ARU Junior Gold Cup - National Junior Championships

[Top Cat]

Top Cat

However, the Sydney Harbour North v Victoria game should be a very close contest and will ultimately determine who wins the Pool.

Wasn't even close was it! Congratulations ACT.

 

[number 6]

Central Coast vs Western Sydney (sideline eye)

15s: Western Sydney won by around 30 points -can't remember exact score: The scoreline didn't flatter the Central Coast boys, however, they put in a gutsy team performance against a side that will no doubt be there near the final stages of this comp. The sheer size of the Westerners - they were bigger than their 17s side - was too much for the Coasties, and constant raids from number 30 (powerful runner) and number 4 (surely a relation to Will Skelton) proved the main difference in the end. The game was played in the right spirit and both teams should be commended for putting on a great spectacle of tough rugby. The number 7 from CC, Max Sorgese, was a standout and looked like a young Michael Hooper with the way he pilfered at the breakdown. Good luck, West Sydney, you will be hard to stop.

17s: Central Coast won by about 5 points - can't remember exact score:
This was a scrappy game which could have gone to either team. The Central Coast boys were by far the better team, however, the Westerners had some individuals who, although starved of possession, found the tryline when they got the chance to shine. For example number 14 was an Israel Folau type player: big, athletic and powerful, yet he only saw the ball a few times in the game. It looked as if Western Sydney were more concerned with talking tough (some of the language was terrible) and intimidate as individuals rather then playing a structured game. The Coasties did the latter and they controlled the game very well. The 9, Liam Baker, and 10, Thorndyke, were the standouts - as was the number 7, he was in everything. I am not sure that the Coasties have the firepower and size to go all the way, but they certainly play an attractive style of rugby.

Good luck to all involved, the concept of the JGC is a great one and I look forward to hearing some other reports from the weekend's games.

 

[Tahspark]

Wood Rat: Victoria made the Sydney team work for the entire match in their pool games at Riverview. It would not be unexpected to see them in the finals.

Agree with your above observation WR (World Rugby) and with the very early wake up call this morning this was always going to be a difficult assignment for the North Harbour lads.

However, I wouldn't be writing off North Harbour's chances in either the 15s or 17s yet. Victoria have their own version of the road trip from hell next week with consecutive games on Friday (v Illawarra), Saturday (v Central Coast) and Sunday (v Sydney West).

If they secure victory in each of those 3 games they'll be deserved finalists.

 

[the mexican]

the early flight could have been avoided if the invite to come play the curtain raiser to the rebels friday night , but school and school sport was more important which sucks really because the vic boys do it next week.

 

[the mexican]

Score line dont really tell the true story ,

A team that had to travel up and back the same day plus have star players pulled from thier side only weeks out from the start due to this private school (some not all) boycott of the junior gold program and only having a squad of 27 due to this, played out of thier skin and should be very proud to loose to what is a seriously good team from victoria ....my question is why couldnt these boys have travelled up earlier and even played as a curtain raiser to the friday night Rebels v Cheetas game ? i love to hear the reasoning ?

 

[Top Cat]

Ok I have finally worked out how to put the videos on Youtube in a half decent quality. I tried in full HD but it was going to take 55 hours just for 1/2 a game. Unfortunately the program I am using only allows for the video in a 10 minute block. This is the first 10 minutes of the SNW v Hunter game and when they are all finished I will put the whole game up in one post.

I think the quality is better when u click the Youtube link at the bottom of the viewing screen.

 

[Top Cat]

..my question is why couldnt these boys have travelled up earlier and even played as a curtain raiser to the friday night Rebels v Cheetas game ? i love to hear the reasoning ?

Rugby as a games needs to be advertised and they are missing golden opportunities. How hard would it of been to print either tickets or flyers to give out at local schools allowing children and parents free entry if they register online. They could of also made it so that entry had to be by a specific time to qualify so that they are there to watch the JGC. Even if they it were existing juniors players attending and say a hundred or two non Union kids it would of been worth it for the promotion of the game.

 

[Wood Rat]

don't tell the true story ,

star players pulled from thier side only weeks out from the start due to this private school (some not all) boycott of the junior gold program and only having a squad of 27 due to this,

I am aware of the withdrawals from the team, I think you will find there are players of similar standing from the same schools still in the squad. It would take a strange conspiracy to organise such a hotchpotch pattern of boycott.

Other evidence would suggest the withdrawn players are from schools that have been supportive of this competition

 

[Dave Beat]

Rugby as a games needs to be advertised and they are missing golden opportunities. How hard would it of been to print either tickets or flyers to give out at local schools allowing children and parents free entry if they register online. They could of also made it so that entry had to be by a specific time to qualify so that they are there to watch the JGC. Even if they it were existing juniors players attending and say a hundred or two non Union kids it would of been worth it for the promotion of the game.

So true, some ideas / thoughts.
Yours above.
This Pacific Cup that is being played, similar to what you said above.
Get the Tahs in schools giving out free Shute Shield or Super tickets, kids getting free stuff so mum or dad takes them works a treat.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Turns out Sydney NW left 6pm Sat, slept for a few hours outside tam worth, played came home.
All up 28 hours.
Ridiculous and unsustainable.

 

[I like to watch]

Ridiculous,unsustainable and unacceptable.
Who could possibly prepare that itinerary and not think something was wrong?

