Early years Established in 1972, the first Australian Schoolboys rugby league team featured players from
New South Wales and one Western Australian player. The team did not include any Queensland players as they did not send players to the trials. The team was initially in the Under-16s division, unlike today. Coached by future
Western Suburbs Magpies Team of the 20th Century coach,
Roy Masters, and featuring future internationals
Ian Schubert,
Craig Young,
Les Boyd, and
Royce Ayliffe, the side toured Great Britain, going undefeated on the tour and scoring 108 tries in their 11 games to their opponents' 1. This was the last Schoolboys team until 1978. In 1978, the first official Australian Schoolboys Championships were held, but NSW Combined Catholic Colleges did not attend. For the first time, Queensland-based high school players trialed, and the first of four 'merit teams' was selected; merit teams do not tour or play games together. The Schoolboys returned to touring with the 1979 team, featuring future
Australian internationals
Ben Elias and
Andrew Farrar. The team toured France and England and went undefeated.
1980s The first Schoolboys side of the 80's was selected in 1981, when the Schoolboys hosted the touring [Junior Kiwis] side from
New Zealand. They played two games, with the Schoolboys winning both. It was the first time the Schoolboys hosted a tour and played a New Zealand side. In 1982, the Schoolboys toured New Zealand for the first time, where they also received their first ever loss against an
Auckland-based selection team, 16–10. The team was captained by future Australian international
Paul Langmack and featured another future international in
Andrew Ettingshausen. Another merit team was selected in 1983 and once again featured Ettingshausen. Future internationals
Greg Alexander and
Paul Sironen, and future first grade regulars,
Tony Butterfield and
Jeff Hardy, were also a part of the side. In 1984, the Schoolboys hosted a tour by the British Upper Schools and Colleges (BUSCARLA), winning both matches. The 1984 Australian Schoolboys was also the first to feature a player who went on to represent a country other than Australia at international level.
Theo Anast from
Armidale High School later played six games for
France between 1993 and 1994. The team selected in 1985 went undefeated against a touring Junior Kiwis side and in 1986 went undefeated once again on their tour of England. The 1986 side featured future Australian internationals
Bradley Clyde and
Andrew Gee. In 1987, another merit side was selected, which featured Clyde for the second time. In 1988, the side toured New Zealand and featured
Tim Brasher,
David Fairleigh and a 16-year-old
Brad Fittler. The team went undefeated. Fittler was named again in 1989, as the Schoolboys hosted the
British Amateur Rugby League under 19's (BARLA) for two games, winning both.
1990s The 1990 Schoolboys side was originally a merit team, but played a one-off game against the Australian Youth Development Squad, which they won 38–6. The 1991 team, once again, went undefeated on their tour of England. In 1992, with a side featuring future premiership winner and Australian international
Steve Menzies, the side toured New Zealand. On the tour, the Schoolboys lost their first ever Test match to a New Zealand side featuring future
Kiwis Gene Ngamu,
Joe Vagana and
Ruben Wiki. The 1993 Australian Schoolboys hosted BARLA and played two tests, winning both. Future
NSW State of Origin player and world champion boxer
Anthony Mundine was in the team. In 1994, the Schoolboys hosted, and defeated, the touring Junior Kiwis. This marked the first appearance of a then-15-year-old
Owen Craigie, who represented the Schoolboys a record three times in 1994, 1995, and 1996. Future Australian internationals
Brett Kimmorley,
Ben Ikin and
Luke Priddis were also in the side. The 1995 Schoolboys toured France and England and went undefeated. The side featured future Australian internationals
Trent Barrett and
Matthew Gidley and
World Cup winning
New Zealand captain
Nathan Cayless. 1995 also saw the first ever Northern Territory schoolboy in
Duncan MacGillivray. MacGillivary later represented
Scotland at the
2008 Rugby League World Cup. Due to the
ARL and
Super League war in 1996, the Schoolboys (who were supposed to tour New Zealand) toured
Papua New Guinea for the first time. They went undefeated in their four matches. The team was coached by 1972 Australian Schoolboys representative
Brian Hetherington. The team also featured Ben Rauter, whose father Herb also represented the Australian Schoolboys in 1972. Ben and Herb became the first father son pair to represent the Schoolboys. The side went undefeated in their 1997 when they once again hosted BARLA, in a squad which featured future first graders and representative players
Luke Bailey,
Dane Carlaw and
Luke Patten. In 1998, the Schoolboys toured New Zealand, playing 4 games and losing only one to an Auckland Invitational XIII. The team featured future Australian international
Mark Gasnier, who played for the Schoolboys again the following year. The 1999 side toured France, England and Ireland, going undefeated. The squad featured future Australian internationals
Justin Hodges,
Jamie Lyon,
Corey Parker and
Brent Tate.
