Australian Schoolboys & National Championship 2010

[I like to watch]

Have to agree with this Peter. The coaches seemed to do a great job with the forwards but the backs really were found out today. Some of it was to do with selection while the tactics of just hitting it up in the middle through the centres while we neglected the flair and pace of the back three was a huge mistake. Changes should have been made before this test.

How many times did the 13 get tackled with the ball?
You guys keep saying there should have been changes, but never offer up an alternative.
Apo is a strong defender & missed a few today, tell me who would have tackled better.

 

[Bowside]

Firstly, there's a difference between being a good defender and being a good tackler. Secondly, I dont neccissarily think he should have been dropped, I just think he should have passed the ball when it was the right option, ffs he's only a schoolboy he has time to develop a passing game and improve his defence. But this team has been together for a while now, things like this should have been sorted out earlyer.

And even if we cant offer up someone better, that can be put down to most of us not having an in depth knowledge of schoolboy centres rather than there not actually being someone better.

 

[Spewn]

Some real positives. Browning obviously. He needed to play 6 to start with. Waste of time to have him burn out by being in tight If you have a close look at Australia's breakdown, most of the turnovers were from Roach and the front rowers. Killingworth is no 7. Not a single turnover He tried hard but his pilfering technique is not up to Connor's standard when he came on but that was only for 10 minutes and he is not physically imposing. Liam Gill last year was so much better at stealing. Cusack was very good and should have started at 8. Wells was very poor. He missed tackles and was only visible because they kept kicking to him. Poor selection I feel. Cummins and Reiser should have been locks. Roach's on ball work was sensational but his throwing was a real throw back to Gordon junior rep days. Front row good. Both starters and replacements. Donlan showed great composure. Not sure about Taumata. Apo - well it's been said - so much one out stuff it was painful. Hingano did nothing. Midfield was a real problem. Wingers no ball. Crook should stop shaking his head every time he gets penalized. Holland slight but outstanding. Worst hairstyle to the NZ 14. What a shocker. Great effort but some selections I think counted against Oz. Something should have been done about Apo before this. Agree with Lee that one has to be careful not to overrate players before they hit NZ. I think astute coaching and selections might have anticipated the need for a genuine pilferer, the need for Browning to be at 6, the need for a tough 8, two tall second rowers and a better midfield combo. From reading the posts over the weeks many of you predicted these problems.

 

[Bowside]

While I'd be carefull not to dish it out to much to schoolboys, I agree with alot of what you have said spewn.

 

[ikaletahi]

Just watched the game and to be honest imo oz should have got up..and im gonna get caned for this but i dont think the centres should er the blame for this loss...i think its a bit unfair and uncalled for considering the opponents they played today. All things considered i think they did quite well at times getting over the gain line...if anyone wants to whinge about no ball jeez that tall nz winger would have a pretty fair claim, although i think he was decidedly average compared to cfs and wp...also imo i think the impact of ngauamo and kite was significant and i think that should have on earlier but that is my opinion only so dont kill me for it...finally, how on earth did browning not get mom?? Sopoaa was effective and damaging but noone out there exhibited the skill, determination and talent that cb produced...i think that was exemplifie when he was making the covering tackle on the aforementioned nz winger early in the second half...would appreciate any thoughts opinions..

 

[ikaletahi]

Sorry too for any errors in my post...had to do it on my hopeless piece of cra* iphone.

 

[Informer]

I was dissapointed with the lack of flair in the backline, it was all very predictable one off stuff. Where were the moves involving wingers and fullback or an inside ball to one of the locks? If they had trained and rehearsed such moves then the players let themselves down but I sense that there was no such game plan. Similarly the defence in the backs suggests the lack of a defensive pattern that was understood and implemented. Slide, rush, whatever but there seemed to be no pattern at all, just one off stuff that was found wanting. When the kiwis scored their last try our winger was marking their inside centre, missing badly in action and Holland was left stranded. That is elementry stuff that should not happen at this level.

 

[CHS 72]

Let's be realistic about the whole game. These are schoolboys and are going to make schoolboy errors when put under great pressure. No.13 Lowe for NZ was a great player. He was given plenty of opportunity by their 9 and 10 and other dummy runners. Lowe was quite possibly the most impressive player on the field and I have not heard any really glowing praise for him. Add to that, he moved to fullback and was just as damaging. Our centres have been adequate (to good) defenders against their other opponents.
The bigger problem that we had was our popgun attack. Taumata kicked aimlessly and didn't seem to have a passing game to put his centres into space. I would have liked to see Ed Whiley on a little earlier as he does offer more options with his passing. He has been struggling with a shoulder injury and his game time may have been a result of managing that. I agree there didn't seem to be much "value added" by the coaches, to the backline over this whole journey.
I'd like to see our schoolboy sides play NZ and maybe even SA more often, to give then the hard edge games needed.
I've also witnessed Roach's poor throwing in the Gordon days and also the U16s when he played for the NSW schools. It's a "closed" skill that he will obviously need to work harder on.

 

[Rothschild]

The moves involving wingers were all well rehearsed as were thse involving the loosies.
I have a feeling that Apo did exactly what henry Taefu did in the Qld I v NSW II game at nationals and once he had not done well he continued to do it in the hope of redemption, to the point of ignoring calls for specific moves WHICH BY THE WAY ERE CALLED.

