Melbourne schools

[teach]

My boy is heading off on a rugby tour to Australia next week, We are sending over a senior team, made up of a mix of 1st XV, 2nd XV and u16 players.
To make a change from the Gold Coast, the team is heading to Melbourne. They are playing Trinity Grammar, Melbourne Grammar and St Pats. Not knowing anything about these schools, can anybody help with some info on these schools. Are they the powerhouses of Melbourne rugby or middle of the road sort of thing? Or are they the bottom of the local competition.
The boys being boys (and their dads) will want to know, to help put any wins or losses into perspective. Its been long year of quiz nights and stadium clean ups and I know the boys are keen to go. Junior is pretty excited.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

@Teach, I know a couple of blokes in Melbourne. I'll make some enquiries and see what I can dig up.

What I can tell you is that:
1. Victorian footy is on the rise.
2. The level it is rising from is lower than in Sydney or Brisbane, or the ACT.
3. St Kevins is the main "rugby school", perhaps the local equivalent of Christchurh Boys High School or whatever is the dominant school in your area.
4. They are bloody passionate supporters of sport in Victoria. They make you NZ folk look like the Country Womans Association with their passion for Cross Counrty Volley Ball (AFL). Try to get the boys along to the MCG to watch that heathen game. It is an experience.

 

[teach]

Cheers.
Over the years we have hosted numerous schools doing overseas tours. Some make an effort to play the top teams in each location, some seek out the weakest teams in the area so they can claim to have done a clean sweep of NZ schools (mainly British teams I am afraid). But to be fair, it is usually the travel agents that arrange it picking the schools.

I just want an idea so if I hear they got a thrashing, or dealt one, I know how excited to get. I am not even going to tell them before they leave. each game will be against one of the top 3 schools as far as they are concerned. But I would hate to think they are playing the 3 weakest teams in the area.

 

[199madmave]

I saw Christchurch Boys HS play Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College in 2008. (Melbourne Grammar's 150th anniversary) From memory they beat both teams fairly easily but the Melbourne boys certainly put in 100% and were passionate about their rugby. I think Shore 2nd XV beat Chch boys in the final.

I suspect the Melbourne schools are much stronger now - especially considering the u15 and u17 state teams have had some spectacular wins recently.

I agree with Hugh - rugby is certainly on the rise in Vic and I think your boys will have a great tour. Good Luck!

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Jeez, that a hell of a schedule for the Trinity boys. They wouldn't be long back from their USA tour if there the first cab off the rank. http://www.rugbymag.com/boys/10999-xavier-hs-defeats-touring-trinity.html

 

[DaSchmooze]

My nephew attended St. Pat's and they have a good rugby culture and are the only rural school boy rugby team in Victoria. My understanding of how their system works is that St. Pat's are the best of the second division structure and their Opens would probably sit in the middle of the 1st division comp. If your boy is playing them at St. Pats you will be well received there from a group of loyal rugby fans who love the game.

 

[teach]

Sounds good. The boys are being billeted at each of the schools so I am sure there will be plenty of rugby talk. Our school, King's High, came third in the Highlanders 1st XV competition last season, but unfortunately we won't be sending all our 1st XV over, but enough to make up a reasonably competitive team. The boys are sure looking forward to it.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

My feedback is that Melbourne Grammar and Trinity Grammar are generally of a similar standard on an average basis year in year out. One school may be better than the other for a year or two as a stronger cohort works its way through.

Melbourne Grammar is apparently the stronger currently with a few more representative players in their ranks.

Your team will be very well looked after if they are billeted at Melbourne and Trinity Grammar.

Trinity Grammar toured NSW/ACT a year or two back and played second tier rugby schools and while they played with spirit they were beaten in most games. (St Andrews, and St Stannislaus and a Canberra School). Funny thing is that we have a Trinity Grammar up here in Sydney but apparently they didn't play them.

The reports are that the boys are fit and enthusiastic but lacking the necessary numbers of boys that have good technically rugby skills to really challenge the more "experienced" rugby school boys.

If Kings is in the top tier of schools in the Clan's patch, then at full strength they will probably will not be troubled by the Vic's on the scoreboard, but both visitors and host schools will benefit from the matches.

 

[swingpass]

teach,

i think melbourne grammar won the first div comp last year, so how many remain i am not sure. trinity are a pretty competitive outfit, mid table i believe.
st pats are lesser lights or have been, but passionate about the game.

i have included a link to the VSRU via the rebels

http://www.melbournerebels.com.au/community/education/schools-rugby-vsru

 

[swingpass]

further link that may be useful

http://www.vsru.rugbynet.com.au/default.asp

 

[teach]

Thanks for that. The boys are hoping to get to see the rebels play the hurricanes, which will be interesting. Last time I took most of the boys away was to an U15 tournament in Southland. We went to an ITM cup game Southland v Taranaki where they loudly cheered on Taranaki, just to annoy the locals.

