Aussie Schools Champs Day 1

After days of heavy rain in Sydney the 39th Novotel ASRU Championships started yesterday at St. Ignatius College, Riverview in Sydney.

In the bad old days the cricket pitch area would have been a quagmire but the Riverview people did a great job in moving the field the the east so play wasn’t affected, and they erected some portable stands for the patrons. The field was still wet underfoot but it was a marked improvement over what it might have been.

Well done Riverview.

On Day 1, on-paper stronger teams are matched against on-paper weaker teams and there were no surprises this year as there sometimes are.

NSW II 33 — Victoria 12

The first half was a game of two quarters.

NSW started out of the blocks quickly and racked up a couple of tries to 7. Brandon Paenga-Amosa, who went over from close-in and 14. Josh Mitchell ,who was given the ball with only grass and the goal posts in front of him scored the second.

It looked like the score-line was going to blow-out but Victoria settled after their early jitters and started to play some good rugby with 15. Jack Read running through gaps and 14, Ahmu Tuimaleali’ifano running around people.

Tuimaleali’ifano got a wide pass which by-passed defenders and he scored. Later skipper and LHP Feriti Sa’aga punched up thorough the middle to attract defenders and 10. Suasesi Iousa scored handily.

NSW II was still ahead, 14-12, at oranges but the Vics were getting confident.

The NSW lineouts were not going well and they were stopping at the ball in defensive rucks instead of trying to go past it, and not stopping runners coming around the corner.

But the second half was scored 19-0 to NSW and they were worth every point of it. They scored three tries — Mitchell went over again after a midfield break by others, 9. Joey Lussick backed himself on the blindside after NSW had been held up twice over the line, and 18. Francis Brown went over after 11. Tyson Davis had set up a good field position with a long run.

The wrap-up

Victoria ran out of puff in the second half as the NSW boys started to click.

The players

For Victoria, Read and Tuimaleali’ifano were difficult to handle, as mentioned. Iousa had a calm, mature match at flyhalf and in counterpoint 9. Matt Euse and 7. Ikapote Tupai had fiery, livewire games.

For NSW Lussick was often dominant and always seemed to make the right choice, though he was on the ball for a long time. 10. Jack Clancy was classy in facilitating others but lacked a bit of physicality sometimes. 13. Henry Hutchinson was dangerous with the ball but got barreled over a couple of times without it.

Anthony Vasilis, a backrower by choice is settling into the second row nicely, as is another big-engine backrower Ned Hannigan, a no.8; and Vasilis showed showed even more versatility by converting Brown’s try from the tram tracks.

NSW II – 33  [Tries: Josh Mitchell (2), Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Joey Lussick, Francis Brown. Conversions: Lussick (3) , Anthony Vasilis]

Victoria –12  [Tries: Ahmu Tuimaleali’ifano, Suaesi Iosua. Conversion: Iosua]

Queensland II 31 — Combined States 13

The Combined team were in this game for a while.

Queensland 12. Conrad Quick had run an unders line in a gap to score a try and 11. Pedro Ikitau had got meat after the ball went through the hands, but for CS, 10. Adrian Delore slotted a couple of penalty goals.

The score was Queensland 14-6 for a while and if CS had not blown some of their chances, they could have been closer.

But in the second half Queensland scored two more tries for a bonus point, to one for CS, to win comfortably .

The wrap-up

Although Queensland were far from cohesive they were at least more dynamic than CS and their breakdown work was better. Combined States were their own worst enemies and will have to live up to their team name to cause their future opponents any grief.

The players

For CS 15. Adrian Delore scored all their points and tried to hold the side together.

For Queensland: there’s not a lot of 15 Joshua Bowen-Bowyer but he’s a slippery customer that has to be stopped first time. I also liked the looks of hard-running Ranga 14. Campbell Magnay — and 7. Douglas MacMillan should take a bow on behalf of the backrow..

Queensland II – 31 [Tries: Conrad Quirk, Joshua Bowen-Bowyer, Pedro Ikitau, Ryan McCully. Conversions: Bowen-Bowyer (4 ). Penalty goal: Bowen-Bowyer.]

