The best XV of players from any school

[Sandpit Fan]

This got me wondering how many Wallabies came from Toowoomba Grammar which was where I went to school (10 apparently, Jason Little being the only one of note - I went through in the same year as his elder brother).

Found a pretty useful site (although a bit out of date), that has some information about this for most schools. Bit incomplete (that's Gregory Terrace for you...), but an interesting read anyhow.

http://www.braveandgame.com.au/Lists.aspx?List=The Nurseries of Australian Rugby Wallabies

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Speaking of Toowoomba, Downlands College has a fairly proud record does it not? A mate of mine played there at the same time as Horan, Brett Robinson, Brett Johnstone and Garrick Morgan.

 

[I like to watch]

Wallaby reps per school:Sydney Grammar - Grammar - 31, 3rd most in the country

Schoolboy reps per school:Sydney Grammar - Grammar - 7, 34th most in the country

That tells a story doesn't it. Who says there are no politics in Schoolboy rugby!

 

[Brumbies Guy]

Wallaby reps per school:Sydney Grammar - Grammar - 31, 3rd most in the country

Schoolboy reps per school:Sydney Grammar - Grammar - 7, 34th most in the country

That tells a story doesn't it. Who says there are no politics in Schoolboy rugby!

When were Aust Schoolboys formed? A lot of the older schools would have a large contingent of Wallabys prior to this.

 

[RugbyFuture]

I only know of three from St Aloysius (and one of them went to Joeys later)

Herbert Moran
Pat McCabe
Kieth Gleeson

though I've heard Bernard Foley is in the Aus 7's team

and according to wikipedia some other guy called James Allen

other than that the closest thing we have is Joe Hockey...

 

[Bowside]

T.S.S.
Give me time to get the years together, (dates are open for amendment by persons more knowledgeable than I)

1: James Slipper (2005-2007)
2: Tom Lawton (early 1990's)
3: Richard Nyholt (early 1990's)
4: Rob Simmons (? - 2007)
5: Nathan Sharpe (about 2001 - grade 5 - 12)
6: Scott Higginbottom (didn’t play 1st VX) (? - 2007)
7:
8: Ole Avei (2001)
9: Luke Evans (1999 - 2006)
10: Jonno Lance (2001 - 2007)
11: Peter Jackson
12: Nathan Grey (early 1990's)
13: Wally Fullerton-Smith
14: Luke Moraghan (1999 - 2007)
15: Matt Rodgers (about 1991 ish)

Not in position order
16: Caleb Brown (2000 - 2004)
17: Vitori Buatava (2000-2001)
18:
19: Lloyd Johansson
20: Ben Tapuai (2004 - 2007)
21:

According to the TSS program this year:

1: Rob Lawnton
2: Tom Lawton (early 1990's)
3: Stephen Philpotts
4: Rob Simmons (? - 2007)
5: Nathan Sharpe (about 2001 - grade 5 - 12)
6: Scott Higginbottom (didn’t play 1st VX) (? - 2007)
7: John Collins
8: James Blundell
9: Mark Catchpole
10: Mat Rogers
11: Luke Morahan
12: Lloyd Johansson
13: Nathan Grey
14: Barry Lea
15: Simon Morahan

Not in position order
16: Ole Avei (2001)
17: Adam Scot (the golfer?)
18: Rod Young
19: Caleb Brown (2000 - 2004)
20: Eddie Broad
21: Fraser Perrin

Players you had who missed out:
James Slipper (2005-2007), Richard Nyholt (early 1990's), Ben Tapuai (2004 - 2007), Luke Evans (1999 - 2006), Jonno Lance (2001 - 2007), Peter Jackson, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Vitori Buatava (2000-2001)

I dont know enough about TSS rugby to know if this team is correct, but it is what they printed in the program.

 

[dobduff11]

Suprised Taps and Slipper didn't get in.

Simon Morahan three year rep gets in at 15, pretty big accolade for him to be in the all time TSS team

 

[Lee Grant]

When were Aust Schoolboys formed? A lot of the older schools would have a large contingent of Wallabys prior to this.

You have missed the point of that "Nurseries ... " link. That tabulates the total number of boys who became Wallabies, from each school, going back to the year dot - 1899.

There are over 500 players whose school is not mentioned. Since all schools having 2 or more Wallabies from their school have been listed it follows that all the other schools had only 1 Wallaby or the schools of some Wallabies are not known. For the unkown ones: it is unlikely that a certain school would have very many to skew the figures. It is also unlikely that there are many private schools in the "unknown" category.

St. Eddies have had an increase of 40% from the ""Nurseries" list which went up only to April 2009 - the Fainga'a twins have to be added.


PS - Don't confuse that list with the "International Appearances" list which is updated annually by Australian Schools Rugby and starts in 1973 when the ASRU was formed. It tabulates schoolboy caps not Wallaby caps and has nothing to do with this thread.

