NSW Country
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rugbyconvert
Frank Row (1)
I totally agree with your comments about the Illawarra comp. We have been travelling to Sydney for the last 2 seasons. The travelling is something you get used to.
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Boof
Ward Prentice (10)
Disappointing to hear about Illawarra's comp, clearly has a few holes in it. In the Hunter we are probably pretty spoil t for competition with every age group filled every year 7s to 18s we go from 16s to 18s with no 17s all senior Premier clubs have to field a colts side as a requirement to stay in Premier rugby otherwise they are punted to 2nd division. We certainly lose a few players every year to Sydney comp or schools but Newcastle has a strong enough senior comp to keep most boys who really want to play. Most other country zones have similar problems to Ilawarra though.
thats because the academy programme has been consistent over the past few years in hunter and the Illawarra academy didn't run a squad for a couple of years including the current under 16s and only re-established a squad at the IAS this year. Illawarra is league dominated too with talented boys playing league as first preference (as the matches are more local ) or both codes(to hedge their bets) rather than just union ( the comp is just too spread out from campbell town to Bowral to Nowra). i think we may also loose more to GPS and CAS schools to board too as well as sports highs- if kids have family in sydney
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Stan Wickham (3)
The Country games against ACT in a couple of weeks will prove a good benchmark for the teams before they play City in Tamworth at the end of the month. The results against Gold Coast probably weren't a good litmus.
Boof
Ward Prentice (10)
There was some talk a few years back about Central Coast joining the Hunter comp in a couple of ages , but it never got worked out. This would be good for both zones in the 18 s, we have 7 sides in this age group,but a couple of years ago we were down to 5 so it would make sense to join up, it's not that far. A dozen or so sides would make for a strong comp.
Magilla
Frank Nicholson (4)
Would definitely be worth considering. Every time an idea is proposed nothing eventuates. Several years ago it was proposed to have a barbarians team playing in the Sydney Sunday comp, coaches, sponsorship etc was organised and it was knocked back by the powers that be. Last year two teams from the Hornsby area wanted to join our comp but knocked back also.
Hugie
Ted Fahey (11)
Boof,
The Hunter has about twice the population that the Illawarra has. So your participation rates seem to reflect that, both are strong league areas so I guess the same problems.
Do you have any rugby development programs going, I don't mean academies etc. but more programs to get kids playing rugby in the first place (expanding the base), schools events, rugby promotions, things to build the brand name? This seems to me to be entirely missing in the Illawarra.
The Hunter has about twice the population that the Illawarra has. So your participation rates seem to reflect that, both are strong league areas so I guess the same problems.
Do you have any rugby development programs going, I don't mean academies etc. but more programs to get kids playing rugby in the first place (expanding the base), schools events, rugby promotions, things to build the brand name? This seems to me to be entirely missing in the Illawarra.
Boof
Ward Prentice (10)
IF you include Woolongong, population is roughly the same. We have some outstanding ARU development boys and a very strong senior comp which filters down.
Very active ARU participation across the schools with a fantastic 7s comp and the Digby Raywod Shield for primary school age , a 7s tournament, the Coast to Country Cup, Waratah Cup gala days and Hawthorne Shield for high school. All run by the local development officers, we have 2 as the NSW Regional Development manager is based in Newcastle, you will also see the local DO at many inter school games lending a hand.
Development at a club level is not so active and is left mostly to the clubs themselves but the ARU guys will always makes themselves available to help run special training sessions and we have quite a few holiday clinics to some run by clubs and 1 by NSW rugby. Hunter Juniors themselves don't do anything really to promote the sport in schools or club but do work closely with local DOs.
The primary school 7s program is by far the most successful many, many players have been picked up by clubs form traditionally non rugby playing schools and Hunter schools have made the final held in Sydney for the last 3 years so that may help as well.
Distance is probably the biggest plus for most of our success as a regional center, we have the least distance other than the Central Coast to travel to training games etc than any other zone and therefor can offer extensive development programs and competitions. You can have rugby done and dusted by smoko for the younger ones and be back home, thats not going to happen if its 100km plus to the game. I doubt whether the Central West or Northern Inland could logistically have trained 3 days per week in prep for JGC, makes you think what could some of those boys could achieve if they had the resources at hand the city based players do.
We certainly have growth issue's also, our club comp really should be double the size with 2 divisions to match it with league and we have AFL on the rise in the Hunter.
Development has to start in the primary schools, its your captive audience.