Combined States – 13 [Try: Adrian Delore. Conversion: Delore. Penalty goals: Delore (2).]

Queensland I 35 — ACT 19

Queensland was dominant early and 13. Landon Hayes went over after a scrum move; however winger Jason Tomane struck back for the ACT running through traffic.  But then wriggly 9. Issak Fines went over to make the score 14-7 for Qld and it was that score for a while.

It looked like ACT would go into oranges within striking distance but lock Jake Upfield scored just before the hooter for Queensland; so at half time they led 21-7.

The ACT scored  a try first after the break to threaten, but Queensland answered with two of them, then ACT finished the try scoring to make it two tries each in the second half.

The wrap-up

The ACT were a team of battlers who literally played above their weight because they had some small players.

On their first outing the Queensland I team don’t look as good as they have in recent years though it’s early days. They are always a younger side than the NSW team but I can’t remember seeing them play like it until yesterday. For all that, their bench was too strong for the ACT lads.

Despite some disconnection first time out they had some powerful ball runners who are going to be influential this week; but their backs lack the sizzle of recent Queensland I sides.

The Players

The ACT were kept in the game by some zippy, small or slight players such as scrummie Patrick Rumble, flyhalf Harrison Tyson and fullback Beau Donavan: brave roosters all.

Queensland’s strength was in their forwards especially power players 1. Evander Guttenbell and 2. Alex Mafi (though his throwing to the lineout wasn’t stellar). 6. Lolo Fakasilea didn’t have many runs but he threatened defenders when he did. Another Oz Schools player 7. Brad Wilkin played well but not better than the NSW I flankers in the following game.

Queensland I – 35 [Tries: Landon Hayes, Issac Fines, Jake Upfield, Michael Third, Evander Guttenbiel. Conversions: Third (5).]

ACT – 19 [Tries: Jason Tomane, Tyrel Lomax, Thomas Evans. Conversions: Harrison Tyson, Evans.]

NSW I  64 — Western Australia  8

NSW scored six tries in the first half, to lead 40-8 at half-time, and four in the second — principally by threatening progress in the middle then whipping the ball wide. However, it didn’t always go out to the wingers because the fullback sometimes ran out of tacklers inside them

The wrap-up

The WA lads were shell-shocked and apart for a penalty goal and one well-taken try they didn’t have much. They were on the back foot for the whole game and fell off too many tackles – and Moeroa wasn’t even playing.

Usually the NSW I team stutter in opening games in these championships and sometimes they play like strangers for the whole week, but yesterday they performed as though had played the whole season together.

The NSW backs put on a bravura performance as though it was the Ones playing against the Threes. The back row was stellar and the tight-five was remarkable in that they were barely noticeable sometimes except as a unit.

Can they do this against better teams? Who knows?

The players

It’s difficult to remark on the WA players because they were putting fires out all day. Some of them didn’t want to commit one hundred per cent to their tackles and that made it harder for the guys who did.  Blake Phillips had a couple of good runs and bounced a few taklers around.

For NSW everybody got a pass mark, but fullback Andrew Kellaway was like a force of nature. I have said a few times that he plays like Matt Burke did at school and it was another such day for him. Winger Harry Jones would have enjoyed playing fullback yesterday had he got a chance to, but he can’t grumble because he had a good game on the right wing as did Charlie Taylor on the left.

13. Taane Milne was impressive also: he could swerve around you in a phone box.

As for the back row: every time one of them did something remarkable one of the other two would top it.

NSW I – 64 [Tries Andrew Kellaway (3), Harry Jones (2), Charlie Taylor, Taane Milne, Hosea Fotukava, Angus Chrichton, Josh Anderson. Conversions: Jones (7).]

Western Australia – 8 [Try: Kauri Cudd. Penalty goal: Tim Koitu.]

Photos by Lee Grant

Click on Page 2 for details of the Championships and a slide show of photos from Day 1