Not to the point of the thread either, but it's a pity that the schools of the boys in the 1969 Schools Tour to the RSA are not included as it had 7 from Epping High School in it. I don't know what the selection procedure for that tour was, except that boys from only NSW and Qld were included and they had to be under 17 for some reason. To my knowledge, that is the only Oz Schools team that was assembled before 1973.

 

[Langthorne]

I did, but I don't agree that Devine was a better senior player; which is neither here nor there. Had a better pass though.

Interesting how things change:

Devine was an (amazingly small) electric broken play runner, playing at 15 for the 1st XV

Burgess did not play in the 1st XV (I don't think)

 

[Rothschild]

According to the TSS program this year:

1: Rob Lawnton
2: Tom Lawton (early 1990's)
3: Stephen Philpotts
4: Rob Simmons (? - 2007)
5: Nathan Sharpe (about 2001 - grade 5 - 12)
6: Scott Higginbottom (didn’t play 1st VX) (? - 2007)
7: John Collins
8: James Blundell
9: Mark Catchpole
10: Mat Rogers
11: Luke Morahan
12: Lloyd Johansson
13: Nathan Grey
14: Barry Lea
15: Simon Morahan

Not in position order
16: Ole Avei (2001)
17: Adam Scot (the golfer?)
18: Rod Young
19: Caleb Brown (2000 - 2004)
20: Eddie Broad
21: Fraser Perrin

Players you had who missed out:
James Slipper (2005-2007), Richard Nyholt (early 1990's), Ben Tapuai (2004 - 2007), Luke Evans (1999 - 2006), Jonno Lance (2001 - 2007), Peter Jackson, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Vitori Buatava (2000-2001)

I dont know enough about TSS rugby to know if this team is correct, but it is what they printed in the program.

I would have Slipper in front of Lawnton or Philpots anyday (he can play either side of the scrum) also Ole Avai has had limited Reds appearances whereas Blundell just kept on singing for his supper and never continued his rugby. Richard Nyhold also had a good test career playing for Fiji, as we know both Jackson and Fullerton-Smith had test careers in mungoball, so their exclusion is somewhat of a mystery.

Also, I never saw him play and he never played after school, but those that did see him say that Greg Rix eas one of the best flyhalves ever to play at TSS - can't see it myself but that's what they say. he did go on to be a very handy squash player though.

 

[RugbyReg]

that team, though, looks to be more about how they played at school right?

hmmm, except for the selection of Higgers it would seem.

 

[dobduff11]

I know of Burgess and Higgers but are there any others that didn't play 1st team footy but became pros?

 

[RugbyReg]

Kearns and NFJ (despite NFJ not playing pro footy)

 

[Langthorne]

I know of Burgess and Higgers but are there any others that didn't play 1st team footy but became pros?

A couple spring to mind: Kearns, Farr-Jones, Bill Young (I believe)

BTW - I'm hoping to post something on the blog soon (an interview with a successful coach) which touches on the schoolboy to pro progression

 

[dobduff11]

Looks like Joeys and Newington had 1st teams that were too good for them to get into.

Remember watching an interview with Luke Burgess and it sounded like he was still devastated that he never got to play for the first team

Langthorne sounds good will look forward to that

 

[Langthorne]

The interview covers that too - some schoolboy stars peak early, some chose not to pursue a career, some guys peak late...and much much more...

 

[Bruce Ross]

I know of Burgess and Higgers but are there any others that didn't play 1st team footy but became pros?

Dobber, what about John Langford who went to Knox but never played a game of rugby there, instead focussing on golf and cross-country running? His first ever game of rugby came at Sydney University's Wesley College when the legendary Wesley rugby coach Maurie 'Patrick' Cunningham persuaded a still drunk Langford to get out of bed to make up the numbers for a lower grade Uni Colts match. Thus began the path that led to the Brumbies' foundation team, the Wallabies, Munster and back to still playing fourths for Uni at the age of 42.

Few people know less about private school rugby - or private schools in general - than I do, but I note that other Wallaby OKGs (Old Knox Graduates presumably) include Adrian Turnbull, John 'Sparrow' Dowse and Peter Fitzsimons.

 

[Bruce Ross]

Remember watching an interview with Luke Burgess and it sounded like he was still devastated that he never got to play for the first team

Dobber, interviews with Burgo always have something of a surreal quality. He would never have been in danger of playing Firsts at Joeys considering that when he got to Sydney Uni he started playing in Fourth Colts.

 

[dobduff11]

Quite a path to the Wallabies for John Langford then haha

probably the second quickest path to Wallaby status after never having played the game

First is JOC (James O'Connor) started playing union in 2006 wallaby by 2008.

 

[Brumbies Guy]

Quite a path to the Wallabies for John Langford then haha

probably the second quickest path to Wallaby status after never having played the game

First is JOC (James O'Connor) started playing union in 2006 wallaby by 2008.

Surely one of the leaugies made Wallabies in their first year?