NSW AAGPS Rugby 2014

[Snort]

For some of these fine young charges you discuss, 40 points bonus will serve them nothing ala US system. 5 points is not the free path that has been described before. You have to have raw material to work with (a brain) to at least do well in an Australian Uni.

Then it's a bit silly to criticise those boys for concentrating on Rugby rather than education, isn't it?

 

[Snort]

They have junior and senior pointscores in rowing I think (but it all takes place a long way away from cheering parents etc and I've not heard a lot complaints about the umpires in rowing - see earlier posts in this thread), but I'm afraid in the present climate I just don't share your faith about the bolded bit.
Better the informal ledger kept on GGR - which leads to its own controversies anyway.
Maybe the world has passed me by.

It's becoming increasingly obvious to me that the schools Rugby competitions should be revamped so that schools play in divisions the principle criterion for which is the number of teams fielded. This would have two advantages - a relatively easy fixture list in which School A's teams will play, more or less, all of School B's equivalent teams, and it would reward Rugby development. If a school decided to import a dozen players, it would remain in a lower division if it couldn't field the required number of teams. In other words, the incentive would be to build a good Rugby programme, not to field a supercharged 1st XV with no depth behind it.

Still not holding my breath.

 

[Gregor]

Hey did anybody notice that the photo used in the Daily Telegraph's article, that is on the internet, taken from behind the Scot's 1st XV is NOT the current 1st's? For example the number 8 is definitely not Charlie Smith. Charlie is only about 75kg and the fellow in the photo is a lot bigger.

 

[Snort]

Farr Jones should clean up his own back year and focus on the stacking of players in the Shute Shield particularly at Sydney Uni , before sticking his nose into the GPS competition.

His back year's fine, thanks for asking.

He's Chairman of NSW Rugby, so he's perfectly entitled to express a view. What he said was, "I don't like mismatches. I don't think it builds character. I don't think it is good for anyone. My major concern is safety. If there are significant weight and strength differences [between teams] then there are safety issues and we have to be careful of that."
In other words, he didn't say that, in that particular game, there were safety issues - he just adverted to the possibility that this could occur. And there will be games in which Scots play this year in which "significant weight and strength differences" will exist.

And in what way are Shute Shield teams "stacked"? Every Shute Shield club has the ability to recruit players. They all do it. All Shute Shield players are adults who can choose where they want to play. University is better at it than most. So what? When I played at University, Randwick was better at it than anyone, because people wanted to play there. We didn't spend our lives moaning about "stacked" Randwick teams - instead we aspired to reach their standard.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Hey did anybody notice that the photo used in the Daily Telegraph's article, that is on the internet, taken from behind the Scot's 1st XV is NOT the current 1st's? For example the number 8 is definitely not Charlie Smith. Charlie is only about 75kg and the fellow in the photo is a lot bigger.

Yeah - I thought the red head was Kellaway, although Girdler is also of that colouring.

And there will be games in which Scots play this year in which "significant weight and strength differences" will exist.

If you can foresee that isn't that an issue of some immediate concern?
(I do not know if it will be an issue as I have not seen all the teams)

 

[moneyball]

Definitely the 2013 team. The No8 is Ollie Kamp with red headgear.

 

[fairplay]

Well, all talk of scholarships aside, I would have loved to have seen this Scots team at the Sanix tournament this year. They would have given it a good shake.

 

[Surfs Up]

On a different topic, can anyone enlighten me to why police were called to the Joeys v View game 2 weeks ago? Still late morning kick-off?

 

[prost8]

On a different topic, can anyone enlighten me to why police were called to the Joeys v View game 2 weeks ago? Still late morning kick-off?

No Idea did not see them game and crowd were absolutely fine ??Game was played at normal time i.e. 3.15

 

[Surfs Up]

Ok thanks.

 

[NewMacca]

Typo. My mistake, meant to put 13 conversions and 101. Not 11

The scoreboard stopping at 99 brought some confusion into it

 

[SonnyDillWilliams]

Couple of things ... first is the score the real issue?

From the 2 newspaper articles and particularly Nick Farr Jones quoted comments, you would think there was a real size mismatch

I'd be wondering if the Newington Pack weight wasn't actually greater ... as others have said the Scots # 8 ( Smith) is 75 kilos when he is soaking wet, and covered in mud

Who cares about the score ....?

