Waratahs and Warringah young gun Archie Saunders is chasing a Super Rugby debut in 2025 before turning his attention to winning a Shute Shield premiership with club side Warringah.

21-year old Saunders, who will play from the bench in the Waratahs first trial of 2025 on Saturday, broke into Warringah’s first grade side last year on either side of impressing for the Junior Wallabies at the U20s World Cup.

On the back of his most consistent preseason since finishing school, the Narrabeen Tigers junior has high hopes for the months ahead.

“Last year I got to play a fair few Shute Shield games and also went overseas with the Aussie 20s, then I’ve had a pretty uninterrupted pre-season so far so I feel a lot better than I have at this time of the year compared to other seasons,” the outside back said.