The gap between GPS and CAS schools seems wider than ever, no doubt much to the chagrin of folk on the CAS thread. Note also the Joeys demolition of Knox at the start of the season.
I think it is well accepted that the GPS Opens competition is a higher standard than that of CAS, but to use results of trial matches to beat one's chest is a bit silly. In fact, it's a really bad attempt at chest-beating.
First of all you need to know how many players were missing from each team; and then you need to consider how many substitutes were used during the game.
By definition a trial match is exactly that. Coaches use the game to prepare their teams for the competition proper. Getting carried away with the results of these games to prove ''the gap between GPS and CAS seems wider'' seems to be opportunistic and an attempt to score some cheap points.
To cite any theatre or banter on the CAS thread as a reason for this "ever widening gap" is even sillier. Your post could be seen as vexatious.
It is also a broad sweeping conclusion that doesnt take into consideration the fluctuating fortunes of each individual school and the strength of the relevant Association from year to year.
I cant comment on the Trinity-New game but i know there were quite a few Waverley players missing from their game. I'm not sure if Scots were at full strength or not.
The following is an excerpt from an unofficial match report of the game posted on the CAS thread. Take it any way you want:
Scots lead 12-5 at half time and I can without a doubt in my mind say the first half was the best half of Schoolboy rugby I have ever seen. Huge hits, linebreaks, back and forth at each other. Waverley started subbing some starters off in the 2nd and that's when it got messy ......
This may have to be added to the equation.
To further prove the GPS Opens comp is stronger, there were twice as many GPS players than CAS players in the NSW teams, although out of the best team of the Championships, the NSW2s, all of the 5 CAS players were also members of the victorious CAS U16s team that defeated GPS in the Final in 2014. The best team won on that day as did the NSW2s in 2016. It just happened to be a good crop of players who knew how to win.
This year's CAS U16s team gave GPS a good run for their money, which again didn't illustrate a ''widening gap'' between the two Associations at that level.
As to why the gap does widen in the Opens, this has been discussed ad nauseum in the past.
I should also mention that CAS 2s defeated GPS2s this year and even though the GPS1s ended up running away with the game, CAS1s were anything but disgraced and proved to be very competitive.
Are you sure you didn't mean to write ''seems narrower than ever''
