Australian Schoolboys & National Championships 2012

[Gristlechewer]

Game 3 Combined States Vs QLD 1 5-38
Lacklustre with a lot of cynical play from both sides. A better perfomance from Qld, it could have been a lot better though. They will get it right by Saturday.
Players to watch
QLD
4 Adam Korczyk. Great height on his lineouts and some of theirs.
11 Monty Ioane. Little brother? Plays a lot like big bro, without the muscle, yet.
12 Jack Tuttle. Because he did do it well.
13 Rory Humphreys. Because he did do it better than Jack.

CS
9 Angus Pulver. Nigh on the best service today, both sides of the ruck
13 Jack Redden. Showed why he is one of GPS best centres.

 

[Gristlechewer]

Game 4 NSW II vs WA 46-5
WA came out all guns ablazing and NSW weathered well. Multiple changes at half time when the game was 39-0 made the second half a little less entertaining. Some deft play, some good hits but WA weren't in it. I have no hesitation in saying that both Vic and WA will come along in the next few years.
Players to watch
WA
3 Tristan Schneider. Just needs more support.

NSW II
4 Matthew Philip. Does the work that a lot of other players should.
6 Declan O'Donahue. Made a break the second time he touched the ball. Ended up looking like the Elephant Man, to quote a spectator, with bandages swathed around his head. Fast.
11 Harry Jones. the first genuine speedster to shine. Pick of the day

I left just after kick off in the NT vs Lloyd McDermott XV, but rom what I heard, the best game of the day to watch, with end to end play.

 

[Brian Westlake]

Uncle Lee would be proud

 

[Hugh Jarse]

must be a damn fine sherry that he is having. Good on him, I'm stuck with Dry July!

 

[Swarley]

11 Monty Ioane. Little brother? Plays a lot like big bro, without the muscle, yet.

Cousin. Plays for Anglican Church Grammar School. A standout in the QLD GPS competition.

 

[Tarabs]

Qld I Placid No15 impressive ball runner and their centres puched through holes well
Qld II No13 was devastating in his defensive hits and his ball running.. straight and hard all day

QLD II Number 13 is Nigel Tanuvasa. I don't believe he trialled at the State Championships. He's also a newbie to QLD, having come from Victoria. If there's a guy that will make Aus Schools from QLD II, it would be him. Anyone got opinions of the QLD I number 10 ? James Dalgliesh.

 

[Lee Grant]

Hi all, Uncle Lee must be on the cream sherry by now with Westlake and Newbie as they were all there at the game.

... and fell asleep after walking the dogs to give it full disclosure, and have just woken up.

Note: for those who wonder why certain people were not starting in games during the week - each player in a squad of 23 has to have at least one run on game (and they also have to play, at least, the time equivalent of one full match during the tournament.)

Qld II 31 ACT 19

4 tries to 3. Qld had too many better players, position for position, and scored 3 converted tries on the bounce against some shabby defence. Often Qld were too physical at the breakdowns but ACT kept battling and finished the game charging against the Qld line going for their 4th try.


• For Qld, 1. Tarr had a few rambunctious runs and 2. Postal was a ferocious runner who was hard to stop around the rucks. 13. Tanuvasa, who played for Victoria U/16s last year, had an outstanding game for a Twos player and ran through and around opponents - and well done to the lad for attending to an injured opponent who tried to tackle him once. Can use the ball too.

• 13. Robinson set up a grand break out try for ACT and 14. Underwood was hard to stop, which is understandable as his fend is so strong. 15. O'Neill was of the same mould and also did some SBW passes to effect. Has a booming punt.

PS Oz Schools player 4. Staniforth pulled out of the tournament because of ankle syndesmosis but may be available for Oz Schools next week, if selected, according to ACT connections. 3. Donovan also did not play, though whether that was because of injury or league commitments is unclear.


NSW I 37 Victoria 13

5 tries to 1 - NSW started out as though they had never played together before. (That was a joke.) The backline had no fluency because of erratic passing and Vic went ahead 10-3 after an intercept try. They were still 10-8 to the good at oranges, but then the class of NSW, and the appearance of regular starters 9. Natoli, 13. Stewart (playing 12) and 7. Johnson off the bench, made a difference.