 

[RugbyTears]

Guys on this side of the 'ditch', do you know who King's High is ? These guys go toe to toe with schools like Otago High and Sothland High. Not exactly some hick (rugby wise) school. Just a ball park call here , the Victorian schools would be competitive against their 3rds. The other thing is, if played during school holidays, the Vic schools maybe missing a lot of their rugby playing boarders from rural NSW. Something we have encountered while touring Melbourne.

 

[teach]

Guys on this side of the 'ditch', do you know who King's High is ? These guys go toe to toe with schools like Otago High and Sothland High. quote]
.

Not quite toe to toe. Our refusal to import players means that we will always struggle to beat Otago Boy's and Southland Boy's. Doesn't happen too often. We usually have to settle for 3rd or 4th.

But as i have said, it is not our full 1st Xv squad, but a group including 2nds and u17s

 

[RugbyTears]

Not quite toe to toe. Our refusal to import players means that we will always struggle to beat Otago Boy's and Southland Boy's. Doesn't happen too often. We usually have to settle for 3rd or 4th.

But as i have said, it is not our full 1st Xv squad, but a group including 2nds and u17s

Win, lose or draw, hope your boys have a wonderful experience. Safe travels.

 

[teach]

Well the boys are back and had a ball.
Beat Trinity 63-7
Beat Melbourne Grammar 50-15
Beat St Pats 71-12

Oddly enough the boys rated the St Pats game as the hardest opposition. By the time they played St Pats they had played 2 games together and were starting to string phases together (this is a groups made up of U16, u17, 2nd XV and 1st Xv so many have not played together before this trip).

Teach Junior was most impressed by the wealth of Melbourne Grammar billets. He has never met a millionaire before.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

<snip>

Teach Junior was most impressed by the wealth of Melbourne Grammar billets. He has never met a millionaire before.

The average house price in many suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth is > $1m.
Not hard to be a "millionaire", although the snouts who know about Melbourne Grammar suggest you should use the prefix multi with respect to the billets overall wealth.

Not unheard of are Ferraris with L plates.

 

[teach]

The average house price in many suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth is > $1m.
Not hard to be a "millionaire", although the snouts who know about Melbourne Grammar suggest you should use the prefix multi with respect to the billets overall wealth.

Not unheard of are Ferraris with L plates.

The median house price in Dunedin is $255 500. we are a mid decile school so lots of boys from low income families. Lots of cheese roll making and quiz nights to save up. Not like other schools in our region where daddy just writes a cheque. The trip certainly opened a few boy's eyes.

 

[RugbyTears]

Hi Teach, glad to hear your boys had a good trip. The scores reflects the huge difference in schoolboy rugby between between Sydney/Brisbane and the rest of Australia. I guess it is the Aust Rugby Union's dream to have grassroot strength so one day a school like Melb Grammar can compete against King's High. Long way to go! The Melb Storm been a very successful Rugby League team and yet grassroot League there is a non event so if the Rebels is suppose to be the catalyst, a lot is expected of them. We, over this side of the 'ditch', sometimes wonder if it is not better to just make sure rugby in Sydney & Brisbane don't slip instead of worrying about the rest of the nation ? As for high end real estate investment opportunities in Sydney or Melb , you best consult Hugh

 

[pablo]

Hi Teach, glad to hear your boys had a good trip. The scores reflects the huge difference in schoolboy rugby between between Sydney/Brisbane and the rest of Australia. I guess it is the Aust Rugby Union's dream to have grassroot strength so one day a school like Melb Grammar can compete against King's High. Long way to go! The Melb Storm been a very successful Rugby League team and yet grassroot League there is a non event so if the Rebels is suppose to be the catalyst, a lot is expected of them. We, over this side of the 'ditch', sometimes wonder if it is not better to just make sure rugby in Sydney & Brisbane don't slip instead of worrying about the rest of the nation ? As for high end real estate investment opportunities in Sydney or Melb , you best consult Hugh

Easy to see where "we, over this side of the ditch" come from....not sure that your opinion would be publicly backed by the ARU or anyone outside of your central model!

 

[let it flow]

really good read. the unfortunate part is that school rugby refuse to play in a combined comp with the clubs in Melb. this is the only way they will improve. they play in a separate comp where the standard is really poor. its similar to weight restrictions in NZ. St kevins is the #1 school, they seem to recruit the island boys in key positions. (scholarships), schools are getting pi$$d of with this, theres even schools wanting to forfeit. until they merge comps the schools will play schools.