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ISA 2017

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Pickngo44

Bob McCowan (2)
St Pats 29- St Greg's 29 @ Campbelltown

Can't fault the spirit of the rugby. Definitely can fault the spirit of the fans. St Greg's supporters need to have a good hard look at themselves.

Reality is St Gregs rugby is a shambles, buoyed only by individual talents.
 
Mr ISA Rugby

Mr ISA Rugby

Herbert Moran (7)
Pickngo44 said:
St Pats 29- St Greg's 29 @ Campbelltown

Can't fault the spirit of the rugby. Definitely can fault the spirit of the fans. St Greg's supporters need to have a good hard look at themselves.

Reality is St Gregs rugby is a shambles, buoyed only by individual talents.
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I'm not going to comment on the fans but something should be said by the school. It was a fantastic game of rugby with the result a fair reflection of how the teams played.

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On the ball

On the ball

Frank Row (1)
It would be great to see some insightful and credible posts with regards to ISA rugby. I am really missing HJ's research and analysis this year.

Below is a post from the 2016 ISA forum which may enlighten some as to the background on the structure of the ISA divisions.

The aim of the competition is to provide well matched fixtures for teams regardless of whether they are a school's firsts, seconds or fifths. There is a large difference in student numbers within ISA schools and some only offer rugby whilst others also have large soccer programs. It is great to see ISA looking after it's member schools by considering player welfare and doing it's best to provide a competitive meaningful season of rugby for players of all levels.

On the ball said:
The Division allocations in ISA are simple. Schools in Div 2 only field one team per age group. These schools are generally limited by their smaller enrolments. There is no 2nd XV comp and several schools have insufficient players to field teams in one of the U13-U16 age groups therefore speculation that any Div 1 schools are in line for relegation is untrue unless the school plans on fielding one team per age when dropping to Div 2. St Pats are definitely safe in Div 1.

The decline in participants in many schools rugby programs has resulted in no school moving up to Div 1 from Div 2 in more than 10 years. St Augustine's and St Greg's went straight into Div 1 when they joined ISA based on their teams being too strong for Div 2 and their ability to field B teams. Chevalier and then St Andrew's dropped down from Div 1 to Div 2, leaving seven schools in Div 1.
Whilst less competition games provided opportunities for trial matches v CAS and GPS schools, Div 1 schools were left with a short season consisting of 7 competition rounds (only 6 games) where one loss often cost teams the premiership. Issues existed around home advantage, refs etc when schools only played opponents at home every second year. With the potential for washouts and byes, younger teams and lower grades often had less than 6 comp games which is difficult to sell to players and parents as a "season of rugby". In the past the short season length has been a significant issue in players choosing to play club rugby or league over schoolboy rugby which has meant that the best talent has not always played for their schools or in ISA rep teams. Some schools supplement their 1st XV season with Waratah Shield participation to increase the number of competitive games, however, the demise of that competition is discussion for another thread.

The change in structure of the CAS and GPS to home and away comps meant that there was no opposition to play from other associations in early Term 2 and ISA needed to extend their competition season. A home and away season was not possible with 7 schools as it includes a bye round and would go for 16 weeks which is longer than the 12 weeks allocated for the winter season. The combining of Pius and Greg's into one line facilitated the 6 line home and away season where schools received 5 home and 5 away games. This involved a huge amount of goodwill from both St Pius and St Greg's as only one school has the opportunity to play 1st XV and A games.

Out of the 10 rounds in this season's competition Kinross, Stannies, Pats, Oakhill and Augies had ONE round (away v Gregs/Pius) where they needed to send squads to different venues requiring them to send teams with reserves. The situation isn't ideal for the away team but as it only occurs once in 10 rounds it is fairer than the suggestion that Pius or Greg's should alternate hosting duties which would result in both schools playing either 7 or 8 games out of 10 away and possibly hosting only 2 rounds.

The 2016 format, whilst not perfect, resulted in a better season for players in the ISA Div 1 comp through better grading (safer for participants and more competitive) and extending the comp season by 4 games. Some comps, including 1st XV were not decided until the last round. Pius 1sts (a strong team by Pius standards) were not unbeaten in the 2nds comp however, the best indicator of the success of the format is if there is a reduction in mismatches in the lower grades which appears to be significantly less than previous years (certainly for St Greg's and Pius). Should the 2016 format be retained in the future it should assist schools to attract and maintain players to play rugby in the ISA comp simply through a greater number of competitive games that are better matched.
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Mr ISA Rugby

Mr ISA Rugby

Herbert Moran (7)
@Ontheball we understand the issues around the Greg's/Pius situation. But the way I see it, it is simply unfair for all the other schools.

Why should the other schools in the competition have to play games against a team that isn't evenly graded?

I believe this issue disproportionately effects pats who aren't that strong to begin with but have to cop some smashings when 2s play Pius 1s or other b teams play Greg's a teams or vice versa.

It is a solution to a problem that only works in the favour of Greg's and Pius because they can't field enough teams - why should everyone else suffer?

