The Guru
Fred Wood (13)
Arnt NSW now a year older with the new system in Qld for next year already started in NSW?
QLD GPS Rugby 2013
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Actually there is 4 Aic and 2 GPS
Aic - junior, Wilkin, henely, Moses
GPS - third, mafi
Also the starting 15 won't be announced until a few days before each test match.
James Lewis
Bob McCowan (2)
I don't think it is any coincidence that Queensland Schoolboys run of six national titles have been followed by two poor performances has come at the same time that Qld's GPS season has been moved to Term 3.
Expecting QLD players to perform at the level required that a National Championships having not played a genuine competition fixture is unrealistic. Trial matches just don't have the same intensity.
This of course also gives the AIC boys a distinct advantage and I am not surprised to see more AIC players were selected as a result.
Only the GPS Headmasters can change this. There attempt to contain the season to one term has clearly failed, with most GPS teams now training and playing over 3 terms.
Digby
Ward Prentice (10)
James.You are correct & and a former Australian Schoolboy selector who I spoke to today also agrees with you.
Digby
Ward Prentice (10)
BBC played Harrow school of UK today at Toowong.
Match report as follows:
1) Harrow is over 400 years old and has a strong rugby pedigree with several of its past students playing in the World Cup winning England under 20 team this year(also 6 nations under 20 champs).Of course they are also a year older with most of the boys 18 this year.
2) BBC fielded it's number 1 team except Conrad Quick(Qld 2-injured again!!!),Gunter (number 6- NSW country league -injured)and GPS 100 champ Noel Mclean (dropped to 2nds -disciplinary?).Mclean ran riot in 2nds and scored 4 tries.
3) new recruit from NZ- Wilkins played at outside centre to replace Quick and not at fullback. He did not really get in the match and if Quick remains injured(like last year)they have a problem at 13. ;
4) when I left 10 mins in 2nd half BBC lead 29-12(22-5 at halftime);
5)surprisingly, it was the BBC forwards that dominated with Ben- Roy S and especially Bronson T unstoppable and the BBC scrum a dominant force;
6) The star BBC backline trio of Bowen/Russell/Wilkins tried to be to fancy and dropped a lot of ball.Bowen did not do much either.
Player of the match BBC captain & 2013 combined states player -Bronson Takipolou.
Match report as follows:
1) Harrow is over 400 years old and has a strong rugby pedigree with several of its past students playing in the World Cup winning England under 20 team this year(also 6 nations under 20 champs).Of course they are also a year older with most of the boys 18 this year.
2) BBC fielded it's number 1 team except Conrad Quick(Qld 2-injured again!!!),Gunter (number 6- NSW country league -injured)and GPS 100 champ Noel Mclean (dropped to 2nds -disciplinary?).Mclean ran riot in 2nds and scored 4 tries.
3) new recruit from NZ- Wilkins played at outside centre to replace Quick and not at fullback. He did not really get in the match and if Quick remains injured(like last year)they have a problem at 13. ;
4) when I left 10 mins in 2nd half BBC lead 29-12(22-5 at halftime);
5)surprisingly, it was the BBC forwards that dominated with Ben- Roy S and especially Bronson T unstoppable and the BBC scrum a dominant force;
6) The star BBC backline trio of Bowen/Russell/Wilkins tried to be to fancy and dropped a lot of ball.Bowen did not do much either.
Player of the match BBC captain & 2013 combined states player -Bronson Takipolou.
Digby . While I was not at the match , I have spoken to some knowledgeable people who were there.Might your summary be a bit harsh on BBC given:
1) the win was not expected due to the ages of the Harrow boys - the majority were18 or turning 18 this year;
2)BBC is an extremely young side with 2 boys in grade 10 and 8 in grade 11.
This year in GPS is a year or 2 early for BBC to finish anywhere other than mid table if they have no injuries. Different story if Junior was still there and Bronson could then play hooker.
Next year the boys at Toowong could have a decent year though.
ippylad93
Bill Watson (15)
NC to be without boarders most likely wont stop the boys in blue and white. NC by 15+
BBC v BGS however would be a close one both teams in contention for a 3rd spot on the table
Dark Shark
Alex Ross (28)
Many of the GPS A/B teams from ACGS, TGS, GT and TSS playing in a rugby tournament from 13's up to Opens on the Gold Coast this week at the TSS grounds.
ippylad93
Bill Watson (15)
Competition finishes Friday I believe
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
I think this is part of the picture.
NSW schools teams in the past had played only a couple of games before they went into the Oz Champs whereas the Qld lads were about halfway through their season - or maybe more than that. (I'm talking about GPS where most of the NSW Is players came from).
