NSW club rugby thread

[Ash]

Highlight of the game? The three attractive Uni girls in hot pants walking around the field with the worst slogan on a banner ever ("More degrees than a thermometer"). You'd think university students could come up with better. Luckily, it got better when they ran across field carrying said banner.

Best move of the game? The Randwick supporter who crashed tackled said banner on about the 40m line.

Worst play of the game? The fun police (literally, the police) for kicking said Randwick supporter out of the ground when previously two Uni supporters (one in a bright orange fluffy body suit complete with hoodie) ran around humourously failing to tackle each other, and either elicited a warning nor kicking out.

Seriously, it was a flogging. Wicks were thoroughly outclassed, and their preofessional players largely failed to turn up. Watched Turinuri rather closely, though he was lazy for a professional player. Ratu stunk it up for 60 minutes as well. All in all, Randwick was woeful for much of the game. Antonio Halangahu coming on for the openside (which saw Freier move to 7) didn't work too well either, especially as Freier had a game to forget. His throwing was reminiscient of TPN on a better day. Mowen had a real mixed bag - dropped a few balls, but high work rate and made a few breaks but he couldn't find support.

BTW, whoever the open field kicker was for Uni (was it Hangers?) put in some real pearlers, including one huge 22 drop in the first half. Oh, and the two bombed tries where the Uni players dropped the ball over the line were comedy gold - especially Kepu's.

PS In that 1996 grand final, was Splinters Whitaker riding the pine for Randwick?

 

[Lee Grant]

I probably would have gone to the GF had it been at the SFS but I?m glad now I didn?t go to see another Sydney Uni benefit match. A part of that is a bit of jealousy, but the more serious objection is a general lack of power shown by Uni?s opponents in recent times ? not that Uni was any great shakes in the grunt stakes yesterday either.

We don?t expect Sydney club players, many of whom are amateurs, to play at the same intensity as professionals can, but there was a fair sprinkling of S14 and international players in the game and we should have expected better. Perhaps the extreme heat of the afternoon tired the players too much for physicality, but it wasn?t much better at the start of the game.

I had a rueful chuckle when one of the commentators said on this point that the Wallabies were also too soft in the rucks last week and the Blacks beat them at counter rucking. I didn?t need him to tell me what was clear to see in that game.

I mentioned this on another thread and sure, there were other negatives such as poor tackling and bad handling for Oz that night, but a team that is physical at ruck time - counter rucking with menace to get the other team?s ball or to reduce its value, or to clean out and push raiders back on one?s own ball to get go forward pill for the backs, is a team that will see a lot of their other problems diminish.

Some of the lesser teams in the sample of ANZC matches we get on Oz TV every week don?t have players as good as what Uni and Randwick had yesterday but you?d hardly ever see a game where Kiwis don?t give their best shot at getting, spoiling or improving ball quality, unless it is clearly not appropriate at the time.

End of Oz rugby at all levels is not physical enough rant.

I?ve been watching a lot of European rugby recently and am a bit jaded so I needed to watch the GF with some point of view that interested me. NTA has covered the game better than anybody could anyway.

Because I knew that Dingo and new Tahs coach Hickey would be at the ground I watched the GF from the viewpoint of how it would have improved, or not, the chances of players for the Wallabies EOYT, or for them to get S14 contracts or starting spots.

? Halangahu is the best flyhalf in Sydney club rugby by a country mile and he played well, but he?s never stepped up in the S14. Beale will have the front running to start for the Tahs but Hangers showed in the GF that he deserves another shot to run on in a few S14 games.

? Chisholm didn?t do enough to impress Dingo, and Turinui probably harmed any small chance he had to tour. Hoiles may go by default since Cliffy is in doubt with a grade 2 medial strain, but he didn?t really shine in the GF.

? Mowen didn?t burn the house down when he came off the bench. It?s damning that he hasn?t been starting for the Slime in recent weeks and the return home of Fava after being gang poached by 3 Super franchises, probably put paid to his one year contract being renewed by the Tahs anyway. Besides, Davidson had a cracking game is a better bet if the Tahs need another 8/6 spare.

