Age restrictions have been lifted, indicating the national selectors are looking closely at the form of players named in the New Zealand junior development team to play Australia in Invercargill in March.
The annual transtasman "test" used to be limited to players under 25.
But Bowls New Zealand and Bowls Australia have agreed to allow two players in the men's and women's teams to be over 25.
Players over the age of 25 in the New Zealand teams are Blake Signal (29), Chris Le Lievre (26) and Lisa White (29).
This would indicate the selectors are still considering them for World Bowls in Adelaide later this year.
Signal won the pairs and fours titles at the national championships in Auckland to make the selectors look at him seriously.
He has now won three national titles.
Included in the New Zealand junior team are Andrew Kelly (23) and Greg Ruaporo (20), who also won national titles in Auckland.
They were both members of the under-25 team that beat Australia in the transtasman event last year.
Ruaporo was born in Auckland but his family comes from the Cook Islands. He started playing bowls for the Blockhouse Bay club 11 years ago and found he was good at the game.
Ruaporo earned his selection after some promising performances over the last five years. He won the New Zealand secondary schools boys' singles title in 2006 and 2007, was a member of the New Zealand under-18 team in 2008 and 2009 and was in the under-25 team for the last two years.
White is new to a national squad that includes Mandy Boyd (Johnsonville), 2011 Junior World Cup winner Clare McCaul (Silverstream), transtasman veteran Amy Brenton (Stoke) and talent development squad member Angela Boyd (Taradale).
The under-18 squad's format remains the same. New players in the team are Tayla Bruce (Burnside) and Brittany Tyson (Lincoln).
Old hands include New Zealand secondary schools boys' singles champion Euan Wong (Petone Central) and junior transtasman regular Monte Pawa (Kaitaia Combined).
The under-18 transtasman and junior development transtasman tournament will be held from March 7-9, at the Waihopai Bowling Club in Invercargill.
NZ Junior Development team
For transtasman test
• Men: Blake Signal (Stokes Valley), Chris Le Lievre (Onehunga), Andrew Kelly (Canterbury), Scott Cottrell (Onehunga), Greg Ruaporo (Hillsboro).
• Women: Lisa White (Victoria), Mandy Boyd (Johnsonville), Clare McCaul (Silverstream), Amy Brenton (Stoke), Angela Boyd (Taradale).
