Australia had won the annual test for the previous two years after a decade of New Zealand dominance.
Jones and his boys ended the New Zealand drought last year with a 28-24 victory at Brisbane.
Jones has the knack of moulding players into a cohesive unit and he has had to do the same again, because only four players returned from last year's squad of 25.
They are fullback Albert Nikoro (Mount Albert Grammar), second five-eighth Opetera Peleseuma (St Patrick's, Silverstream), halfback Thomas Perenara (Mana College) and tight head prop Ofa Tuungafasi (Mangere College).
It is an honour to be selected in the New Zealand schoolboys side but it does not mean automatic promotion to All Black ranks.
"The percentage who become All Blacks isn't as high as you think because when these guys get to 21 or 22 there are 26 and 27-year-olds in their way," Jones said.
The locks and No 8 have Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock in their way.
Jones sees his role as getting the best results for his team now.
"There is some picking for the future but in the New Zealand schools team we have to pick the best players available now."
Jones said that the under-17 programme was geared more for picking future All Blacks.
"We have to pick the best players to win a test match as well as look to the future," he said.
"There is a foot in both camps."
Key players in this year's team are Peleseuma and captain Perenara.
"But we are a team and everyone has a role to play," Jones said.
"In last year's test we used 21 of the 23 players named for the game."
Jones worked the team hard at the two training sessions at John McGlashan College yesterday.
There is a captain's run at Logan Park this morning and the team plays the Otago under-19 team at the University Oval from 11.45am tomorrow.
The test match against Australia will be played at Littlebourne at 11.45am next Wednesday.
The team has been together for a week and has already had 12 training sessions.
The first week was spent at St Peter's School in Cambridge and the team beat Tongan Schoolboys 65-3.
"We need a hard game against Otago to get a realistic gauge of where we are at," Jones said.
The test matches against Australia are important for the elite players in his team, Jones said"It puts the guys into an environment where they have to play a higher level of rugby than what they are used to."
"These guys get comfortable playing first XV rugby," he said.
"It takes them out of their comfort zone.
"We want them to have a realistic idea of what it will be like if they make the New Zealand under-20 team for the World Cup, where they will play international games every four days.
"These guys know what international rugby is all about now. They know how hard it is."
The team includes former Otago Boys' lock Joe Latta (Wellington College) and Scott Eade and Tuki Raimona from the Southland Boys' team that won the Highlanders First XV competition.