? It?s just as well Big Nasi already has a Tahs? contract because he was running at about half rat power into tackles for most of the GF, but as the commentators said: he may have been playing injured.

? Jerry Y, the Uni LHP, looked good, and better than Kepu playing for the Slime, except for bombing a try. I don?t know why he wasn?t used by Oz A when he was in the squad because the Uni scrum is good. The Tahs are well served at LHP but other squads should be looking at him.

? The player I?ve been looking at all season is Nathan Charles the Uni and Oz U20 hooker. He had a good GF too. I?ve been a big fan of Eastwood?s Daniel Fitzpatrick, the Oz Schools captain last year, but he damaged his shoulder in the last play of a game tackling Big Nasi at Coogee Oval a while back now, and is out of the picture.

I think Hickey would have liked what he saw yesterday, if he hadn?t had a favourable opinion already. Expect Charles to be picked for the Tahs 2 match tour of Fiji. There is a professional Academy spot next year up for grabs to cover as 3rd Tahs hooker, if not a rookie contract.

? Mitch Inman had a good game as one does in the midfield with front foot ball. The departure of Lachlan Mitchell for overseas has pushed the youngest Inman forward at Uni and a professional Academy spot at the Tahs may be in the offing, though Pat McCabe from the Rats could be considered first.


PS ? It?s a blast from the past to see Tim Walsh back playing Sydney club rugby. for Randwick. This bloke is a true journeyman.

He appeared in NZ playing for North Harbour in the NPC a while back, then he went to England to play for Leeds and Worcester, then he returned to Queensland in that year they had the ?flyhalf of the week? reality show, then off to England again and now he?s back in Oz playing for the Slime.

Walshie is a real triumph for mediocrity, but he's been on a few journeys.

Am slighty pissed off that I missed the hot pants.

 

[Ash]

Lee - Freier looked plenty bigger than Charles at the game (to me). But if he's under 20s as you see, he's got plenty of time to bulk up.

I remember the Wicks' scrum being completely mullered in the second half. I can't remember if it was that bad before or after they replaced their tighthead?

Oh, and the girls had some cracking singlets to go with the yellow hot pants, too.

 

[Lee Grant]

Bastard.

 

[barbarian]

The saddest thing about the club finals for mine this weekend is who won the three grades of colts today. You guessed it- Sydney Uni, Sydney Uni, and Sydney Uni.

This does not bode well for future years...

 

[Lee Grant]

No it doesn't, but you have to give them credit for their talent identification programme.

I went to the Uni v Rats game on a Saturday night about 5 weeks ago and they had Haydon (a very underrated player) playing scrummie in the 1sts. Nathan Sievert, who played in the S14 last year, was their 9 in 2nd Grade and Matthew Schwagger, who was a contemporary of Sievert at Joeys not long ago, and made Oz Schools on their EOYT despite being in the Joeys Twos, was the 3rds scrummie.

Bloody hell - yet I remember in NFJs time that Uni had to play in 2nd Division - or whatever they called it then.

 

[RugbyReg]

I had heard Pat McAbe had signed with the Brumbies

 

[barbarian]

No it doesn't, but you have to give them credit for their talent identification programme.

I think praising their 'talent identification program' is a bit much. All clubs can identify these blokes (Aus schools and the like), but only Uni can offer them a heavily discounted degree in a course that they could never hope to gain entry to.

Whereas the other clubs can only ofer a good place to play footy. At the end of the day I know which option I would choose.

 

[fatprop]

I had heard Pat McAbe had signed with the Brumbies

:lmao: THe guy has his own wiki page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_McCabe_(rugby_player)

 

[formeropenside]

I had heard Pat McAbe had signed with the Brumbies

:lmao: THe guy has his own wiki page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_McCabe_(rugby_player)

2007 U/19 World Cup
McCabe started the Under 19 World Cup in Belfast at flyhalf due to both Kurtley Beale and Quade Cooper not being selected because of Super 14 duties. Despite Ireland leading 5-0 at half time, Australia won the game 15-10 with 2 tries from winger Andrew Barrett.[10]

McCabe again started in Australia's 23-12 defeat of Fiji. In the third game he was used as a substitute replacing captain Brett Gillespie in the 68th minute in a game Australia again won 30-11. However in Australia's semi final game against South Africa coach Phil Mooney decided not to substitute McCabe on and the team lost 32-18 to exit the tournament. McCabe returned to the starting side in 3rd/4th place playoff against Wales at fullback and Australia won the game 25-21

I guess we wont see him at the Reds, based on that.