I remember at school being dropped to the G team for missing training ... I got to play against what I think was the Joeys 14Gs, and I reckon I made 30 tackles ... my team still got smashed by 40+ points, but I remember the car trip home, and my old man saying how proud he was that I never gave up ... I still tingle at the memory of his voice

having said that I notice Joeys 11ths beat Scots 7ths by 180 - Nil

so yes at some point agree there is a Mercy rule for a reason

 

[SonnyDillWilliams]

where I think there is a real safety issue is in around the 14s and 15s

in your typical 14A team you really do have some massive size mismatches

you will have kids that are around 50 kilos who often can run 100 metres in around 11 seconds, playing with what are really half-men .... kids that are closer to 80 kilos

in relative terms it is like an 85 kilo adult tackling a 135 kilo guy

so when NFJ talks about safety he is probably looking at his sons age group, and thinking holy smoke, this is genuinely a danger

what is annoying is when you do get referees doing the right thing and enforcing the under 19 rule, that players can't enter the ruck/maul at speed, you invariably get some parent, yelling something like "it's rugby, let them play"

which leads me to my final point GPS needs to embrace "respect rugby" and NFJ might want to direct his energies in that direction

because at this stage junior rugby has ground marshalls, linesmen (ARs), stretchers at grounds etc, and GPS (amongst other school associations) are in my view are risking being "negligent" in providing a safe environment for their kids

 

[Inside Shoulder]

The scoreboard stopping at 99 brought some confusion into it

that scoreboard is used for cricket

 

[S'UP]

As the father of a boy who doesn't go to a GPS school I read the comments about the size of the boys with interest, as i know a number of boys who do go to GPS schools. For some perspective my son goes ok at rugby, he plays club only, made the CHS opens squad, played u17's reps and made the sydney 18's, goes to the gym every now and then when he isn't studying for the HSC, trains once a week. At the end of the u15's season a mate who goes to a GPS school and my son weighed the same 82kg and where the same height, at the end of the u16's season my sons mate weighed in at 102kg and my son at 87kg, still the same height. So in one year the GPS boy puts on 20kg and part of his weights program to get ready for opens aschool boy rugby. Is that really what we want to be doing to 15 or 16 year old boys? I think not. Talk about rugby programs going too far.

 

[forwards4ever]

As the father of a boy who doesn't go to a GPS school I read the comments about the size of the boys with interest, as i know a number of boys who do go to GPS schools. For some perspective my son goes ok at rugby, he plays club only, made the CHS opens squad, played u17's reps and made the sydney 18's, goes to the gym every now and then when he isn't studying for the HSC, trains once a week. At the end of the u15's season a mate who goes to a GPS school and my son weighed the same 82kg and where the same height, at the end of the u16's season my sons mate weighed in at 102kg and my son at 87kg, still the same height. So in one year the GPS boy puts on 20kg and part of his weights program to get ready for opens aschool boy rugby. Is that really what we want to be doing to 15 or 16 year old boys? I think not. Talk about rugby programs going too far.

You highlight my main worry in the arms race that is GPS rugby, and possibly Rowing too. The over development of these boys is truly scary. Too much time on the weights, and supplements, be they legitimate or not, being handed out to all of the top squads.
Has anyone studied what it actually does to their bodies and bones. How professionally are these programs run? Are medical specialists involved in them?

 

[Inside Shoulder]

because at this stage junior rugby has ground marshalls, linesmen (ARs), stretchers at grounds etc, and GPS (amongst other school associations) are in my view are risking being "negligent" in providing a safe environment for their kids

My experience is that all the schools provide a level of medical assistance.
AR's for back play I assume: I have to say that I have seen very little if anything in back play from any school that would warrant the intervention of an AR. For the most part the teachers are around and will pull the boys into line if need be.
I actually can't really fault the way most of the school games run - I think they are generally less edgy than village games.

 

[Whose That Guy]

Yes $cots have been pinned for so called scholarships, these are detrimental to teams but its the money for there rugby program which enhances such development. Riverviews budget a mear $100 000 (this is for all teams - 10ths) and then you compare it to $cots 1 million (for all teams, but they only go down to the 8ths) this is where boys are turned into men, trained morning and night, given massages, ice baths after trainings, special doctors, special foods and supplements of gaining weight, and shortening recovery time. This is where i believe GPS SCHOOL rugby is being threatened, it's becoming almost unfair. YOU GO TO SCHOOL TO LEARN, not to play rugby, and i think this is wear some GPS schools get mixed up, they want to win so badly.

 

[wreckless]

I remember at school being dropped to the G team for missing training . I got to play against what I think was the Joeys 14Gs, and I reckon I made 30 tackles . my team still got smashed by 40+ points, but I remember the car trip home, and my old man saying how proud he was that I never gave up . I still tingle at the memory of his voice...........

This is at the heart of everything! Thanks SDW for reminding me of the memories of those moments!

 

[Brainstrust]

Any predictions on the expected crowd size at View v Scots? Given a top of the table clash, and the press Scots have received, could be a big one.