Author: Lee Grant

The young Aussie players and their travelling supporters were over the moon at Auckland Grammar School. With Australia ahead 16-14, time was up and the Kiwi lads had just been pinged for the second time in as many minutes a few metres from the Australian goal line. Aus kicked the ball out and – game over.  It was the fourth time in the last six years that they had beaten their arch enemies and in doing so they retained the Novotel Trans-Tasman Trophy. But you might not have predicted that result a week before when Oz Schools arrived from Fiji.…

Queensland Red won the tournament for the second year in a row. Although there were more cards dished out this year than I can remember in the past it was because the referees cracked down more on foul play, especially lifting tackles, and not because of bad blood between the players. The coaches did a good job with their charges, in the main. Some of the half time talks I overheard were inspirational and the habit of the Victoria coach in teaching his bench players the finer points of the game as play was unfolding in front on them warmed…

Wrap up National Indigenous press claims for Division I status but SA impressive in 2nd half.. WA earn gutsy first win of tournament. Sydney Juniors too good for Country cousins and finish 5th. Queensland White play their best game of the week to take 3rd place. Queensland Red blitz NSW Schools in first half and just hang on when NSW show character in second. This was crunch time for the lads: the four Division I teams in each pool had been sorted out on Day 3 and the top two teams of each pool were playing each other on Day…

Wrap up Brumbies won their second game when they went 14-0 ahead of Victoria in the first 7 minutes NSW Country snatched their first win at the end of the game to break WA hearts. Sydney Juniors had to beat Qld Whites to get to the final but faded after a 16-0 lead. NSW Schools were behind at oranges but class told in the end. Day 3 was supposed to be Moving Day for the Division I teams. Victoria wanted to move into the winners circle after a skinny loss to the Juniors on Day 1 and almost toppling the…

Wrap Up NSW is emerging as the top team after Victoria scared Queensland Red. Queensland White will have to lift to bother them on Day 3. Despite losing, Sydney Juniors could still top Pool B if they beat Qld Red because they have earned 2 bonus points. Though they have lost both games so far, Victoria will give the Brumbies a tough game. Day 2 is usually the day of upsets in Division I. One happened and another nearly did. Sydney Juniors were favoured to beat the Brumbies but the ACT lads had performed well in the first half against…

Wrap Up The Qld Whites v Western Australia contest was the best match of the day. NSW Schoolslooked liked the best team but Qld Red had stronger opponents on Day 1; so who can say? The Sydney Juniors will have a tough time against the Brumbies tomorrow if the ACT lads play like they did in the 1st half on Day 1. Victoria acquitted themselves well in their 1st match but the Qld Red team should win as should the Qld White team against a disappointing Country side on Day 1. The 2012 Australian Under 16 Championships opened on a…

Australian Schools hit back at Churchill Park, Lautoka with a convincing 29-12 win over Fijian Schools. Although they shipped tries just before and after half-time to go behind 12-10, the Aussies piled on 12 points near the end to finish on top. Tuesday 25 September – Australian Schools 29 – Fiji Schools 12  Despite the hot and humid conditions the Aussies took charge early. After 12 minutes Fiji dropped out long into the Aussie half; Fullback Jonah Placid caught the ball 60 metres out, ran rings around Fijian defenders, and scored near the posts – 7-0. A fierce contest of hard…

The 2012 Australian Schools tour squad arrive in New Zealand today buoyed by their win against Fijian Schools. Having lost to the Presidents XV, a virtual Fiji Schools A team, three days before, they could have doubted themselves, but coaches Steve Phillpotts and Tim Rapp turned them around at training. The Touring squad  In July two squads of 23 were chosen for Oz Schools to play Tongan Schools. They were selected as the best players of the Oz Schools tournament which had ended a few days before. Australia A beat Tonga 29-5 and the test match was won 70-13. 28…

The AAGPS re-jigged the GPS Rugby competition this year. 

Joeys and Shore were just playing for third place (or hopefully second) but they competed like they were playing in a Grand Final. Shore played with the fire in the belly that had seen them beat teams that had more rep players than they did this year, and when they nearly beat Newington last week. Joeys were determined to end their season strongly by using the momentum they got from their victory at Kings. Joeys 24 – Shore 14 Joeys started the stronger: they got into the right real estate from a penalty kick and when Barclay got the ball from the…

Joeys 29 Kings 8 Both teams were determined to finish the season off strongly after some indifferent performances, but it was the visiting Joeys team that played as though they wanted it more. They stepped up and played their best rugby of the year in the 2nd half and their 5 tries to 1 victory was well-earned. To be fair: Kings struggled without some of their best players: flyhalf Tulloch, who I rate highly, and Oz schoolboys Foketi and Jones. 1st half There was some ordinary rugby from both teams in the first 35 minutes. Joeys started well though. With…

The Kings versus Grammar match was a difficult game to watch for any fair minded rugby supporter. Kings 100 def. Grammar 0 Grammar’s new coach Lachlan Fear confirmed after the game that his team had to make six changes from the previous week, including the entire back row and both centres. Those substitutions highlighted the lack of depth at the school. With a final score line of 100-to-nil and the game being pulled up nearly 10 minutes early, it makes it difficult to single out any particular performance of any player on either team. The strong crosswind caused a few problems…

ISA heavyweights St. Augustine’s College and Oakhill College set up a no-love-lost return-bout final when they won their Waratah Shield semi-finals at the T.G. Millner Field today. St. Augustine’s (Brookvale) accounted for St. Stanislaus College (Bathurst) and Oakhill (Castle Hill) defeated Marist College (ACT). St. Augustine’s 53 – St. Stanislaus 17 A young Auggies team with nearly half its players from Years 10 and 11 (according to one of the masters) was too strong for Stannies. The Bathurst lads had periods of strong play and at one stage in the first half were behind just 10-19, but their forwards did not…

The match between Kinross Wolloroi and Oakhill College held special significance as both an important round of the ISA competition and the Waratah Shield

Queens Park, affectionately known ‘Death Valley’ in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs, hosted a highly entertaining game of rugby

Scots beat Joeys for the third year in a row in an emphatic display at Bellevue Hill

Marist College made an emphatic statement on behalf of ACT Schools by defeating Hills Sports High School in the Quarter-Final of the Waratah Shield yesterday in Canberra. by Leicester Tiger ACT schools were excluded from the competition in 2005 but NSW Rugby reinstated them this year. St. Edmunds College, who has won the Shield more often than any other school, did not participate because of commitments to play in NZ during the season, but five other schools, including Marist, represented the ACT. Marist had thrashed Knox College 48-0 in their last Shield game but the Marist crowd in their new…

Joeys jumped out of the blocks at Hunters Hill yesterday and left a sluggish Riverview behind

Everybody likes a winner, but a competition with just a few teams in it will end in a tie too often. And a that’s like kissing your sister. Let’s use the bonus point system they use in Super Rugby: gain a point for scoring four tries or more and for losing by seven or less; then if the comp comes up tied, take it on the number of tries scored, then on points for and against. Better still, use the Top 14 bonus point system. They have a losing bonus point deal, but to get a try scoring bonus point…

The 2012 GPS competition in NSW will start next weekend and this season promises to be the closest run thing for years. Anybody who reckons they can pick the winner before Rd. 1 is kidding themselves, and I will be reading the tea leaves when making my tips. There are several changes for 2012. Because the athletic programme schedule was altered, rugby trials were played in term 2 and the competition was deferred to term 3. Also, the AAGPS came up with an interesting plan to accommodate some of the weaker rugby schools in the association: • The 3rd XV division will become…