GPS Blues 34 – CAS 2nd XV 17
by “Lee Grant”
In the first match of the day GPS Blues played the GPS Whites.
The teams were ostensibly the third and fourth XVs of their school association, but they performed well given the conditions they had to play under, and displayed the depth of talent that the GPS has.
First half
It took them a while to get going though; there were many younger players in the match and often a too-long pass of a wet ball did not find its target and sometimes ball runners got the pill too close to defenders and spilled it on contact.
The more-fancied Blue team was trapped in their half at the start of the game but they had some good ball runners in winger Yirrbi Jaffer-Williams, fullback Rhys Millar, 13 Will Terry and 12 Matthew Orpen, and they helped each other to make breaks for long runs.
Sometimes they looked like they were hogging the ball but minimising passing was a fair method of advancing up the field in wet conditions.
The Blues earned two unconverted tries like that to lead 10-0 but when the Whites got possession near the Blues’ 22, flyhalf Ollie Cowley sliced through, drew the tackler and dished out to 6 Will Anderson to score.
Half-time: GPS Blues 10 – GPS White 7.
Second half
The Blues scored two quick tries after the break: one in the midst of a pile of bodies and another to Jaffer-Williams, his second, and suddenly the Blues were clear at 24-7.
But after some of their best interplay of the match reserve Lachlan Patrick scored for the Whites to bring the score to 24-12 to the Blues.
There were still 20 minutes left in the match for the Whites to get the win but 8 Dom McGrath of the Blues spoiled the party: firstly with an astonishing individual effort after a diagonal run, for five points, and next by setting up lock Tom Leaver for his try.
Final score: GPS Blues 34 – GPS Whites 12.
The players
The Blues had the best players, especially the four backs mentioned earlier: Jaffer-Williams, Millar, Terry and M. Orpen, with no. 8 McGrath having a telling end to the match. There could be a NSW smokey in that lot.
Flyhalf Ollie Cowley managed the game well for the Whites but his opponents got better ball to use than he did.
All photos by Lee Grant
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