The Victorian lads played well in the 1st half, and looked more cohesive, but ran out of fitness in the 2nd, probably because they had to defend so much. There was some good rugby material there though and one imagined: what if they had had the rugby upbringing of the NSW players?

• For Vic big bopper 13. K.Valenti was powerful before his injury and ran over NSW fullback McIntyre once on a rampage. 14. B.Valentini, one of the best of the U/16 tournament last year, was much the same, and 15. Laloifi looked like Kiwi Tuitaveke with his stepping at high speed.

• 6. Dempsey and 14 Kellaway were two of the best for NSW with Dempsey slipping and running through tackles and Kellaway doing Matt Burke impressions though playing on the wing. The ball didn't go to the 11. Cluines-Ross wing so much but he probably got more ball in this game than in three for CAS in the trials, and used it well.

• 10. Horwitz looked commanding once the forwards settled down in the second half and you could see why 15. McIntyre was picked. He wasn't the most brilliant fullback of the day but his clean-up and linking work was full of team value.

• The NSW scrum and lineout throwing was not brilliant but otherwise 1. OPL and 2. Wilson (the NSW goal kicker) played well. 5. Manukeu was a standout but 4. Rorke had a quiet game.
.

 

[Lee Grant]

Qld I 38 Combined States 5

6 tries to 1 - Qld started well but then seemed to have the same rustiness as NSW Is had, so that CS came back later in the 1st half and were only 5-12 down at oranges. But Qld hit their straps when they switched ends to the tune of 26-0 as CS faded trying to put out all the fires. They also lacked a bit of class in too many positions.

• For CS 9. Pulver went on a couple of snipes that should have been supported better and 13 Redden showed why a few folks were saying he should have been playing for NSW.

• The Qld scrum had problems in the 1st half and there were a slew of not straight throws from them too. 5. Korczyk was everywhere and played like a back rower which played dividends in the 2nd half. Powerhouse 8. Fakaosiela put the Oz selectors on notice.

• 15. Placid had a few slashing runs in the 1st half - just like last year in the U/16s, and 11. Ioane looked like his cousin sometimes so I'm looking forward to seeing more of it next time. 12. Tuttle was slippery but quiet compared to last year (U/16); so watch this space. Best of all was the interplay between the Qld outside backs in the 2nd half.

PS - For CS 8. Oppenheimer and 15 JB-Boyer withdrew from the team and were replaced by Liam Moyland and Will Paterson, respectively. 2. Kitchen limped off and 17. Gough had to be assisted off; so both may be in doubt for Wednesday.


NSW II 46 WA 0

7 tries to 0 - At 32-0 at oranges it looked like it was going to be a horror show but WA limited NSW to 2 tries in the 2nd half.

• WA were outclassed but had a few good players. 8. Anderson made an outstanding long break and I liked the look of 10. Koitau who has a nice pass and is a good organiser.

• 6. O'Donahue had a punishing all round game for NSW and was all the more noticeable with his Harinordoquy face bandage in the 2nd half, as he had broken his nose in the 1st. He said he would be right for Wednesday though. Not so 12. Creely, who was hard to stop, but suffered a serious looking knee injury.

• 2. Carolan did some fine throwing to the lineout in breezy conditions when he came off the bench, and had a busy game. 8. Hemopo had several good runs using barging, fending and stepping. Like Whitely and Fakaosiela in other teams, it will be good to see him play against stronger opponents to assess him better.

• The Kings pairing of 9. Ferris and 10. Tulloch profited from the good work of the forwards. Tulloch has gone from strength to strength from GPS through to NSW and could be a smokey - but again: let's see him against better opponents. 13. Foketi had a stellar 1st half and set up a beautiful try and pulled off one of the biggest tackles of the day.

• The star of Day 1 for me was 11. Jones who was dangerous every time he had the ball. He set up one try why a chip and chase in the 1st half and another in the 2nd when he launched a couple of other NSW backs to finish off the move like magic.


Lloyd McDermott Development Team 36 v NT 25 [Div II]

This was the best match of the day. LMDT started up with a smart try then NT took over and it looked like one way traffic, then after oranges LMDT came fast out of the blocks took the lead, lost it, then came back again.

Maybe some of the lads didn't have the rugby pedigree or size of players in the Div I teams but they produced a good footie game.

The crowd favourite was NT Hair Bear 7. McDinny who was a live wire all game and scored a popular try.


