Ron, Conan, Iltw & Spewn,
This is an interesting topic.
Remember on circa 16 May 2005 Pat Langtry attempted an ambush of Joeys by St Edmunds College at Hunters Hill relatively early in that season. That epic game is well documented in an article by Paul Sheehan in the SMH dated 23 May 2005 entitled "Boys lesson in defeat.....”
The result St Joseph's College Hunters Hill 46 def. St. Edmunds College 0
Admittedly Joeys side that year was exceptional but the St. Edmunds side was also undefeated in the 2004 season and in 2005 games leading up to the clash with Joeys.
John Papahatzis appears to be, a wily general and coach, obviously a clever self-publicist and a highly political animal. In 2009 & 2010 he has chosen for St. Augustine’s to play Joeys very early in the GPS season after his team had played several trial games, including a tour of NZ. Obviously he is a student of Sun Tzu and the Art of War in that he chooses the time and place (in the season) of his major battles. He has come away with a win on both occasions admittedly against Joeys teams that are under prepared and suffering the from the evolution occurring at Hunters Hill as SJC transitions from a 100% Boarding school to Boarder/Day Boy parity.
I don’t see this thread as either a personal attack on John Papahatzis or a commentary on the relative superiority of the GPS, CAS, CHS, ISA etc systems. To me its more about the policies adopted by NSW Schools in the 2010 representative season and the results those policies achieved at the National Championships last week. However a superficial analysis of the comparative strengths and weaknesses of the systems is worth considering.
Most schools fortunes in the GPS Rugby competition fluctuate on a seasonal basis. Taking King’s as an example, they have shared the GPS Championship with Riverview in 2008/09. Prior to that their last championship win was 2002. In the intervening years their best results was probably 3rd or 4th. Representation by King’s players in NSW Schools and Australian Schools teams in those years was probably an accurate reflection of their standing in the GPS competition. The talent in all of the GPS and CAS schools fluctuates yearly, although the quality of the coaching and overall Rugby programs remains constantly high and improving each year.
In my opinion, St. Edmunds and St. Augustine’s success in their respective competition lies in the fact that Papahatzis or Langtry introduced a professional schoolboy Rugby program (including scholarships and aggressive recruiting) to a relatively new private school that plays against a wide range of private and public schools with lesser funding and school community (parental) support. Of course the obvious exception to this case is the new model of specialist (athletics selective) sports high schools. It is almost a case of the professionals taking on the amateurs. The CHS Rugby program is probably the most underfunded and one where playing sport is now most likely optional. Finding diamonds in a low yield and under funded mine is against the odds!
Former great CHS schools such as Epping, Fort Street, North Sydney etc most likely struggle or fail to field a 1st XV in this era.
The success of St Edmunds in the ACT and Waratah Shield competitions became self-fulfilling as new and talented players wanted to play for Eddies. It appears to me that the same phenomenon is occurring at St. Augustine’s. The fact that their talent pool does not yet stretch to the 2nd XV is an indictment of the aggressive recruitment policy as it is a comment on the relative size of the school compared to a Riverview for example. Similarly the geographic location of the school will see a considerable talent loss to Rugby League.
Most GPS and CAS schools have a secondary school population of 1,200 – 1,600. The powerful Rugby Schools in those competitions can field 8-10 Open Rugby teams and 6 Age Rugby Teams for years 7-10 (24 teams) each week of the season. The last time CHS achieved a significant selection count in representative schoolboy teams was probably just after the Wallabies wins in the 1991 and 1999 Rugby World Cups when enrolments in Village Rugby Clubs spiked and player numbers in State High Schools probably enjoyed a corresponding peak.
The CHS system talent pool is further depleted by the geographical loyalty to competing codes such as Rugby League, Soccer and Rules. This is also happening at GPS and CAS Schools.
Despite what they say: “Size does count”
The production of quality teams and players by the GPS and CAS becomes a simple equation of funding, numbers and probability, refined over 100 Years.
Smaller schools, and systems where playing sport is optional will continue to struggle or slip further backwards against systems where playing sport is compulsory and Rugby is actively promoted.
I am not a supporter of the 2010 Papahatzis experiment nor am I a one-eyed GPS or CAS snob. I saw most of the games from which the NSW Schools sides were selected and clearly Papahatzis was operating with a different agenda.
Correction of inequitable and competing rugby systems by biased selections is not a solution and only does our game more harm that good.
Some have suggested that Papahatzis was attempting to instigate or promote a different style of rugby or game plan. The Australian Schools Rugby selectors saw the style, game plan and results quite differently as reflected in the documented Australian Schools Rugby teams.
It has taken Papahatzis years to build his reputation and influence. He may regret his 2010 experiment.
