Day 1 – Australian Schools National Championships

Queensland I 43 – Combined States 0

The second game of the day was between Queensland I and a Combined States team (essentially a “Barbarians” type team chosen from the best players not used by other seven teams).

The Combined side got off to a bad start, being over five minutes late to the game from their warm-up session on the back field.

They had looked evenly matched until then but when the game started you wondered what they had been doing in their warm-up.

First half

Within four minutes the Queenslanders had notched up the first of their four penalty goals of the day; fair enough too: they were practising their goal kicking. But once after  they kicked to the corner, the ball went wide; and when it came back winger Kris Verivis scored the first try for Qld, who led 8-0.

It was too easy when 7 Angus Allen went over soon afterwards and the extras were added; Queensland I were ahead 15-0 with about three-quarters of the game to go. Interestingly, the ground announcer 100 metres plus distant gave both tries to LHP Harry Hoppert. Onya Harry but my camera said otherwise.

Qld I was starting to play in it’s structure now and this had been missing. They slotted a second penalty goal, and after using hands found Combined short again on their right from a scrum set-peice, and Verivis went over for his second.

This seemed to be an ordinary CS side but they most often take one game to get going. In the meantime Queensland weren’t producing brilliancies but they were building into their work nicely. This would have please their coaches.

Half-time score – Queensland 1 23 – Combined 0

Second half

Qld took two range-finder penalty goals in the second half but when Combined had a 5-metre scrum near their own goal-line, Qld earned a tight head scrum. Allen was in for his second to make the score 36-0 to Qld 17 minutes into the second half.

In the last try of the game the ground announcer was hot for reserve back 22 Tyler Campbell but I’d reckon that a bit of the DNA of 10 Hamish Stewart would have been found on the ball.

Final score: Queensland I 43 – Combined States 0.

The wrap up

Combined States could be hardly be said to be disappointing because it nearly always takes them longer to hit their straps than it does for the other seven teams.

Queensland I are younger that their NSW counterparts, and played younger, and are not as robust; but they are on track, thank you very much.  They will show their credentials better against a gritty ACT side, come Wednesday.

Be there.

The players

Combined States – It’s difficult to mention any player of note but one has to give credit to the backline defence, and in that the midfield of Richard Munchow and 12 Joe Williams has to take a bow because the Qld I backs hardly made an incursion except wide out when CS ran out of numbers on the fringe.

Queensland – I liked the looks of 3 Gavin Luka, livewire 6 Kalala Meni and the other backrowers 7. Angus Allen and 8. Reece Hewat, who is a bit like Adam Korczyk.  In the backs the pick for me was 15. Jayden Ngamanu.

Queensland II 30 – Western Australia 13

This was an even game in the first half-hour.

First half

WA had opened the scoring with a penalty goal and a converted try scored by 13 Kade Pearce, set up by a flashing run from reserve winger Tamba Lebbe.

Qld II replied with two tries of their own and took the lead to 12-10 just before the break with the conversion. But the northerners were not done and they executed an impressive ensemble try scored by Ashton Watson, but set up by some precise rugby upfield.

A second penalty goal by the admirable WA flyhalf Nicolas Jooste made the score Qld II 20 – WA 13 at half-time.

Second half

WA seemed to fade after oranges and a soft Queensland pick and go try to LHP Braden Schiller seven minutes after the break was not a good look.

But instead of a welter of tries WA steadied under Jooste and there was only one more to blot the scoresheet when Watson scored his second.

The Players

Flyhalf Nick Jooste continued where he left off from last year. An old-fahioned game manager type of 10, who is however, not shy to take a run, Jooste calms his team down. It may seem faint praise, but he was the second-best flyhalf of the day.

Big bopper reserve back Kitione Nairube also took my eye as a powerful runner who was also strong over the ball at the tackle.

For Qld II  I liked 8 Sam Wallis and 15 Geoffrey Robertson.

NSW II  27 – ACT 19

The fourth game of the day was the best one.

NSW had a 19-0 lead after ten minutes but nobody told the ACT lads that they couldn’t win because they just kept coming and coming.

First half

LHP Cody Walker, 12 Koheleti Vaitaiki and 10 Jayden Wright all went over the chalk before the ACT started playing, and when they did start, they went from side to side and back again.

By way of a change someone kicked the ball through and after it bounced it hit 14 Josh Wells right in the hands and he scored. After the extras 19-7 looked a lot better.

But NSW fullback Jack Prindiville spoiled the comeback party with a run up the middle, and a try, for a scoreline of 24-7 for NSW.

It was at this point that everybody realised that the NSW scrumhalf Theo Strang was seriously injured—and he had to be escorted off the field. It looks like his tournament is over and it could be worse than that. Let’s hope, not.

Half-time score: NSW II 24 – ACT 7.

Second half

Straight after the restart for the second half, going side to side worked for ACT. NSW defenders were pulled one way and couldn’t make it back to the other when 22 Jake Abel strolled over the chalk in the corner.

Too easy; there was no conversion but at 24-12 the ACT has lots of time. NSW steadied even though the ACT had all the play. NSW took a penalty goal to take the score out to 27-12.

When the ACT scored again through 11 Caleb Malisauskas—conversion, over—the score was 27-19 and there were still 13 minutes left to score nine points for the ACT to win. Lot’s of time.

But the ACT lost the vibe and NSW held on. It was a nail-biter.

Final score: NSW II 27 – ACT 19.

The wrap up

The ACT will rue their slow start and a 0-19 scoreline against them in the first ten minutes.

The players

ACT – It was a team effort. After the bad start you could scarcely say that one player was better than another on the comeback and that was the key to it – team play.

NSW – in such a game the backrow of the winning team is nearly always the key,

6. Dylan Pietsch, 7 James Donato and 8. Harry McLennan complemented each other brilliantly and McLennan snuffed out promising movements several times with his show-stopper tackling.

All photos by Lee Grant