Australian Schoolboys & National Championships 2016

[Lee Grant]

I have to make a comment on some of the issues arising out of the game.

1. Why was there not a booklet with team lists? Even if people had to pay for them. It would have been appreciated.

2. Why did the team only have a three day camp? They looked rusty, the warm up game Tonga enjoyed was noticeable. They could have waited till the upcoming holidays and played 2 games over a week while learning more from some expert coaching staff.

3. How much influence does the coach have over selections? 4 newington players in the team was almost laughable. The sooner the coaching is taken over by someone appointed by the ARU without ties to a specific school the better.

1. There were programmes available in the cafeteria, a fact that was mentioned several times on the PA after I arrived about 15 minutes before the match and no doubt before that; so I sauntered over and got a copy.

2. I'm not sure when the holidays are in each state - even in NSW; but if everybody was at school then so were the teachers and all the ASRU coaches are teachers. You probably think that outside coaches should be used but that is another conversation.

3. Nobody was complaining too much when we beat the Kiwis a few times in a row. The coaches don't pick the Aussie teams, the selectors do - the Barbarians coach selected the starting team and the reserves from the 23 he was presented with.

As to the point that too many guys were selected from one school: it's an old song you sing and the answer is always just as boring. It's the same as with the Wallabies - why so many picked from New South Queensland when they're not a good team - well, several of them may be good players in an average team.

Joeys got three backs in the Aussies Ones and although the school didn't do too well not many would complain that they didn't belong there.
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[Lee Grant]

Agree that the left winger was probably out of his depth.

That was harsh - I thought he played well for a chap that is back at school next year - and the coach thought he played well too.

Nevertheless Mohi should have been called up if he was ready to go, in my opinion.
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[Backline_Move]

1. There were programmes available in the cafeteria, a fact that was mentioned several times on the PA after I arrived about 15 minutes before the match and no doubt before that; so I sauntered over and got a copy.

2. I'm not sure when the holidays are in each state - even in NSW; but if everybody was at school then so were the teachers and all the ASRU coaches are teachers. You probably think that outside coaches should be used but that is another conversation.

3. Nobody was complaining too much when we beat the Kiwis a few times in a row. The coaches don't pick the Aussie teams, the selectors do - the Barbarians coach selected the starting team and the reserves from the 23 he was presented with.

As to the point that too many guys were selected from one school: it's an old song you sing and the answer is always just as boring. It's the same as with the Wallabies - why so many picked from New South Queensland when they're not a good team - well, several of them may be good players in an average team.

Joeys got three backs in the Aussies Ones and although the school didn't do too well not many would complain that they didn't belong there.
.

1. I couldn't hear the PA and didn't see anyone with a program.

2. There should be external coaches.

3. The Thing that gets me was the after an injury to the starting 5/8. A newington player was drawn in from the shadows and became the starting 10 immediately. Over the other students that he been selected previously. Will Anderson was very unlucky not to be starting 10.

 

[Lee Grant]

Did Tyrone get any game time? Who scored trys?

Yes quite a bit because Orpen had to go off early - he underplayed his hand too doing just-in-time passes.
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[Boxhead]

^^^ Rixon is a superstar.

Agree that the left winger was probably out of his depth.

Also thought the Aus 5-Brown and 9-Jordan were some of the better players out there.

Great hit out for Aussie Barbarians with Tonga putting up a good fight in a physical match. Aus was strong in set piece and dominated in forwards but Tonga looked dangerous in broken field play. Standouts for AUS were 5 Brown and 7 Pietsch in the forwards and 9 Jordan and 14 Rixon in the backs.Looking forward to see how Aus schools play in Samoa and NZ

 

[footy4life]

1. I couldn't hear the PA and didn't see anyone with a program.

2. There should be external coaches.

3. The Thing that gets me was the after an injury to the starting 5/8. A newington player was drawn in from the shadows and became the starting 10 immediately. Over the other students that he been selected previously. Will Anderson was very unlucky not to be starting 10.

The Newington 10 was cheated to not be selected to start with, he's an incredible talented young man and the other 10 you believe should've started looked out of his depth when on the field in comparison.

 

[sidelineview]

Did Tyrone get any game time? Who scored trys?

Tries by 5 Brown, 15 Hansen, 9 Jordan, 7 Pietch, 14 Rixon and another one by a forward?.

 

[F McGrath]

I have to make a comment on some of the issues arising out of the game.

1. Why was there not a booklet with team lists? Even if people had to pay for them. It would have been appreciated.

2. Why did the team only have a three day camp? They looked rusty, the warm up game Tonga enjoyed was noticeable. They could have waited till the upcoming holidays and played 2 games over a week while learning more from some expert coaching staff.