 

[Fat Cat]

Its not about the teams winning, that's just a smoke screen. It's about the ARU talent scouting individuals !

 

[Azzuri]

Turns out Sydney NW left 6pm Sat, slept for a few hours outside tam worth, played came home.
All up 28 hours.
Ridiculous and unsustainable.

Some teams are definitely coping the rough end of the stick with the draw. For example Victoria has a punishing schedule this coming week with three consecutive games over the coming weekend starting with an away game against Illawarra on Friday afternoon in Wollongong and games on Saturday and Sunday.

Speaking of Illawarra I took the trip out to Orange to watch their games against Western NSW. Hopes were high that the Illawarra lads would post their first wins but alas this was not to be.

The 15's started strongly against the much bigger Western NSW side but handling errors, unsupported running and turnovers all conspired to help Western NSW get the upper hand. Illawarra's big number 15 was underutilized but when he did finally get the ball he capitalized and scored. Final Score was 31 -17 with Western running out deserved winners.

The U17's was an interesting game...unfortunately for the wrong reasons...The penalty count against Illawarra was more than 23 to 5 and which made it difficult to capitalize on their obvious superiority in the forwards. I'm not a fan of bagging refs but found it hard to understand many of his "unique" rule interpretations including allowing the second half to run for 34 minutes....Rules of the gold cup don't allow for extensions of time due to injury so the fact that Western scored in the winning try in the 34th minute of the second half had many spectators shaking their heads...the resulting 18-17 final score was a bitter pill for the Illawarra players to swallow after leading most of the game.

Despite the stop start nature of the game the Illawarra forwards once again demonstrated that they are some of the toughest lads out there with their dominant display at the breakdown, scrum and line out. Despite that the Illawarra team still have work to do in the handling department before they meet Victoria and Central Coast for their last two pool games.

Any comments from other spectators at the game.???..

 

[sarcophilus]

I'm not a fan of bagging refs but found it hard to understand many of his "unique" rule interpretations
Any comments from other spectators at the game.???..

I love it
this phrase could be bottled and re-used for many teams visitin' the Central west
just watch the GPS thread when their lads head out there for pre season tours

 

[Azzuri]

I love it
this phrase could be bottled and re-used for many teams visitin' the Central west
just watch the GPS thread when their lads head out there for pre season tours

Ah yes....we have some GPS trials out that way shortly so it will be interesting. It also doesn't bode bode well for the country rep teams who will contest the 2014 NSW Country Champs in Dubbo on the ANZAC long weekend. Maybe they should just hold the games in the lion enclosure at Dubbo Zoo...I hear that the lions highly developed sense of hearing reacts badly to the shrill sounds of a whistle. Seems it sends them into a feeding frenzy..

 

[Adam Osborne]

Ok I have finally worked out how to put the videos on Youtube in a half decent quality. I tried in full HD but it was going to take 55 hours just for 1/2 a game. Unfortunately the program I am using only allows for the video in a 10 minute block. This is the first 10 minutes of the SNW v Hunter game and when they are all finished I will put the whole game up in one post.

I think the quality is better when u click the Youtube link at the bottom of the viewing screen.

Thanks for the video, is this the 15 or 17's. Hard to tell with the size of some of these kids.

 

[S'UP]

So why leave their names up in the squads?

It is my understanding that the NGS is now the "waratah development squad" (WDS) and they are to train 3 nights a week, two fo those are JGC and one with the WDS taking back what they learn to JGC. Unfortunately of the 30 boys in the WDS only 5 or 6 are meeting their requirement of training and playing in the JGC.

 

[I like to watch]

That's the problem with these elite squads.
Get rid of the NGS or WDS, it just breeds elitism.
In any case, many of the best 15 yo's are not the best 18 yo's if all things are equal.

 

[S'UP]

Turns out Sydney NW left 6pm Sat, slept for a few hours outside tam worth, played came home.
All up 28 hours.
Ridiculous and unsustainable.

They actually arrived at their departure point at 4pm on saturday, had a training run for an hour, then a play in the pool for 30min, got dressed bus turned up 30mins late, departing at 6.30pm traveled to sport and rec facility at Lake Keepit 40 mins past Tamworth, in the wrong direction to Armidale. they arrived at 1.30am, to bed a 2am, then up at 6.00 for 6.30 breakfast which was good from all reports. Then 2 and a half hour drive to Armidale arriving late, games started 30mins late, finished the games then back on the bus, getting home just before 10pm sunday. All the play the poor Northern Inland guys who have only had 4 training runs since November and one of those was on the morning of this game. The NI 17 boys were beaten 50 - 0 but were happy with anything under 70, and the NI 15's went down 49 - 10 but the second half was 10 all so congrats to the NI 15's great effort. So I guess there was method to the madness the lack of sleep and extensive travel helped the NI boys out. There is always a reason for things.

 

[S'UP]

That's the problem with these elite squads.
Get rid of the NGS or WDS, it just breeds elitism.
In any case, many of the best 15 yo's are not the best 18 yo's if all things are equal.

Chatting with some boys regarding the rugby pathway the other day (so call elite boys) and none for them could tell me what the actual pathway was, they knew they were in it but didn't know how it worked. But they could tell me what the league pathway was from start to finish and none of them actually play league or want to play league. The all agreed though that there was a big hole from 17's to super rugby.
Over to you ARU.