Australian Schoolboys & National Championships 2015

[tight hamstring]

Further comments , NSW focused because I didn't know any QLD players :

* Horton and McCauley are class players , best in their positions .

* I would have started with Gittoes .

* QLD front rowers and forwards generally played tough , it was a good forward contest .

* NSW looked classier in backs , but no ball in second half due to penalties made it close . Kennewell, McGregor ( and Goddard and Wright in attack ) were dangerous. QLD 14 caused NSW a lot of problems . McGregor very good marshalling his team around park , vast improvement on school form coming back from injury .

* QLD 8 a workhorse deserved higher honours .

Apart from NSW 2 half ( reminds me of Perinara ) no one stood out in earlier game .

 

[Wristman]

* England lucky .


Not sure that England is lucky.
He creates a lot of space for those around him.
Plenty of backs holding on to the ball for too long this week.
England is a play maker.
With steppers and speedsters around him he is the perfect tactician to create space for them.
Not half bad himself when he has a run too.
I think he is a very smart choice.
I watched a lot of games across the tournament when the ball stayed frustrating close to the set piece. England will help put it wide. Going to be tough work against Samoa and New Zealand trying to bash it up the middle.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Do not forget that there is a lot of football to be played between now and September, including an entire QLD GPS competition, most of the NSW AAGPS, 4 rounds of Sydney Colts and finals, 1/2 the CAS and a fair chunk of ISA.

Players will get injured. Shadows will be called up. Players will get injured in the first Schools and Barbars games, and shadows will come into Barbars, with some Barbars being promoted to Schools for the later games.

Congratulations to all the lads selected today. Stay fit, listen to your coaches, tidy your rooms, and do what your Mother says.

 

[Brian Westlake]

Interesting to see Gavin Luka, who I believe was in the team last year relegated to the baa baa's. Didn't see much of qld this week but was he outplayed but his NSW counterparts?

Yes

 

[Lee Grant]

A blog on the final day was put up overnight:

It is here: http://goo.gl/wMPEOe

There will be more photos added later.
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[The Guru]

A blog on the final day was put up overnight:

It is here: http://goo.gl/wMPEOe

There will be more photos added later.
.

Dear Lee
Congrats on a well written , fair and objective article.
Keep them coming and see you at Ballymore

 

[sidesteppa]

A blog on the final day was put up overnight:

It is here: http://goo.gl/wMPEOe

There will be more photos added later.
.

Great write up. My video footage of the game [edited to 27mins] is now linked to the blog, and is also here below. Ideally watch it on the blog [appears in optimum size]. As luck would have it, most of the tries were on the opposite side of the field to me

 

[Lee Grant]

Standout player for me today was NSW number 5 McCauley.
Tallest player in the tournament - fit, agile and surprisingly quick for a big lad.
Haven't been too many natural second rowers coming through the ranks recently. He reminds me of a young Eales.

Good call Wristman.

He's the most promising schoolboy tall timber I've seen since Rob Simmons, and more athletic than Rob. I never saw Eales as a schoolboy player though it is said that he lacked a physical presence.

In the next few years McCauley has to put on some pork and also become a bruiser - not the same thing - he has all the skills a second rower needs.

Rob was a bit of a gentle giant in this tournament a few years back now, but he acquired a bit of starch; let's hope that Ryan can play with a bit of physical dominance soon. Training with the NSW U20s come December will put him on the right path.

As for other inclusions and omissions: I can see reasons for nearly all of them.

Not quite to the point but hardly anybody has mentioned winger Sepesa Loga-Tarogi this week. The way he often stopped opponents in their tracks when they seemed to have momentum was admirable - especially yesterday near the NSW goal line.

The fellow from Queensland who took my eye this week was fullback Jayden Ngamanu, who deserved his spot. I thought that there may have been room for both Thomas Wright and him in the Ones but Wright will know his own strengths and weakness as well as anybody and will accept the decision.

I thought 6 Kalala Meni was unlucky to miss out on the Ones, but the balance of a backrow is as important as the selection of individuals. I was way out in the selection of a prop and hooker I fancied, but more understandably because I don't look enough at participation rates and getting off the ground etc.

It was good to see Strang back after his injury which appeared to be nasty earlier in the week. Although Lenac was very good for Qld, had Strang played injury-free the whole week he could have been in Schools' Ones; I rate him highly.

If the Tahs can keep both Goddard and Strang in their stable a year or two down the track it will be a good trick: I think both are bound for pro rugby.
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[Lee Grant]

A blog on the final day was put up overnight:

It is here: http://goo.gl/wMPEOe

There will be more photos added later.
.

The photos are now added - click on link above.