2000s The Schoolboys team hosted a touring New Zealand schools side in 2000, comfortably winning both games. In 2001, the Schoolboys hosted the touring England Academy side and French Schools team. The Schoolboys went undefeated in three games and featured future internationals
Greg Bird and
Michael Weyman (who represented again in 2002). In 2002, on the Schoolboys tour of England and France, they lost two games for the first time on the same tour and lost a test series, when they were beaten by the England Academy side. The Schoolboys side featured a number of future Australian internationals including Weyman,
Keith Galloway,
Ben Hannant,
Ryan Hoffman Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, future
Fijian international
Ashton Sims and future French international
Dimitri Pelo. The 2003 side, which featured current
New Zealand captain
Benji Marshall and future Australian international
Karmichael Hunt, toured New Zealand winning two games and losing one. In 2004, the Schoolboys hosted the touring English and French teams. They defeated BARLA and a France Schools side but lost to the England Academy team. The 2004 side featured future international
Greg Inglis. The 2005 side played a two games test series against the Junior Kiwis in Australia, winning the first game and losing the second. The team featured future Australian international stars
Michael Jennings,
David Taylor,
Darius Boyd and
Akuila Uate. In 2006, the Schoolboys toured Wales, England and France and went undefeated for the first time since 2001. Future representative players
Israel Folau,
Mitchell Pearce and
Chris Lawrence were on the tour. The Schoolboys then went undefeated on their 2007 tour of New Zealand, in 2008 against the touring England Academy and French Schools sides and in 2009 against the touring Great Britain Community Lions. Over the three years the side featured future first grade players
Martin Kennedy,
Kieran Foran,
Lachlan Coote,
Andrew McCullough,
William Hopoate,
Jamal Idris,
Aaron Woods,
Jason Taumalolo,
Cheyse Blair and
Joseph Leilua, amongst a host of others.
2010s In 2010, the side toured England, Wales and France, winning 4 games and losing two (both to the England Academy). The squad featured future first graders
Tautau Moga,
Harry Siejka, and
Jack Wighton. In 2011, the Schoolboys toured New Zealand and played the Junior Kiwis twice, winning one game and losing one game. Richard Kennar, from Craigieburn Secondary College CAS, became the first Victorian player to play for the Australian Schoolboys. The 2012 Schoolboys squad featured
Mitchell Moses, the nephew of 1979 and 1981 schoolboy representative
Ben Elias, and future first graders
Dylan Walker and
Kelepi Tanginoa. The team defeated the touring England Academy squad in both their encounters, 43–10 in Canberra and 42–14 in Brisbane. The 2013 side toured New Zealand and featured Jackson Hastings, the son of
Sydney Roosters player
Kevin Hastings, and
Sione Mata'utia, who went on to make his senior international debut for
Australia a year later, becoming Australia's youngest ever representative. The 2014 side was announced on 14 July, and toured France and England in November and December of that year. The side played 7 games, winning 6 of them. The side broke the record for biggest win by the Australian Schoolboys, defeating the
Cumbria Combined Regional Academy 86–6. In 2015, the Schoolboys hosted the touring New Zealand under-18 side, winning both games in the two-game series. In 2018, the Schoolboys toured England. On the first match of the tour the Schoolboys set a new biggest win record beating the England Colleges team 92–0. ==Players==