SA v Tas - did not see.
.

 

[tomasi15]

Hi Lee, Great work on the day 1 wrap-up. Your rugby thoughts are always a great read! Just interested in your opinion on numbers 8's for the next level. I highly rate Albert Hemopo from NSW II, but have been informed from a reliable source that he is well down on the pecking order for selection according to Tim Rapp. For me Whitely just does not have enough grunt to be considered the front runner for this position?

 

[Gristlechewer]

Hi Lee, Great work on the day 1 wrap-up. Your rugby thoughts are always a great read! Just interested in your opinion on numbers 8's for the next level. I highly rate Albert Hemopo from NSW II, but have been informed from a reliable source that he is well down on the pecking order for selection according to Tim Rapp. For me Whitely just does not have enough grunt to be considered the front runner for this position?

Agreed, but if you saw Whitely in the NSW 1's yesterday, he really did a lot of grunt work as a no 8 should. He got in there and did the hard yards wereas throughout the day, every other No 8 wanted to look at "the big run" to impress. Rapp did nothing wrong, Hemopo absolutely slaughtered an under the post try due to whiteline fever but they scored in the corner 2 rucks later. Mitchell Whitely was my pick of the 8's yesterday, mainly because he was one of few to want to do the tough stuff

 

[Gristlechewer]

Also LG I was within earshot of O'donahue talking to joeys parents, i think and he said it was just a bloody nose but thats the way that the staff will dress the injury to avoid blood borne issues.
Elephant Men everywhere!!!!

 

[PTB]

What I believe to be the best starting backline from the first days play (note opposition were the weakest)

Day 1 backline

9 Pulver (CS) really stood up, and stood out
10 Tulloch (NSW II) best first five of the day, much tougher opposition awaits though
11 Jones (NSW II) Best winger of the day, was simply outstanding
12 Tuttle (QLD I) Faultless, can see what all the rave reviews have been about
13 Robinson (QLD II) Best centre of the day, very good in contact in attack and defense
14 Porch (NSW II) In my eyes was second best fullback of the day, brilliant on his feet
15 Placid (QLD I) The best player of the day in my eyes, narrowly ahead of Jones, was very slippery and strong in contact, and lighting too, Heard whispers is already heading to mungo ball which if true is unfortunate

Forwards, no real standout for me as was more a day for the backs to standout, will be looking a lot more intensively at the forwards tomorrow and Thursday.

 

[Brian Westlake]

What I believe to be the best starting backline from the first days play (note opposition were the weakest)

Day 1 backline

9 Pulver (CS) really stood up, and stood out
10 Tulloch (NSW II) best first five of the day, much tougher opposition awaits though
11 Jones (NSW II) Best winger of the day, was simply outstanding
12 Tuttle (QLD I) Faultless, can see what all the rave reviews have been about
13 Robinson (QLD II) Best centre of the day, very good in contact in attack and defense
14 Porch (NSW II) In my eyes was second best fullback of the day, brilliant on his feet
15 Placid (QLD I) The best player of the day in my eyes, narrowly ahead of Jones, was very slippery and strong in contact, and lighting too, Heard whispers is already heading to mungo ball which if true is unfortunate

Forwards, no real standout for me as was more a day for the backs to standout, will be looking a lot more intensively at the forwards tomorrow and Thursday.

Swap Valetini for Porch and tou have the best by a long shot

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Normal service has been resumed.

As always, thanks Lee for your comprehensive and objective game wraps.

It is a tough gig and most fellow Gaggerlanders are very appreciative.

 

[Brian Westlake]

On a by line. i saw nothing in the daily telegraph today re Aus Champs. the Brumbies put out their own press release. Lee Grant does a fab job for the blog faithful and gristle chewer filled in a bit, but is there a Media person looking after the fourth estate?
Not one jot on the local news either.
Is schoolboy rugby becoming clandestine? If theMedia person approached LG I am sure he would at least give the print boys something?
Anyone? Anyone?

 

[Lee Grant]

Hi Lee, Great work on the day 1 wrap-up. Your rugby thoughts are always a great read! Just interested in your opinion on numbers 8's for the next level. I highly rate Albert Hemopo from NSW II, but have been informed from a reliable source that he is well down on the pecking order for selection according to Tim Rapp. For me Whitely just does not have enough grunt to be considered the front runner for this position?

