The word before the game was that Knox was under-strength, without captain (and Combined States hooker) Sam Kitchen, NSW Seconds centre Liam Creeley and flanker Andrew Seton. The pack was reshuffled, with Angus Bownes coming in as hooker and Brett Van Zyl coming up from the 16As. No8 Oliver Nutbeen stepped up as captain.
But actually it was Trinity that had the really serious injury problems. From the regular side, prop Junior Satiu (NSW 2nd XV), second rower Malaki Tiumalu-Afele and No8 Ola Moala (both CAS 2nds) were all missing. Why, I don’t know (like I said, this isn’t where you come for the inside word). My assumption is that all three were injured.
Add to that the ansence of powerhouse hooker Vinnie Morsello (out for the season), flanker George Corias (ill or injured, I guess) and lock Daryen Hazell (who never even made it on to the field this year) and Trinity had only two of the players who they would have expected to be in their pack when the season started. When your game plan depends on big ball-carriers punching holes in the defence, you need to get the big men on the field. Things were so bleak that Rowland Kotobalavu, listed in the program to play wing in the seconds, started at No7.
The game had an unpromising start, with Knox fumbling the kick-off. But Knox had the better of the possession in the early stages and a few penalties went their way, mostly for infringements at the breakdown. The goal-kicking prop, Oliver Knight, knocked a couple over for a 6-0 lead. That became 13-0 after a blockbusting run by outside-centre, Michael Spain, took play within a few metres of the line, and a couple of phases later Nutbeen went over on the short side. Trinity’s one moment of attacking promise came when one of the Knox backs had the bright idea of sending a clearing kick straight to Henry Clunies-Ross, who shredded the defence but couldn’t link up with any support.
Knox did much better than Trinity at the breakdown, turning the ball over now and then and repeatedly forcing penalties. They were simply more enthusiastic and committed. and bustled Trinity out of the game. when a Trinity back (often Jamieson Clark) took on the defence, he was usually isolated and turned over or penalised for not releasing. Being first to the breakdown is everything in the modern game, and Trinity struggled in this aspect of the game. Knox was much better at putting phases together, and after one sequence, fly-half Sean Handlin found himself ten metres out with a two man overlap and cut inside to score himself. 18-0, which became 21-0 before half-time through another penalty from Knight.
To say that Trinity’s lineout has been bad this year would be like saying that the Titanic got scratched by an iceberg, but really it plumbed new depths on Saturday. It was windy, in fairness, which didn’t help. But, truly, there was one long throw over the top that went straight to the Trinity back line. After that either the hooker or thrower was paralysed by indecision and at the next lineout there was an interminable delay until the referee stopped play to tell the Knox players to stop telling him to award a free kick.
When play resumed there was an even longer delay, the ball wasn’t thrown in, and so the referee did award the free kick. Next lineout the thrower overcompensated and threw the ball straight into the Knox backline. I wish I was making this up. Then there was a short throw to Cameron Orr at the front, which Orr knocked on and. it was just a mess. Lineouts are really simply these days, with lifting permitted. Trinity’s complete ineptitude in this part of the game is a real puzzle.
In the second half, Knox pretty much dominated possession again. Knight knocked over a fifth penalty, after Kotobalavu was given a yellow card for a shoulder charge. Then a string of phases created a big overlap, and Spain took advantage by strolling over: 32-0. Spain apart, there wasn’t a huge amount of penetration in the Knox backline, although they concentrated on getting the ball to the wings whenever possible. Fullback Pierce Richards had a quiet game. New hooker Angus Bownes played strongly. The Knox scrum-half, Callum Reid, often fed the scrum like a Rugby League half-back, which not every referee will like.
For Trinity, Orr and Jackson McLean did their best to get the team moving forward and each made some strong runs. And, strangely, in a team that was hopelessly outplayed, Trinity had the best player on the field. Clunies-Ross ran well, defended bravely and produced the single most impressive moment of the match when he soared high top make a clean catch of a towering, swirling bomb. With the last play of the game, he ran through half the Knox team before unselfishly offloading the ball to Ebeling in support for a consolation try. But when your best player is your full back, and your best play comes in the last minute, it’s been a hard day. It ended up 32-7. Scrum half Brent Whicker went off with what looked like a shoulder injury, so Trinity’s season may not be improving any time soon.
So that’s Saturday: Knox’s first win at home all season. and the second time this year that they have disposed of Trinity by 25 points. Elsewhere, Barker beat St Aloysius 17-3, and Waverley overcame Cranbrook 24-5.
