supports the development of our up-and-coming female coaches. Having a coaching group with top-level playing experience will offer invaluable guidance as these players take the next step in their rugby journeys.”

Director of Women’s High Performance Tim Walsh emphasised the broader strategic value of the initiative. “Exposing our rising talent to more international rugby will make their transition into the Wallaroos program seamless and allow for greater development,” he said. “The vision is to have our best talent playing high-quality matches more often and enabling a continuous opportunity to test and develop skills in preparation for a winning future with the Wallaroos.”

The Under-21 fixture sits within Rugby Australia’s wider NextGen XVs pathway, which also includes inaugural Under-16 and Under-19 programs set to begin in September. Both the broader program and the October fixture have been made possible with support from the Australian Rugby Foundation.