GAME OF THE ROUND: BBC at Toowoomba Grammar School (26-20)
TheKing
Green and Gold Rugby wishes to thank Holly Hope Photography for supplying the images showcased below. For more of Holly’s work from the match, click here: www.hollyhopephotography.com. The password to access the album is ‘BBCrugby’.
BBC have escaped down the range with a vital win over Toowoomba Grammar in Round Three, 26-20.
With a loss to Southport in Round Two weighing heavily on their minds, Brisbane Boys’ College had all the pressure of a Grand Final upon them.
Injuries to seven front-line players, including Australian Schoolboy defensive cornerstone Len Ikitau, made earning a win at Toowoomba’s mountain fortress an unenviable task.
Toowoomba Grammar could smell blood in the water despite missing their own Australian Schoolboy, prop Harry Hoopert.
A loss would have pushed BBC beyond reasonable doubt for a premiership comeback, while a win bought the Miskin St troops only a week’s extra grace
If not for three spectacular tries from flyhalf-fullback combination Tiaontin Raoren and Jayden Ngamanu BBC’s ruffled performance would have seen them drop out of contention.
An early penalty miss to winger-turned-halfback-turned-winger Kris Verevis was not the ideal start for the visitors.
Points proved especially difficult to come by with physical defence exerting it’s toll on the attacking facilities of both sides in the first half.
Toowoomba Grammar scored their first with a pick and drive late in the first, but backed up shortly after with an impressive close-range effort from fullback BJ Oates.
A set-piece move deep inside Toowoomba’s quarter afforded Australian Youth Sevens fullback Jayden Ngamanu the right to reply, skinning his man one-on-one for a converted try.
BBC found their feet in the dying stages of the half, first sending Australian Schoolboy openside Jack Farrell on a long run before grubbering ahead for replacement outside centre X.
With the try line open an offload for Kris Verevis in support bounced harmlessly off his chest.
Halftime: TGS 10 BBC 7
To name a star of the second half would be a disservice to the play of Papua New Guinean crowd favourite Chris Yanopa.
Entering the season an unknown quality to all outside the classrooms of Toowong, Yanopa’s low centre of gravity and an unexpected turn of pace for a front-rower helped him toss aside defenders all through the second half.
Flyhalf Tiaontin Raoren scored a try of the season candidate midway through the second half, receiving an offload in midfield from Ngamanu before spinning off his right to beat the defence.
To add insult to injury, Raoren’s hot footwork sent two would-be Toowoomba tacklers crashing in to each other en-route to the turf to leave a trail of devastation in his wake.
Raoren struck again not long after by heaving a 15-metre bullet pass to outside centre X, twisting through contact to extend the lead to 21-10.
Raoren’s second and final try was another contender for try of the round – this time an inside ball to Ngamanu had the defence at sixes and sevens, only to add to the chaos in backfield by grubbering through a pinpoint accurate through-ball.
Raoren led the chase all the way to the in-goal but was nearly beaten by a wicked bounce, requiring a full-stretch dive to ground the ball.
The result firmly secured, BBC took their foot off the pedal and allowed Toowoomba Grammar to score two consolation tries.
The first to centre Ashton Watson was a thing of beauty down the right touchline, skipping over the tackles of three defenders.
A simple barge over from No.8 Will Shelton would be the final points scored for the match.
Final score: 26-20.