Very active ARU participation across the schools with a fantastic 7s comp and the Digby Raywod Shield for primary school age , a 7s tournament, the Coast to Country Cup, Waratah Cup gala days and Hawthorne Shield for high school. All run by the local development officers, we have 2 as the NSW Regional Development manager is based in Newcastle, you will also see the local DO at many inter school games lending a hand.
Development at a club level is not so active and is left mostly to the clubs themselves but the ARU guys will always makes themselves available to help run special training sessions and we have quite a few holiday clinics to some run by clubs and 1 by NSW rugby. Hunter Juniors themselves don't do anything really to promote the sport in schools or club but do work closely with local DOs.
The primary school 7s program is by far the most successful many, many players have been picked up by clubs form traditionally non rugby playing schools and Hunter schools have made the final held in Sydney for the last 3 years so that may help as well.
Distance is probably the biggest plus for most of our success as a regional center, we have the least distance other than the Central Coast to travel to training games etc than any other zone and therefor can offer extensive development programs and competitions. You can have rugby done and dusted by smoko for the younger ones and be back home, thats not going to happen if its 100km plus to the game. I doubt whether the Central West or Northern Inland could logistically have trained 3 days per week in prep for JGC, makes you think what could some of those boys could achieve if they had the resources at hand the city based players do.
We certainly have growth issue's also, our club comp really should be double the size with 2 divisions to match it with league and we have AFL on the rise in the Hunter.
Development has to start in the primary schools, its your captive audience.
Team Manager
Bob McCowan (2)
U18's - NSW Country JRU v Sydney JRU
12 noon, this Sunday, 13th July, at Passmore Oval, Wickham.
If anyone has starting team lists please share them, and if anyone is going to be there on Sunday please give us a report. I would love to be there to see what talent there is in this pathway but have to work.
And, can anyone explain why they are playing on Passmore instead of the Rugby Union Fields?
Good luck to the Country lads.
12 noon, this Sunday, 13th July, at Passmore Oval, Wickham.
If anyone has starting team lists please share them, and if anyone is going to be there on Sunday please give us a report. I would love to be there to see what talent there is in this pathway but have to work.
And, can anyone explain why they are playing on Passmore instead of the Rugby Union Fields?
Good luck to the Country lads.
Hugie
Ted Fahey (11)
Boof,
This sounds like a very good approach. It seems to me the approach that should be adopted. The Public schools and Catholic system schools aren't interested in developing rugby so they should be seen as resources for D.Os to attract kids into rugby clubs. The club system should then take over from there. We sometime get a bit carried away with "pathways" when what we really need to be doing is just get more kids playing rugby, build the base of players and spectators in the Country.
I'll be at the game on Sunday and provide a match report, however it will have to be seen in light of my obvious biase
This sounds like a very good approach. It seems to me the approach that should be adopted. The Public schools and Catholic system schools aren't interested in developing rugby so they should be seen as resources for D.Os to attract kids into rugby clubs. The club system should then take over from there. We sometime get a bit carried away with "pathways" when what we really need to be doing is just get more kids playing rugby, build the base of players and spectators in the Country.
I'll be at the game on Sunday and provide a match report, however it will have to be seen in light of my obvious biase
Boof
Ward Prentice (10)
" We sometime get a bit carried away with "pathways" when what we really need to be doing is just get more kids playing rugby, build the base of players and spectators in the Country."
Well said Hugie, couldn't agree more.
" I'll be at the game on Sunday and provide a match report, however it will have to be seen in light of my obvious biased. "
Look forward to it mate including the biase after all this is the country thread, we are entitled to be biased here.
Well said Hugie, couldn't agree more.
" I'll be at the game on Sunday and provide a match report, however it will have to be seen in light of my obvious biased. "
Look forward to it mate including the biase after all this is the country thread, we are entitled to be biased here.
?
Hugie
Ted Fahey (11)
Game got off to a start at noon in cold windy conditions. Both teams playing a scrappy game turnover the ball often, neither able to string much together to set a pattern. The play went end to end though and at this was entertaining in itself.
Usually in Sydney vs Country games I find the country boys are more physical up front and the Sydney back slicker and quicker, but this pattern didn't develop in this game. Neither side developed any dominance in any aspect of the game. I think the weather played a role. The lineouts for both sides were a mess.
Towards the end of the first half Sydney scored the first points with a penalty. and they went to oranges 3-0.