It's a farcical joke that needs to be looked at post-season. A return to one round (like cas and GPS) is the easiest solution.

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footyfan1

Frank Row (1)
Weekends results confirm Stannies premiership credentials (personally can't wait to see the lads play) and show Auggies won't be letting them have it easy. Oakhill certainly aren't the powerhouse of the past 5 years. I'd say St Greg's's would be disappointed with the draw at home with St Pats after their round 1 victory over Oakhill. I'm glad St Pats bounced back swiftly after their drubbing against Auggies last week and hope they can keep putting up strong performances. Kinross like St Pats need to bounce back quickly after there flogging on the weekend. What better stage to do so than taking it to the top of the table Stannies in the local derby across the mountains this Saturday.

Moving to round 4 Oakhill v St Pats at Breen Oval shapes up as a great contest and the hardest of the fixtures to tip, could go either way but feel Oakhill will be too strong. Obviously the Kinross/Stannies game will be massive and full of passion as usual, tipping Stannies by 10+. Finally Greg's venture out to Rat Park, where I feel Auggies may notch up their 3rd consecutive 50+ score line against the ever unpredictable St Greg's.
 
Roger Cassidy

Roger Cassidy

Frank Row (1)
footyfan1 said:
Weekends results confirm Stannies premiership credentials (personally can't wait to see the lads play) and show Auggies won't be letting them have it easy. Oakhill certainly aren't the powerhouse of the past 5 years. I'd say St Greg's's would be disappointed with the draw at home with St Pats after their round 1 victory over Oakhill. I'm glad St Pats bounced back swiftly after their drubbing against Auggies last week and hope they can keep putting up strong performances. Kinross like St Pats need to bounce back quickly after there flogging on the weekend. What better stage to do so than taking it to the top of the table Stannies in the local derby across the mountains this Saturday.

Moving to round 4 Oakhill v St Pats at Breen Oval shapes up as a great contest and the hardest of the fixtures to tip, could go either way but feel Oakhill will be too strong. Obviously the Kinross/Stannies game will be massive and full of passion as usual, tipping Stannies by 10+. Finally Greg's venture out to Rat Park, where I feel Auggies may notch up their 3rd consecutive 50+ score line against the ever unpredictable St Greg's.
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Very well said.

Anyone else have their predictions for the cross town rivalry game between Stannies and Kinross? Always a very tough and physical game.
 
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Tom Bennett

Frank Row (1)
Roger Cassidy said:
Very well said.

Anyone else have their predictions for the cross town rivalry game between Stannies and Kinross? Always a very tough and physical game.
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Not sure about anyone else but i will definitely be making the annual trip over the mountains with the family. The tradition has been around for too long not to go back and celebrate it. My prediction Stannies win 57-12.
 
Alexander Parnell

Alexander Parnell

Bob McCowan (2)
Roger Cassidy said:
Very well said.

Anyone else have their predictions for the cross town rivalry game between Stannies and Kinross? Always a very tough and physical game.
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Stannies vs Kinross is arguably the biggest rivalry in ISA and it shows on the paddock. Kinross always seem to peak against Stannies but the boys in blue and white should have an easy win this year. Can't make it to bathurst but I hope the game is played in good spirit.
SSC to win by 40+
 
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insideball23

Guest
Alexander Parnell said:
Stannies vs Kinross is arguably the biggest rivalry in ISA and it shows on the paddock. Kinross always seem to peak against Stannies but the boys in blue and white should have an easy win this year. Can't make it to bathurst but I hope the game is played in good spirit.
SSC to win by 40+
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Both schools have the colours blue and white you inbred
 
BAR

BAR

Chris McKivat (8)
The SACS All Saints round in Bathurst saw a couple of lopsided affairs, a forfeit by SACS, and a tough fought 1st XV result in perfect weather.

The SACS U13s posted a dominant 39-7 win over the Saints. As I was watching the U15s at the time I can't comment on the nature of the match but, with Chev, Saints and SACS all posting wins against each other in recent weeks it has the making of a challenging season in this age group.

The SACS 14s were decimated by injuries and illness and unfortunately couldn't field a team even with the 14s from the 15s team backing up. A friendly was played instead.

The SACS 15s went from an impressive performance the previous week to looking somewhat lost in their 57-19 loss. Their strongest players continued to do what they do best but a number of the forwards looked lost around the rucks and overall the "tackling" was rather ineffective. No desperation from a good proportion of the team. Not to take away from a strong effort by All Saints who have a nicely balanced team. The backs found plenty of space off good work from the forwards.

The 1st XV was a great game. The SACS 1st XV managed to leave Bathurst with a 22-12 win. I'd like to say that SACS dominated the game but at no time did the scoreboard really reflect that. SACS did look the most likely dominating the attack throughout the match and defending well. They had the better of the game for the most part, and deserved the win. But, having said that the All Saints defence was desperate and tenacious and despite being behind on the scoreboard they never panicked. All Saints remained in the game until the final points for SACS were scored in the shadow of full time. Terrific Rugby.
 
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