 

[I like to watch]

I was dissapointed with the lack of flair in the backline, it was all very predictable one off stuff. Where were the moves involving wingers and fullback or an inside ball to one of the locks? If they had trained and rehearsed such moves then the players let themselves down but I sense that there was no such game plan. Similarly the defence in the backs suggests the lack of a defensive pattern that was understood and implemented. Slide, rush, whatever but there seemed to be no pattern at all, just one off stuff that was found wanting. When the kiwis scored their last try our winger was marking their inside centre, missing badly in action and Holland was left stranded. That is elementry stuff that should not happen at this level.

look at the last try again, you are wrong.
There appear to be a few sacred cows in this thread.

 

[Rothschild]

Let's be realistic about the whole game. These are schoolboys and are going to make schoolboy errors when put under great pressure.

Taumata kicked aimlessly and didn't seem to have a passing game to put his centres into space. I would have liked to see Ed Whiley on a little earlier as he does offer more options with his passing.

Schoolboy mistakes happen once maybe twice at this level before somehing is done. However to have it happen over a series of 7 games suggests something more entrenched. It is known that the backs coach strongly favours the 2 NSW centres no matter how devastating sautia is and was at the National playing at 13. There is no way in hell the 12/13 combination was going to be tampered with.

Taumata has consistently failed all year to find touch so there is nothing new there, however Wylie's goal kicking was very mediocre against Samoa and Fiji in Sydney so Taumata's goal kicking held him the position. Wylie is the better passer though.

Anyway - that's the end of schoolboy rugby.

 

[PeterPiper]

Anyway - that's the end of schoolboy rugby.

Now you do mean'until next year'dont you?

 

[Iluvmyfooty]

I was dissapointed with the lack of flair in the backline, it was all very predictable one off stuff. Where were the moves involving wingers and fullback or an inside ball to one of the locks? If they had trained and rehearsed such moves then the players let themselves down but I sense that there was no such game plan. Similarly the defence in the backs suggests the lack of a defensive pattern that was understood and implemented. Slide, rush, whatever but there seemed to be no pattern at all, just one off stuff that was found wanting. When the kiwis scored their last try our winger was marking their inside centre, missing badly in action and Holland was left stranded. That is elementry stuff that should not happen at this level.

The one glaring (IMO) flaw in the OZ's attack yesterday was the lack of a good forward runner. Once Luani was injured and missing there were no backrowers capable of running the ball in close like the NZ 6 did and therefore create some space for the backs. The forwards did very well and were better than NZ in set play (except for the lineout) and in the ruck and maul play. They all worked really well and defended well. However, looking at the pack thats what they all were - hard workers in defence and good scavengers for the ball. There were no runners, there were no ball players, no body to link with the backs and create opportunities.

 

[FTS]

Heard that Tim Donlon won the Bronze boot? I am really surprised i thought there were many players more deserving.

 

[barbarian]

Yeah he did, here is the match report from the Australian Schools website:

NEW ZEALAND SCHOOL TOPPLE AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLBOYS 30-21

The Australian Schoolboys six-match winning streak has been broken by New Zealand Schools 30-21 in the final Test of their tour at Otago Boys High School in Dunedin on Wednesday.

The visitors clawed back from a 14-point deficit to be within two points with nine minutes to go before a try to Baby Blacks replacement Bryn Hall and a sideline conversion to skipper TJ Perenara put the game out of the brave Australians reach.

New Zealand led their traditional trans-Tasman rivals 10-3 at halftime and were the first to score after the break after a try to outside centre James Lowe extended their lead to 17-3 after a successful conversion.

Australia struck back in the 39th minute when Brisbane State High School lock Curtis Browning crashed over, and after the sides exchanged penalties, Brisbane State High School winger Chris Feauai-Sautia scored to bring Pat Langtry’s side to within two points at 20-18.

Another set of on-target penalty kicks to both teams left the Australian with nine minutes to find another couple of points but Hall’s try ended the visitor’s hopes of repeating their success on NZ in 2008, which broke a 13-match losing streak which stretched back to 1975.

“It was really tough towards the end of the match and it could have gone either way but unfortunately we didn’t have enough in the end,” Australian skipper Steve Cummins said.

“We had a lot of belief and we tried to keep it going right up until the end and I’m proud of the boys.”


"POWER-BALANCE" BRONZE BOOT AWARDS 2010

AUSTRALIA - Tim Donlan - St Ignatius College
NEW ZEALAND -Matt McGahan - Mt Albert Grammar School

 

[I like to watch]

Heard that Tim Donlon won the Bronze boot? I am really surprised i thought there were many players more deserving.

He played good, better than most.
Obviously the "forum favourite" was Browning.
It was awarded by the Kiwi team, I believe.

 

[en_force_er]

Well I suppose Browning did have the glaring line-out stuff up where he missed the halfback but we can't be sure that was fully his fault, it's strange that he took so much line-out ball when he was the shorter of the two locks.

 

[Rothschild]

Now you do mean'until next year'dont you?

Yeah but I need a rest.
I just looked at a replay of the game and that pass to Crook certainly didn't look too forward. That could have really changed the game significantly. In all I thought the ref had a decent game but his forward pass calls were a bit wrong on occasions and he also missed a few as well.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Bronze Boot Awards: vive la différence.

Others obviously have different criteria to me.

MaGahan played well for the Darkness but thought #9 Perenara, #23 Lowe, #6 Sopoaga also could have got the gong.

For the Boys in Gold, I had Browning and Cummings and Holland ahead of Donlan, with Killingworth, and Cusack deserving.

Awesome performance from all the team, and look forward to seeing them filter up through the ranks to Semi-Pro and Pro levels.

 

[I like to watch]

Lowe was 13, all the Kiwi kids named played very well.
Agree with only some of your oz choices, I thought there were a few players that were better than some you nominate.
There should be quite a few that we will be watching for years to come.