3. How much influence does the coach have over selections? 4 newington players in the team was almost laughable. The sooner the coaching is taken over by someone appointed by the ARU without ties to a specific school the better.

They were walking through the crowd handing out the programs and they were free!! There were only 3 Newington players according to the program.

 

[sidelineview]

The Newington 10 was cheated to not be selected to start with, he's an incredible talented young man and the other 10 you believe should've started looked out of his depth when on the field in comparison.

Who's Will Anderson? If you're talking about Will Harrison, he played really well when he came on and is only in Year 11. The starting 10 Kuenzle had a strong game as well. They're both good players as is Jordan Pataia who played 11 today. He's a better centre than a winger imo but if all goes well with Pataia and Harrison they'll be incumbents next year.

And there were only 3 Newington players listed in the programme.

 

[White line fever]

Box head, I agree completely with the standout players you nominated. I also thought the whole front row also played well, they were particularly mobile and cleaned up a number of scrappy situations.
I took my 2 junior boys to watch and hopefully learn from these great young athletes. I thought the tackling, ie around the legs, was a standout and guess what,I kept banging on to them about that!
MOST importantly they loved it!
Each year our school boys have super talent, so why doesn't it translate to our Wallabies!

 

[Lee Grant]

Tries by 5 Brown, 15 Hansen, 9 Jordan, 7 Pietch, 14 Rixon and another one by a forward?.

From the maul it was skipper/hooker Faessler who was my MOTM - though Pietsch, who scored a brilliant individual try, got the official award for the best player for Oz.

Edit - no he didn't.
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[The Honey Badger]

I wasn't there but sounds like a great game.

Did Rixon play the full match?

 

[Lee Grant]

^^^^^
I'm not sure if he played the whole game but they had three reserve backs and TT came on early. The reserve scrummie came on later and I noticed that the starting scrummie, Jordan came back on, for blood or concussion maybe - so chances are that he played in the whole match.

I haven't looked at my photos yet because I've been watching the Wallabies on delay; so I may have more evidence tomorrow.

Rixon was Rixon - very hard to stop in open play and scored a signature try.

The Sevens are looking at him and on paper he should be superb in that type of rugby - though how he plays in the Sevens structure, and in senior XVs eventually, is yet to be proved.
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[The Honey Badger]

^^^^^
I'm not sure if he played the whole game but they had three reserve backs and TT came on early. The reserve scrummie came on later and I noticed that the starting scrummie, Jordan came back on, for blood or concussion maybe - so chances are that he played in the whole match.

I haven't looked at my photos yet because I've been watching the Wallabies on delay; so I may have more evidence tomorrow.

Rixon was Rixon - very hard to stop in open play and scored a signature try.

The Sevens are looking at him and on paper he should be superb in that type of rugby - though how he plays in the Sevens structure, and in senior XVs eventually, is yet to be proved.
.

I just watched the tape. Looks like Rixon went off soon after he scored his try. Someone else took the conversion, so I am thinking he might have got hurt when he seemed to be thrown to the ground after scoring. I did see him again in open play but only once,

Got to say the 15 for Baa Baas was everywhere , and had a very good game, Brown had a great game in the forwards.

And Tyrone was llifted in a tackle that was just ok, and then immediately yellow carded for a high shot that looked pretty harmless,

Great game, Newington ground looks the goods,

 

[The Honey Badger]

Who's Will Anderson? .

ABC TV personality and TV presenter, Gruen Transfer.

A vegetarian smart arse, who can be funny at times but wears thin pretty quickly.

 

[sidelineview]

I wasn't there but sounds like a great game.

Did Rixon play the full match?

Rixon came off injured in the second half after he scored a try.
There's a match report on the Australian Schools Rugby website and a link to watch the replay on YouTube.

 

[Lee Grant]

^^^^^
There is also a Green and Gold blog on the game here:

https://goo.gl/U7mc1o​

Give it a click.
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[Adam Osborne]

Photos from the 1st half of the Barbarians game -> https://www.flickr.com/photos/33497239@N00/albums/72157670743722394

 

[sidelineview]

There's an article on the Barbarians/Tonga game @ www.rugbynews.net.au

 

[Quick Hands]

3. How much influence does the coach have over selections? 4 newington players in the team was almost laughable. The sooner the coaching is taken over by someone appointed by the ARU without ties to a specific school the better.

The ARU wrote the book on nepotism and the performance of the Australian U20s over the past 5 years would suggest that the school teachers probably do a better job than any functionary appointed by the ARU.