Australian Schoolboys & National Championships 2013

[Sideline Eye]

Can you get him to educate some of the "paternally related" coaches/managers for us Lee.

I was talking about selectors.

Which of the of the selectors of Australian Schools are in this category?
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I think this first post, above, may possibly be referring to banter back up this thread (or possibly on another thread) about coaches and managers politicking and pushing their own team members at the selectors come decision time. Getting in their ear and talking them up, etc, sometimes re their own kids.

 

[Sideline Eye]

Looking a bit wet for the lead-up camp at Riverview, but looking good for the Champs next week...

 

[Hugh Jarse]

I think this first post, above, may possibly be referring to banter back up this thread (or possibly on another thread) about coaches and managers politicking and pushing their own team members at the selectors come decision time. Getting in their ear and talking them up, etc, sometimes re their own kids.

Plenty on these boards do similar for their off spring, school associates, team mates etc.

It can get a little lively for the Moderators at times when the Boarding houses get bored, or during holidays when they get to go on Mummy's laptop.

 

[George Smith]

Looking a bit wet for the lead-up camp at Riverview, but looking good for the Champs next week.

View attachment 3831

Lets hope it is wet, foggy and somewhat miserable. Even better if all the spectators are miserable and have a good whinge also! That way the conditions our lads will face at the end of the year will be replicated and we can see who will revel in these conditions best.

 

[George Smith]

I believe it is because NSW Secondary School is for six years (yr 7 to 12) and QLD Secondary School is for five years (yrs 8 to 12).

Each State has seven years of primary NSW has Kindergarten to yr 6 and Qld has Yr 1 to Yr 7.

This is why the age difference at the Open End of Schoolboys.

However, as I said before, QLD aligned its system with other States in around 2006 or 2007 by introducing a prep year (equivalent of Kindergarten) and it will have worked its way through by 2019.

There were also different starting ages previously, but I have not got exact times for each state. Hope this helps.

and I thought the difference between the metriculating ages was based on academic merit????

 

[ruggun11]

Am I correct saying Devine (QLD II) was named as one of the best players at the Australian U16 Carnival in 2012? If so, why is he only QLD II Bench?

 

[Steve Pierce]

Next weeks national champs are going to be a blast with a fair ammount of talent floating arround. With some Ex-Australian schools players from last year such as Matt Sandal, Lolo Fakaosilea, Brad Wilkin, Tepai Moeroa and Andrew Kellaway.

Queensland 1 should be dominent with the forwards leading by example with Fakaosilea and Wilkin in the back row and also the electrifying strength and pace from the backs lead by Mitch Third who has continued prove his smart attacking playing ability to the coaches.

Showing some excitement in the backline, NSW 1 should be able to execute the right plays with Andrew Kellaway, Tepai Moeroa and Taane Milne who have the strength to carry the team.

By the looks of these teams i have a feeling that the hit out between these two will be the game of the tournament. Overal the Australian schools team this year to be picked is going to be a dangerous team with expierience, strength, smart and could be unstoppable when off to the UK. But the only way to prove that. Is to put them to the test against our counterparts New Zealand. Beating them again for the third time in a row may not nly be a record, but it will the bar of ability which these boys will need to play like on tour.

Goodluck to all the boys next week and i hope you all have a lovely week watching our young guns taking their oppotunities to the test.

cheers

 

[Steve Pierce]

Aust. Schools, depends I suppose on a little, tiny bit, of Politics and if NSW Smash Queensland, how many extra Lads NSW get and the same for Queensland if they smash NSW.
My likes are

5 R Hewart ( Q1s )
7 B Paenga Amosa ( NSW 2s )
9 M Short / I Fines, ( NSW 1s and Q1s )
10 J Clancy ( NSW 2 s )
11 C Taylor ( NSW 1s )

Lets hope all the Lads play well, the weather is fine and No Serious Injuries

Thats an exceptional team. I believe that this team is pretty spot on.

 

[strokeside]

At the presentation last night of the NSW teams, Cannell was named Captain & Kellaway Vice of NSW one's, and Lussick, Captain of two's (can't remember the vice of the 2nds) Hard for a prop to captain a team while rucking and scrummaging.

 

[Lee Grant]

Overall the Australian schools team this year to be picked is going to be a dangerous team with expierience, strength, smart and could be unstoppable when off to the UK.

That won't be the case because they don't play against schools sides anymore, unless by exception.

The Oz Schools team played six games on tour in 2009 and only one was against a schools team. They won that one comfortably, against Ireland Schools, but the other five were against national or regional academy teams and they lost four of them.

Fortunately for the Aussies, the scheduled seventh match, against the England Under-18 Academy XV, was cancelled because the ground was frozen.

Mind you, they should have won the match against an England Under-17 academy development team. No excuses there.

Oz Schools beat an England Under 18 Academy team in 2005 but the landscape has changed since then.

Now the young Poms play in an Under-18 version of the Six Nations Under-20 Championship at the beginning of the year, and by the time the Aussies arrive they would have finished their Under-18 Regional tournaments and chosen the England Under-18 team for the Oz game from that.

Most of the England players have already left school and would have been training full-time at one of the 14 academies they are are all attached to. Some would have already been at the academies part-time for a year or two.

