Mitch Watts to wear No 8 when Junior Wallabies and Junior All Blacks clash on Sunday

The No 8's Tamworth-based father, Stuart, said his boy was living the "dream" while engaged in an "absolutely unbelievable experience".

The Watts family were "immensely proud" of the Calrossy Anglican School alumnus, he added.

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Stuart said his son "has applied himself - and the recognition is to be selected as the starting eight against the benchmark rugby union nation in the world [New Zealand]".

That achievement "is something he has dreamt about", Stuart added.

Against the All Blacks, Watts will back up from his 80-minute performance in a 58-5 defeat of Fiji at the Sunshine Coast on Tuesday night. Stuart attended that match with his wife Debra and son Nathan.

That performance followed the Junior Wallabies' under-20 Oceania Championships opener against Argentina the previous Friday night, when Watts impressed after coming off the bench in the dying stages of Australia's 24-21 win.

Following the Fiji game, Stuart said he had been inundated with phone calls from rugby "enthusiasts", who had raved about his son's showing in the match.

He said they were impressed by the Randwick player's "next level" work rate, energy levels and physicality.

"He clocked more than 7km on the GPS, which was mainly from ruck to ruck and applying chase-kick pressure," Stuart said. "He was very solid in the lineouts and the mauls both in attack and defence."

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