I often have a yarn to Rappy but thought he was involved with NSW not Oz. He usually knows what he is talking about though.

Agree on Whitely generally though he seemed to put in a bit more yesterday. I find that it depends a lot on when you watch somebody in a game. He annoys me a bit in some of the fancy stuff he does like doing a fake draw pass way before the tackle line and often with nobody there to pass to which fools nobody, and watching the play too much at the ruck.

His linking skills are first class though for a schools 8 and has good hands for a lineout. I probably judge him too harshly but you'd think though that playing with Dempsey all the time at View, and Wells last year, that more grunt would rub off on him. Wells is the perfect model for him. What a backrow that was.

Also LG I was within earshot of O'donahue talking to joeys parents, i think and he said it was just a bloody nose but thats the way that the staff will dress the injury to avoid blood borne issues.
Elephant Men everywhere!!!!

I assumed is was broken and he was being brave: didn't ask if was. He should keep the mask on for the rest of the week though because the selectors won't be able to miss him. He certainly took my eye (and not only after the bandaging.)

Good reports earlier Gristlechewer (tell me it ain't true) and others. If folks read all of our reports we should give them a good picture overall.
.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

enforcer was looking for a gig.

Archbishop Lee Grant does an excellent job preaching to the Gaggerland congregation, and long may he remain ours and ours alone.

If Grumbles is incapable of getting his snout out of the gossip tabloid trough for long enough to actually write a thought provoking and objective article, then perhaps the ARU media unit needs to coordinate and direct all rugby brand media to write column inches for the main papers, and the surburban giveaway newspapers.

Every child at under 18 schoolboy tournament comes from a local suburb. Put out a local interest number on each and every participant. Not too hard to do, and you get a good return for your 300 word investment.

Fairly simple grass roots stuff really. Not everyone wants to know about what Quade Cooper had for breakfast via twitterland.

As I type the above, another dangerous idea is evolving, (Disclaimer: I have no real idea about how twitter works but...) why not have the boys (in a controlled and mentored manner) twitter about the games - ARU media establish twitter accounts and provide the necessary environment and hardware to facilitate this. Introducing them to the potential evils of twitter/social media (Stephanie Rice anyone?) early and in a supervised and controlled manner would serve two purposes.

 

[tomasi15]

I often have a yarn to Rappy but thought he was involved with NSW not Oz. He usually knows what he is talking about though.

AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS MANAGEMENT POSITIONS 2012:

MANAGER Paul GEDDES Central Coast Grammar School
ASSISTANT MANAGER John ROWNES Knox Grammar School
COACH Stephen PHILLPOTTS Brisbane Boys’ College
ASSISTANT COACH Tim RAPP Newington College
SKILLS COACH Andy Clark ARU
S&C COACH Darren Clunn ARU
PHYSIOTHERAPIST Mr Will Maher ACT
DOCTOR Dr Michael McLean QLD

 

[Lee Grant]

I saw nothing in the daily telegraph today re Aus Champs. the Brumbies put out their own press release. Not one jot on the local news either.
Is schoolboy rugby becoming clandestine?

I think they will send somebody out on Saturday as overtime, or rather undertime, before the Waratahs match out west.

14 Porch (NSW II) In my eyes was second best fullback of the day, brilliant on his feet
15 Placid (QLD I) The best player of the day in my eyes, narrowly ahead of Jones, was very slippery and strong in contact, and lighting too, Heard whispers is already heading to mungo ball which if true is unfortunate.

Agree on Porch who I didn't mention. Placid? It was mentioned already last year at the U/16s that he was going to the dark side as were most of the Qld backs were in that Qld "Red"team. Tuttle appears to be safe for the moment according to my mail, but you never know.

The trouble I have with assessing Placid and several other gun fullbacks in schools rep rugby is that you hardly ever see them play as custodians because their teams are so good and they are mostly on attack. In that respect, and despite being run over by a big ACT bopper, McIntyre performed well, and the ACT 15 O'Neill was not too shabby either.

Against the Kiwis later on, you need blokes at the back who can deal with adversity.

Tomasi
Thanks for that info, but better not mention such stuff from now on, just in case.
.

 

[rugboy]

Did Milne and Moeroa play?