If the England Under-18 lads are as physically prepared and rugby-wise as the squad that was in Australia in 2011 and beat an Oz Under-19 team, the Aussie lads will be in strife — and the 2013 young Poms will be months advanced on that 2011 team.

The Under-18 academy players from the other countries the Oz Schools team will play don't have the same comprehensive preparation as the England lads do, but they are still on the high bits of an uneven playing field.

It would be good if our Oz Schools team played against Under-18 schoolboys only, as we do when their schools sides come here, but those days are gone.
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[Sideline Eye]

At the presentation last night of the NSW teams, Cannell was named Captain & Kellaway Vice of NSW one's, and Lussick, Captain of two's (can't remember the vice of the 2nds) Hard for a prop to captain a team while rucking and scrummaging.

Who's the prop you're referring to... Cannell? If so, isn't he a lock (2nd row)? Also, if Horwill can do it from #8, not that much difference in terms of involvement in rucking and scrummaging. (Strokeside, are you a back, by any chance?)

 

[Lee Grant]

Has to be - I was going to respond as you did Sideline Eye, but I was laughing too hard.

 

[strokeside]

sorry, a bit cryptic, I was referring to Sandell, as the early money was on him to captain. I'm ashamed to admit this, I spent many years at 2nd row but now really enjoy watching what a good backline can do.

 

[Brian Westlake]

here is my pick for the Aust Schools 2013 team
(along with reserves for each position)

Aust Schools
1. Matthew SANDELL(NSW I)
2. Alex MAFI (Qld I)
3. Evander GUTTENBEIL (Qld I)
4. Lachlan CANNELL (NSW I)
5. Ned Hanigan (NSW II)
6. Lolo FAKAOSILEA (Qld I)
7. Brad WILKEN (Qld 1) added
8. Maclean JONES (Qld I)
9. Joey LUSSICK (NSW II)
10. Mitchell THIRD (Qld I)
11. Isaac NATHAN (Qld I)
12. Tepai MOEROA (NSW I)
13. Taane MILNE (NSW I)
14. Harry JONES (NSW I)
15. Andrew KELLAWAY (NSW I)

16. Connal McINERNEY (ACT)
17. Greg FATIAKI (ACT)Fereti SAAGA (Vic)
18. Jack McCALMAN (NSW I)
19. Angus CRICHTON (NSW I)
20. Issak FINES (Qld I)
21. Jack CLANCY (NSW II)
22. Landon HAYES (Qld I)
23. Adrian HENLEY (Qld I)

The only difference may be the halfback here GS. Both QLD and NSW 1's have brilliant halfbacks that can fire 20 mtr both ways. And the way the GPS II boys came on in the second half really showed up the I's halves. Prerequisites are the pass from the back of the ruck or scrum.

 

[lily]

FFS international halves can't consistently throw accurate 20 metre passes. Ask your English teacher to tell you what Hyperbole means.

 

[Brian Westlake]

FFS international halves can't consistently throw accurate 20 metre passes. Ask your English teacher to tell you what Hyperbole means.

I think my English teacher has retired lily. I would say slightly not exaggerating that I like a half back that can pass both ways. Did you not see Short at Knox the other day?

 

[KOB1987]

The only difference may be the halfback here

am sure there will be many other differences! which isn't a criticism of these selections, only that the championships haven't been played yet, plus some politics, plus some injuries....etc

 

[Lee Grant]

This year seems relatively quiet on the questionable selections front; relatively.

Am I right or am I right?
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[Hugh Jarse]

wrong Lee Grant. With a 6 week rugby tour to the UK and Ireland, I am bitterly disappointed that the selectors have once again gone for youth over experience, and overlooked me once more. I have no idea what more I can do to get a gig.

Seriously I sometimes wonder if the very strength of the GPS system both in NSW and BrisVegas doesn't actually disadvantage some of the "nearly there" kids. These boys would be absolute stars in lesser associations and actually get some decent time in front of the selectors. In NSW an AAGPS III boy is reliant on reputation, and JGS/NGS because as a team they only got to play in one walkover game very early on in the main day. The same boy with rugby smarts gets far more chances to impress if they were attending a CHS or CAS.

In BrisVegas the trials seem to be a little more equitable but it is easier to draw the eye of the selectors as a big fish in a small pond, and the corollary is that it is difficult to shine in the GPS big pond with all the other big fish.

 

[Lee Grant]

HJ

I was talking more about the relative lack of controversy about the individual selections of lads who played in front of the selectors in the team they played for. I wasn't talking about - what if they played for a different school or in a different school association.

That's another can of worms.

It would be hard to come up with names of players that should have been selected and weren't, and vice-versa, in that context, and done a what-if for all the players selected, or not selected.

It would be difficult to question selections because of such generalities.

As for the can of worms - or red herrings: I don't know - if you are talking about CHS, the other side of that is that a player who gets to be in the Ones of a big rugby school probably gets better coaching and S&C than he would otherwise get.

And because of competition for his spot at the school he will learn how to deal with pressure: an attribute that is noticed by guys picking rep teams.

Chances are that he would emerge as a better player at trial time than he would in a parallel universe where he didn't go to a big rugby school.

And in the parallel universe where the same lad played for CHS, he may not get a chance to show his wares in a trial because his team could be on the back foot all day.

As for: if he went to a GPS school instead of a CAS school, or vice-versa, I don't think it would make a lot of difference if the selectors were any good.
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