Other links to the 2015 Aus Schools Nationals:

Third day Div 1 - http://goo.gl/lcEZNx​

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Second day Div 1 - http://goo.gl/sWLaEl​

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First Day Div 1 - http://goo.gl/7uS6SL​

​

Tournament preview - http://goo.gl/wnOysr​

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[sidesteppa]

5mins highlights from the second half of Vic defeating ACT for 5th place at the schools trials championships final day [saturday]. Includes 4 tries & one that was disallowed . >>

 

[CatchnPass]

Great write up. My video footage of the game [edited to 27mins] is now linked to the blog, and is also here below. Ideally watch it on the blog [appears in optimum size]. As luck would have it, most of the tries were on the opposite side of the field to me

Thanks for the great footage Sidesteppa

 

[sidesteppa]

Against the odds 3rd place goes to QLD II 22 to NSW II 12.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

2 tries from the game >>

 

[Happy to Chat]

Australian Schoolboys 2015


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lee Grant]

Some reponses on earlier comments:

Dear Lee
Congrats on a well written , fair and objective article.
Keep them coming and see you at Ballymore

Thanks for the nice comments from all but the daily articles were just under my by-line as the organiser, though I wrote a few items. Credit to the other guys who wrote on the main games.

I won't be at Ballymore so I hope that the games are on TV; otherwise we need some folks from north of the Tweed to put their hands up. Better someone at the ground writes stuff anyway.

IMPORTANT - Hopefully HJ Nelson can forward some photos of the Aus Schools games, but if not please start thinking of taking your cameras to the games.

Thanks Lee. Correction for day 2 report NSW II Pellegrini 22 substitute for Wright 10. Long 21 substitute scrumhalf.

Belated thanks for this - it was fixed. Pellegrini had a blinder at flyhalf.

Hi all, I haven't been able to get down to riverview but just a question as a CAS fan. How has harry mclennnen been playing (NSW 2s number 8), he dominates CAS just wondering if he's a shot at Aus schoolboys? Thanks

Harry went OK but there were a lot hard-headed, no-frills players in the week who had skill also, and Lachlan Anderson was the no 8 player of the type who was rated most highly, though he is not an 8. The other NSW IIs backrowers Pietsch and Donato couldn't have played much better either, but when fellows like Charlie Smith and Kalala Meni are overlooked for the Ones you have to realise that the standard was high.

I was looking forward to seeing a bruising no. 8 put his hand up in the tournament, but players who are really 6/locks - or even 7s - got the nods for the Aus Ones. I was hoping that Victoria would play the dynamic Leota at 8, but it didn't happen.

Totally agree. I would have dropped Allen for Smith.

It was always going to be tough for Charlie to make the Ones, though he had everything going for him but size.

I thought Angus Allen was good though.

I was watching Qld I play (against CS, I think) and I was talking to these two Queensland supporters. I said their 7 was going OK and he was ideal because he didn't have to worry about his face being damaged because he had a head like a robber's dog.

They both laughed - then one bloke said the other fellow was Mr. Allen.
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[pablo]

RE Leota - he was "concussed" in game 2 against QLD2 so was ruled out of the tournament. He would have spent time at 6/8.

 

[2bluesfan]

I was watching Qld I play (against CS, I think) and I was talking to these two Queensland supporters. I said their 7 was going OK and he was ideal because he didn't have to worry about his face being damaged because he had a head like a robber's dog.

They both laughed - then one bloke said the other fellow was Mr. Allen.
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Brilliant!

 

[The sage]

I don't think Gavin Luka was out-played; that's a little bit rich. He was certainly out scrummed, but his general play was more than sound. He currently has a back complaint that he is trying to get right. So we will see during the GPS season what happens. Don't right him off!

 

[Rugby Mum 2]

I don't think Gavin Luka was out-played; that's a little bit rich. He was certainly out scrummed, but his general play was more than sound. He currently has a back complaint that he is trying to get right. So we will see during the GPS season what happens. Don't right him off!

I thought scrummaging is what props were meant to do well?!! It was surprising that he was out scrummaged by both sets of NSW props given he was in schoolboys last year. He is certainly a big boy who would be an asset, if he could scrum well.

All players have niggles - you just have to watch when the take their shirts off to see where the hot spots are around shoulders, wrists, knees - a lot are held together by magic tape.

 

[The sage]

Yes that's true, that is what he is there to do. However last year he (Gavin Luca) scrimmaged very well. However this year he has had back discomfort and therefore he ability at the scrums is of a lesser quality.

I understand other players have niggles, however a back to a prop seems to be more critical then a shoulder or knee/ankle (whatever) niggle for other players. When his back improves I think you will see him scrimmage better, is all!

 

[HJ Nelson]

IMPORTANT - Hopefully HJ Nelson can forward some photos of the Aus Schools games, but if not please start thinking of taking your cameras to the games.

I work on the Gold Coast, so probably won't get to any games. Although will try to get to the Friday afternoon ones at Ballymore (Aus A v Samoa, Aus v NZ).

Hopefully there will be someone else able to provide photos.