Hugh Jarse
Rocky Elsom (76)
Usually about this time, I fire up the old hobby horse about "you know what" as NSW Schools and Sydney JRU and NSW Country JRU indulge in their annual competition to see who can select the best team to represent them from the same pool of boys.
With the recent announcement by the ARU that there will be no National Under 16 Tournament this year, this annual festival of selectorial wheeling and dealing will not take place. Consequently readers will miss out on reading some quality rants from me.
NSW JRU will still be running their Junior State Championships over the June Long Weekend, and there is already some good banter on that thread. The NSW JRU and its affiliates seem to be on a "steady as she goes" path following the cancellation of the National Under 16's and the introduction of the Junior Gold Cup Programme and Tournament. Sydney JRU will play Country JRU at some future date, after there will be tears and tantrums over the selection of Zone teams for Sydney JRU Regional tournament, the announcement of the SJRU Teams in U14 - U17's, and the NSW JRU rep teams that will take on the ACT JRU age group teams, and anyone else that can be arranged.
NSW Schools RU also seem to be also on a "steady as she goes" path judging on what is appearing on the various School association websites. The dates and format appears to be identical as it was last year (with an adjustment to realign the Days of the Week to the relevant 2014 date).
I reckon that the NSW RU will even go as far as selecting a NSW U16 Merit Team, even though there will not be any tournament for that team to participate in.
As far as I can gather the following dates are important for the Under 16 Championships and trials:
June 1: 4 way trial (CHS U16 A vs CCC U16 v CHS U16 B v AICES U16) at venue TBA [Last year Foreshaw Park, Sylvania Waters]
June 15 @ Pittwater Rugby Park
ISA U16 v CCC U16 v CHS U16 (3 way trial)
AICES U16 v Country U16 v CCC U16 (3 way trial)??
NSWSRU U16 CHAMPIONSHIPS
June 21/22 @ Knox Grammar Saturday/Sunday
Participants:
GPS A will masquarade as Presidents XV A
GPS B will masquarade as Presidents XV B
CAS, NSW Country Schools, ISA, AICES, CHS and CCC will round out the numbers to make 2 pools of 4.
Likely Pool Groupings (alphabetic order):
Pool A
AAGPS A, AICES, ISA and NSW Country Schools
Pool B
AAGPS B, CAS, CCC, and CHS,
2 Pool games on Saturday
Sunday games:
Final Pool game &:
Winner Pool A v Winner Pool B
Runner Up Pool A v Runner Up Pool B
etc
Team Selections
AICES have announced their team.
CAS will be having a North of the Harbour vs South of the Harbour Trial before announcing their team.
ISA have trials this week. Expect the team to be announced next week.
AAGPS will do what they damn well want to do, but typically there will be a trial on a Sunday about a
fortnight before the tournament, with the two teams announced on the day.
CHS carnival is early next week in Newcastle. Hope thay have better weather than last years water polo tournament at Coffs Harbour. They will announce two teams and whittle them down to a final team after 1 June trial games.
CCC trials are Monday week at TG Milner, with their team to be announced on Tuesday 27 May.
NSW Country Schools have announced that this year will be the final year of the NSW Country Schools
championships after 38 years. The association was established in 1977 specifically to address the lack of opportunity for regionally based players to gain access to NSW Schools representative teams.
Opportunities now exist for regional boys to put themselves in front of the selectors via AICES, ISA,
CCC and CHS representative teams. The final NSW Country Schools Champs will be held at TAS on 7/8 June, with their rep team to be announced shortly afterwards.
With the recent announcement by the ARU that there will be no National Under 16 Tournament this year, this annual festival of selectorial wheeling and dealing will not take place. Consequently readers will miss out on reading some quality rants from me.
NSW JRU will still be running their Junior State Championships over the June Long Weekend, and there is already some good banter on that thread. The NSW JRU and its affiliates seem to be on a "steady as she goes" path following the cancellation of the National Under 16's and the introduction of the Junior Gold Cup Programme and Tournament. Sydney JRU will play Country JRU at some future date, after there will be tears and tantrums over the selection of Zone teams for Sydney JRU Regional tournament, the announcement of the SJRU Teams in U14 - U17's, and the NSW JRU rep teams that will take on the ACT JRU age group teams, and anyone else that can be arranged.
NSW Schools RU also seem to be also on a "steady as she goes" path judging on what is appearing on the various School association websites. The dates and format appears to be identical as it was last year (with an adjustment to realign the Days of the Week to the relevant 2014 date).
I reckon that the NSW RU will even go as far as selecting a NSW U16 Merit Team, even though there will not be any tournament for that team to participate in.
As far as I can gather the following dates are important for the Under 16 Championships and trials:
June 1: 4 way trial (CHS U16 A vs CCC U16 v CHS U16 B v AICES U16) at venue TBA [Last year Foreshaw Park, Sylvania Waters]
June 15 @ Pittwater Rugby Park
ISA U16 v CCC U16 v CHS U16 (3 way trial)
AICES U16 v Country U16 v CCC U16 (3 way trial)??
NSWSRU U16 CHAMPIONSHIPS
June 21/22 @ Knox Grammar Saturday/Sunday
Participants:
GPS A will masquarade as Presidents XV A
GPS B will masquarade as Presidents XV B
CAS, NSW Country Schools, ISA, AICES, CHS and CCC will round out the numbers to make 2 pools of 4.
Likely Pool Groupings (alphabetic order):
Pool A
AAGPS A, AICES, ISA and NSW Country Schools
Pool B
AAGPS B, CAS, CCC, and CHS,
2 Pool games on Saturday
Sunday games:
Final Pool game &:
Winner Pool A v Winner Pool B
Runner Up Pool A v Runner Up Pool B
etc
Team Selections
AICES have announced their team.
CAS will be having a North of the Harbour vs South of the Harbour Trial before announcing their team.
ISA have trials this week. Expect the team to be announced next week.
AAGPS will do what they damn well want to do, but typically there will be a trial on a Sunday about a
fortnight before the tournament, with the two teams announced on the day.
CHS carnival is early next week in Newcastle. Hope thay have better weather than last years water polo tournament at Coffs Harbour. They will announce two teams and whittle them down to a final team after 1 June trial games.
CCC trials are Monday week at TG Milner, with their team to be announced on Tuesday 27 May.
NSW Country Schools have announced that this year will be the final year of the NSW Country Schools
championships after 38 years. The association was established in 1977 specifically to address the lack of opportunity for regionally based players to gain access to NSW Schools representative teams.
Opportunities now exist for regional boys to put themselves in front of the selectors via AICES, ISA,
CCC and CHS representative teams. The final NSW Country Schools Champs will be held at TAS on 7/8 June, with their rep team to be announced shortly afterwards.