 

[Pfitzy]

We don?t expect Sydney club players, many of whom are amateurs,

On the topic: Drummoyne (who are 1st Div Subbies Champions and Kentwell Cup Premiers) have picked up some players from the Pirates - and are paying them more then the Pirates can!

 

[Lee Grant]

All clubs can identify these blokes (Aus schools and the like), but only Uni can offer them a heavily discounted degree in a course that they could never hope to gain entry to.

Whereas the other clubs can only ofer a good place to play footy.

True but every knows this and I took it as a given.

I guess I should have said that the trustees of the old boys trust that forks out the dosh for their fees don't make too many bad choices.

 

[Ash]

We don?t expect Sydney club players, many of whom are amateurs,

On the topic: Drummoyne (who are 1st Div Subbies Champions and Kentwell Cup Premiers) have picked up some players from the Pirates - and are paying them more then the Pirates can!

The Dirty Reds have been paying some of their 1st grade players well for years - so really, that's not TOO much of a surprise. I remember back in the early naughties they had some decent PI imports who were paid well, among others.

In fact, just a few months back when in a corporate box at Homebush, one of the guys looking after us was an ex-Sydney Uni colt who was on Uni's colts "talent identication program". He decided to donate more time to his degree, and quit Uni to get paid at the Dirty Reds where he didn't spend as much time in training. He actually described his main job as a rugby union player, despite playing for a 1st division team!

 

[naza]

Where on earth do they get the money from, given Souths are struggling to survive ?

 

[fatprop]

Where on earth do they get the money from, given Souths are struggling to survive ?

On Souths does anyone know why Dan Palmer was playing hooker for Souths? (In between the two Brumbies guys)

 

[RugbyReg]

Dunno. Most Jnr? McCormack most senior so he gets to dick around in the backrow.

The two Brumby'sons are Wallabies so they take priority above the young noob.

 

[PhucNgo]

They were meek and passive and tried to avoid the contact areas.

This about sums up Morgan Turinui's game. Morg's has great hands and a great eye for a gap, he'd be my first man up in a pickup game of touch football. The only time I can recall that he's shown any ticker over the past five years was when his Reds and ARU contract came up for renewal during this year's S14.

I think it is the case that he genuinely does not know how to tackle. He is smart tho. After being swatted away like a fly by Inman in the second half on Saturday Morgs didn't make the same mistake twice, so when he sees a rampaging Nathan Tryst charging down field intent on scoring a 50m solo try, Morgs can be seen jogging slowly across field, trying valiantly, but unable to reach his opponent.

Note to Phil Mooney: Pre season training regime for Morgs; tackling practice/tuition and angry pills. He could surprise, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[Rugby Rat]

Robbed I tell you.

University are dirty cheats !!

How dare they. I am lobbying my local MP (Moana Pasifika) for an extra tax on University students.

 

[Pfitzy]

Where on earth do they get the money from, given Souths are struggling to survive ?

Drummoyne are an inner-Sydney rugby club. Souths and Penriff struggle along in League territory. What does one expect when the NSWRU have an exclusion zone running?

 

[Pfitzy]

One other thing before this thread dies a lonely death: What the fuck were the Uni players celebrating? There is nothing to be said for being the best team in a lopsided comp where you have, far and away, the best resources to win a comp against a bunch of amateurs.

Next year I think we split premier rugby into two tiers - a 6 team comp with the finalists from this year, to be played over 10 weeks. The other sides join up with the top 8 from 1st Div Subbies to decide promotion and relegation into the Super 6, replacing the two bottom teams in each grade + 1 colts. Everyone else sits around and watches Uni win.