Typically the NSW lads started to hit their straps in the tournament after playing a couple of games and went like gangbusters on the final day but very often they had already lost a match and didn't contest the final.
This year they also had only two competition games (GPS again) but from reading the quote above that is two more than the Qld lads got (is that also only GPS or did all school comps start late?).
I think it does make a difference and more so for Qld Schools whose boys are younger on the average.
.
Dark Shark
Alex Ross (28)
Lee, the GPS teams have only had trial games to date - season proper commences Saturday week.
The AIC schools had just completed their full season before the QLD Trials and have provided more players to the Aust Schools than the GPS schools this year.
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
That's interesting and reading above just now I note, in hindsight, that someone said that the GPS lads up there were at a disadvantage.
It didn't affect the GPS in Sydney that much compared to CAS, the next strongest association historically, yet CAS had 6-7 rounds under their belt at trial time compared to only two for GPS.
Yet GPS got 11 players to 2 in the Oz Schools Ones.
.
It didn't affect the GPS in Sydney that much compared to CAS, the next strongest association historically, yet CAS had 6-7 rounds under their belt at trial time compared to only two for GPS.
Yet GPS got 11 players to 2 in the Oz Schools Ones.
.
Taipan168
Dave Cowper (27)
Change of venue for BGS trial game.
It will be at Northgate and include IGS.
Games start at 12pm
ippylad93
Bill Watson (15)
GT 10. Terrible game. GT missing Leofa, Grace, Larosa, Laxon. I'd imagine NC were missing some too.
Vegas
Chris McKivat (8)
Completely agree James - the pre-season injury risk to the GPS boys is unacceptable. Similarly, now with the GPS junior schools joining the GPS comp from CIC, it makes it all the stronger argument to consolidate rugby as a term 2 sport. And while the headmasters are at it, a bit more navel gazing would see a good decision being changing the playing groups back to year levels rather than age levels, so that boys can play with their mates. With the new cohort of kids coming through with a June 30 year entry cut-off, they may as well make the change now before the playing groups are all over the place like a mad woman's breakfast !!
Monday's Expert
Chris McKivat (8)
Vegas - spot on here. I have to say how the QRFSU teams go at the Nationals is probably not something the GPS Heads worry too much about. An irrefutable fact is that in the GPS schools, rugby is the biggest participation sport. With Term 3 rugby, the most important exams for senior boys plus the QCS test falls in the last third of the season, making things quite difficult for boys focused on their studies. Meanwhile soccer gets term 2 billing which is a farce because the A level soccer teams owe allegiance to their clubs before their schools as their rep pathway is club based. There may be a smattering of teams out on ovals but nothing like rugby season. I know because I have picked up sons and nephews after trainings for other sports and seen it for myself. Any boy thinking he can successfully play A level soccer and then rugby simply can't do both because the rugby season effectively begins by halfway through Term 2. By the way, I heard today that IGS is flat out forming a 16A rugby side this year. With virtually only a firsts and seconds in Open and the 16's the only other area the school can draw on, depth may be a significant issue by the second half of the season. A sorry scene at a former rugby powerhouse.
Couple of observations about the GT/NC match yesterday. Terrace had a number of injuries that disrupted patterns by the look of them. I understand NC also were down a number.
Quite tight for the first half with both teams well matched. Around 17-3 at half
Nudgee started slowly but ultimately were far stronger. Lost #12 with a nasty looking ankle injury, unsure who it was. Ultimately they scored a number of tries in the second half from hard fast straight running mostly down the left wing. The pack were good but not dominant.
The Fowler/Horan combination were better than i had seem for a while particularly Fowlers service was a meter or two quicker than last year.
Jenkins scored two well taken tries on the left wing, walters filling in for Larosa had a great game and on a couple of occasions the Terrace pack dominated in the scrum, which was surprising. Terrace will win a few this year and I suspect Nudgee may lose a couple.
Quite tight for the first half with both teams well matched. Around 17-3 at half
Nudgee started slowly but ultimately were far stronger. Lost #12 with a nasty looking ankle injury, unsure who it was. Ultimately they scored a number of tries in the second half from hard fast straight running mostly down the left wing. The pack were good but not dominant.
The Fowler/Horan combination were better than i had seem for a while particularly Fowlers service was a meter or two quicker than last year.
Jenkins scored two well taken tries on the left wing, walters filling in for Larosa had a great game and on a couple of occasions the Terrace pack dominated in the scrum, which was surprising. Terrace will win a few this year and I suspect Nudgee may lose a couple.
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