Second half started the same way when Country ground forward and Zac Jarvis found a way through and scored near the posts, converted. Country 7-3. Sydney had a couple of attacks of the Country line before scoring and converting, a big barge over try near the posts. Sydney 10-7. After the kick off Sydney went back on the attack and after a couple more attempts scored another barge over try out wide, unconverted. Sydney 15-7.
Country then ground forward to the Sydney line and the no 11 scooted through the forward (what was he doing in the forwards?) and scored under the posts, converted. Sydney 15 Country 14. 5 minutes to go.
Country then started to take more risks, however the time ran out.
Sydney 15 Country 14.
Players of note:
Ted Pye always good in traffic at getting the ball away, a bit off his game I thought with a couple of passes falling short. Still a very good player.
The Sydney number 8 hard to stop and did a lot of damage to the Country defence with some big hit ups. Sydney fullback did a good job if Sydney had been able to string a bit more together he would have had a bigger impact.
Usually in Sydney vs Country games I find the country boys are more physical up front and the Sydney back slicker and quicker, but this pattern didn't develop in this game. Neither side developed any dominance in any aspect of the game. I think the weather played a role. The lineouts for both sides were a mess.
Towards the end of the first half Sydney scored the first points with a penalty. and they went to oranges 3-0.
Second half started the same way when Country ground forward and Zac Jarvis found a way through and scored near the posts, converted. Country 7-3. Sydney had a couple of attacks of the Country line before scoring and converting, a big barge over try near the posts. Sydney 10-7. After the kick off Sydney went back on the attack and after a couple more attempts scored another barge over try out wide, unconverted. Sydney 15-7.
Country then ground forward to the Sydney line and the no 11 scooted through the forward (what was he doing in the forwards?) and scored under the posts, converted. Sydney 15 Country 14. 5 minutes to go.
Country then started to take more risks, however the time ran out.
Sydney 15 Country 14.
Players of note:
Ted Pye always good in traffic at getting the ball away, a bit off his game I thought with a couple of passes falling short. Still a very good player.
The Sydney number 8 hard to stop and did a lot of damage to the Country defence with some big hit ups. Sydney fullback did a good job if Sydney had been able to string a bit more together he would have had a bigger impact.
S'UP
Bill Watson (15)
Agree Hugie, it was a scrappy affair. The effort from all the boys was good and it was clear they hadn't palyed together much. The coaches from both sides did a good job ensuring all the boys got some quality game time. As a Sydney parent I would like to thank the country team and management for their hospitality and keeping with the traditions of rugby by presenting a best player award to the opposing team and giving the coaches and captain from sydney a country tie. My son was very complimentary of the country players and said they were all really good guys. Well done country. It was a shame to see the sydney coaches standing there empty handed at the speaches.
sideline server
Stan Wickham (3)
Just heard the that the Country 14's are playing the curtain raiser against ACT before the Brumbies/Chiefs Semi in Canberra on Saturday. The u15, 16 & 17s play their games against ACT on the Sunday at Griffith Oval.
Boof
Ward Prentice (10)
Fantastic opportunity for the 14s, have fun boys. Would be great to get a game report here from every age group.
sideline server
Stan Wickham (3)
Can report that Country 14s beat ACT 14s by 17 - 0 in the curtain raiser to the Brumbies/Chiefs. The Country 14s have some big boppers in the forwards who were hard to handle and some hard tackling backs (including one who was carded late in the game for a lifting tackle late in the game). The next day at Griffith Oval I think the Country 15s beat a Canberra Club Side (not sure who) by one try. In the 16s I also heard two conflicting scores - Country beat ACT by 4 tries to 2, or it was a 17-17 draw.
Saw the Country 17s take on an U18s team from Canberra Wests and Country won by 5 tries to 0. Was a fairly dominant display by Country 17s against an older, but somewhat thrown together side from Wests. The Country 17s should be renamed "Ranga 17s" as there must be 6/7 red heads in the team - good to see! Was also good to see the presentations after this game and Wests being thanked for giving the Country boys a game ahead of next weekends big clash with Sydney up in Tamworth.
Saw the Country 17s take on an U18s team from Canberra Wests and Country won by 5 tries to 0. Was a fairly dominant display by Country 17s against an older, but somewhat thrown together side from Wests. The Country 17s should be renamed "Ranga 17s" as there must be 6/7 red heads in the team - good to see! Was also good to see the presentations after this game and Wests being thanked for giving the Country boys a game ahead of next weekends big clash with Sydney up in Tamworth.
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