Australian rugby is on its knees, but national under-20s coach Simon Cron is adamant the future is bright as he prepares to lead a bunch of junior talent to the world championships.
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Cron will put his team through its last pre-tournament test in Canberra on Wednesday night when the Australian under-20s side plays against the Brumbies Griffins at Viking Park.
The world championships are the perfect opportunity for the best juniors in the country to give a glimmer of hope to Australian rugby after a disastrous season on and off the field.
The Brumbies are fighting to resurrect their Super Rugby campaign when they play the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth on Sunday morning Australian time.
The ARU will axe either the Melbourne Rebels or Western Force at the end of the year while Australian teams have won just 13 of 51 games this year.
Cron believes there is a group of mature players in club rugby systems ready for a chance while the juniors will add spark in the coming years.
"My believe is that all of these guys in the under-20s have the capabilities and potential to be professional athletes," Cron said of his team.
"However, as I explained to them, they've got to do a lot of things before that happens. They've got to earn the right.
"They've got an opportunity to play now but being in a gold tracksuit doesn't make you a great player. They've got a lot of work to do to prove they're good.
"In terms of Super Rugby, I think there are a lot of really good players sitting in club competitions who have the potential to walk in. We just need to identify that so we're not rushing the under-20s boys in.
"The odd kid can handle it, but I think there should be a process for them to make that transition."
Rising Brumbies back-rower Rob Valetini hopes to overcome an ankle injury in time to play in the under-20s' last practice match while Nick Jooste has established himself as a back-line leader.
Cron was rumoured to be in contention to replace Stephen Larkham as the Brumbies' coach, but ruled himself out of the selection process earlier this year.
The Brumbies are expected to make an announcement on their new coach in the coming weeks, with assistant Dan McKellar the front-runner to be Larkham's successor.
The Brumbies are also working on player retention and recruitment but the delay at ARU headquarters is slowing the new contract process.
The ARU has told clubs they can speak with players, but no contracts will be registered until after a decision is made on exiling the Rebels or the Force.
More than 20 Brumbies players are off-contract at the end of the season and while a host of indicated they are keen to stay, rival clubs are circling others.
The Brumbies boast several former Australian under-20s players, including Joe Powell, Jordan Jackson-Hope, Tom Staniforth, Allan Alaalatoa, Faalelei Sione and current players Jooste and Valetini.
"My main focus at the moment is obviously the under-20s and I think the [Super Rugby] franchises have processes of what they want and how they evolve," Cron said.
"I'll just see how things pan out for everybody. I've got to push my case by working with these under-20s boys more than anything.
"Every game for these guys is so important and it's a growing experience for them. Some of these guys didn't even know each other's names. But this will make them better rugby players in the long run."
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 13
Sunday: Southern Kings v ACT Brumbies at Port Elizabeth, 3.30am (AEST). TV time: Live on Fox Sports 1.
UNDER-20s PRACTICE MATCH
Wednesday: Australian under-20s v Brumbies Griffins at Viking Park, 7pm.
