18-year-old Treyvon Pritchard may have been midway through exams on his Reds debut, but the talented outside back is out to school some of his older opposition in 2026.
Pritchard will get his chance to impress on the wing for the Queensland Reds in their final pre-season hit-out against the NSW Waratahs at Ballymore on Saturday.
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It's a massive show of faith from coach Les Kiss, selected in a backline that includes Wallabies halves Kalani Thomas and Carter Gordon along with four-capped Test fullback Jock Campbell.
The selection continues the whirlwind pre-season for Pritchard, elevated to the senior squad after a player of the tournament showing at the Global Youth Sevens.
“It’s surreal. Before the Christmas break, it was just us Academy boys and a couple of the older boys and I thought that was intense and then the Wallabies boys come back and the level just went up," he told Rugby.com.au. “Even the ones that weren't training, they're just constantly trying to make it a competition and then with that competition, there's an actual want to fight for that spot.
“It’s surreal seeing the people that I've been watching on TV and then watch train, over the past couple of years. For them to actually come in and I'm on the same team as them, like, it's just been crazy.”
Pritchard got his first taste of senior Reds action during their two-match series against Panasonic Wild Knights.
A tie-breaking try in their capped hit-out showed the Churchie product was built for big things, relishing the chance to go up against Marika Koroibete in-between QCE exams.
“I was still in my four-week exam period and I still had one or two exams to go so I was studying a little bit and balancing that with training. I played that game and I think I went into an exam the week after midweek," he explained.
“I honestly don't really get too nervous before games. That Panasonic game, I had good prep leading up to the week of that game and I think for me the nerves are only really there if I don't prep well.”
The Queenslander firmly emerged on the radar during the Australia U18s record run over the NZ Secondary Schools.
Pritchard was one of the key game-breaker in 2025 as they swept their Kiwi counterparts, scoring three times in the two matches last year.
With the U20s Rugby Championship and Junior World Championship approaching, it presents another opportunity for the talented group to make a statement.
“I’m not going to say we’ve spoken like [making a statement] but we know that we can do something special," Pritchard believes.
“We have boys from both those campaigns in main squads and in the academy so we’re all still together and believe that we can be that next generation.”
For now, Pritchard is following the lead of brother Kadin , who debuted for the ACT Brumbies last year) in trying to crack Super Rugby and stay there.
"I definitely want a Super debut and not just a debut, back-to-back games and hoping to secure a spot in Super Rugby, even though it’s my first year," he said.
“Kadin and I, that's been a big goal of ours to try and secure a spot, no matter our age, no matter how long we've been in the squad. I think with everything that we've done, we've always tried to achieve above what the normal is.
“Our parents have always pushed us but know our limits and instilled that hard-working nature into us."
