George Smith
Ted Thorn (20)
or GPS III v NSW Country game??
Why did Scots and Newington embark on their current programs?
[extract from attached article from David Kirk, ex RWC NZ Capt and Chairman of trustees at SGS). Full article attached to post #2023.
"To understand what has happened to GPS rugby we need to go back a few years. I think the turning point was 2006.
A year before, in 2005, Grammar beat High, as we might expect, but that year we also beat Kings 15-5 and drew with Scots, at Bellevue Hill 15-15. We lost to the eventual third place-getters, Shore 14-9, and to Newington by 14 points to 20. We had one large loss, 57-6 to St Josephs (one Kurtley Beale scored 5 tries). That year we finished 6th, a point behind Newington and ahead of Kings.
In 2006 we did even better. We beat High, as expected. We also beat Newington at Stanmore 23-20 and beat Scots at Weigall 26-22. We lost to Kings at Parramatta by just a single point, 24-23. We finished 5th - above Newington, Scots and High. I wonder now if losing to Grammar was perhaps the turning point for Newington and Scots?
If we fast forward to 2012 we can see a great deal has changed. Newington won the premiership unbeaten; Scots finished second, losing only to Newington.
Quite simply, Scots College and Newington College have established 'sports programs' along the lines of the US Colleges model. That is, aggressively recruit and provide scholarships to the best rugby players they can find. Quite often these boys come into the school in Years 10 or 11. Winning a rugby premiership is no doubt a component of the marketing these schools undertake.
This recruitment has got to a point where it has nothing to do with developing rugby-playing talent. Newington College, the GPS Premiers in 2012, had three boys of their team who had been paid to sign contracts to play rugby league when they leave school.
As always occurs in these sorts of circumstances, an arms race in rugby-playing talent has developed."
Very interesting article and I agree with gpsoldboy that it will be good fodder for the press once it gets into the public arena.Why did Scots and Newington embark on their current programs?
[extract from attached article from David Kirk, ex RWC NZ Capt and Chairman of trustees at SGS). Full article attached to post #2023.
"To understand what has happened to GPS rugby we need to go back a few years. I think the turning point was 2006.
A year before, in 2005, Grammar beat High, as we might expect, but that year we also beat Kings 15-5 and drew with Scots, at Bellevue Hill 15-15. We lost to the eventual third place-getters, Shore 14-9, and to Newington by 14 points to 20. We had one large loss, 57-6 to St Josephs (one Kurtley Beale scored 5 tries). That year we finished 6th, a point behind Newington and ahead of Kings.
In 2006 we did even better. We beat High, as expected. We also beat Newington at Stanmore 23-20 and beat Scots at Weigall 26-22. We lost to Kings at Parramatta by just a single point, 24-23. We finished 5th - above Newington, Scots and High. I wonder now if losing to Grammar was perhaps the turning point for Newington and Scots?
If we fast forward to 2012 we can see a great deal has changed. Newington won the premiership unbeaten; Scots finished second, losing only to Newington.
Quite simply, Scots College and Newington College have established 'sports programs' along the lines of the US Colleges model. That is, aggressively recruit and provide scholarships to the best rugby players they can find. Quite often these boys come into the school in Years 10 or 11. Winning a rugby premiership is no doubt a component of the marketing these schools undertake.
This recruitment has got to a point where it has nothing to do with developing rugby-playing talent. Newington College, the GPS Premiers in 2012, had three boys of their team who had been paid to sign contracts to play rugby league when they leave school.
As always occurs in these sorts of circumstances, an arms race in rugby-playing talent has developed."
Very interesting article and I agree with gpsoldboy that it will be good fodder for the press once it gets into the public arena.
Next cab off the rank after Newington and Scots in the "rugby college scholarships program" is probably Kings but after 50 point floggings from both those schools what's the story there?
My good friends at North Parramatta tell me that Dr Tim Hawkes has put a stop to the practice of the Fathers Association "boosting" the School but paying school fees of talented locals to play rugby. This practice started when Andrew Parry was coach.
It actually started before Andrew was born. Kings even started way before Newington and Scots in 1944! My father once confessed that he was the first rugby scholarship recipient at Kings! Like many of the New boys experiencing the joys of 1st XV only (Morris et al), in the 3 years he was at TKS he was in top team for rugby and rowing and had the dubious honor of being GPS Heavy Weight boxing champion but his real claim to fame was his attendance at SGS before TKS!My good friends at North Parramatta tell me that Dr Tim Hawkes has put a stop to the practice of the Fathers Association "boosting" the School but paying school fees of talented locals to play rugby. This practice started when Andrew Parry was coach.
It actually started before Andrew was born. Kings even started way before Newington and Scots in 1944! My father once confessed that he was the first rugby scholarship recipient at Kings! Like many of the New boys experiencing the joys of 1st XV only (Morris et al), in the 3 years he was at TKS he was in top team for rugby and rowing and had the dubious honor of being GPS Heavy Weight boxing champion but his real claim to fame was his attendance at SGS before TKS!
It actually started before Andrew was born. Kings even started way before Newington and Scots in 1944! My father once confessed that he was the first rugby scholarship recipient at Kings! Like many of the New boys experiencing the joys of 1st XV only (Morris et al), in the 3 years he was at TKS he was in top team for rugby and rowing and had the dubious honor of being GPS Heavy Weight boxing champion but his real claim to fame was his attendance at SGS before TKS!
My flight back to Japan will take off before you figure it out!Is anyone putting all these clues together??? !!!
Maybe one for the Scholarship thread.
Their firsts last year were pretty ordinary but their 2nds went well only losing the one game to Joeys. Not sure about their 2012 16a's. Mind you is it the case that they may have played the best two teams in the GPS comp first up in Scots and Newington? Still they're two big losses.dodgy talent scouts
Can we take discussion on Captain Kirks article over the the School Sporting Scholarship thread?
Can I say that there is nothing in Captain Kirk's article that hasn't been posted in that thread about 50 times already with slight variations each time.
Good thought but doesn't apply as Shore and View were deemed the two weakest teams before the season started and they acquitted themselves pretty well when they played against one of these power-weights.Their firsts last year were pretty ordinary but their 2nds went well only losing the one game to Joeys. Not sure about their 2012 16a's. Mind you is it the case that they may have played the best two teams in the GPS comp first up in Scots and Newington? Still they're two big losses.
Based on this form line sounds like it might be a tough season for the Kings boys?Good thought but doesn't apply as Shore and View were deemed the two weakest teams before the season started and they acquitted themselves pretty well when they played against one of these power-weights.
Isn't Parry the next headmaster?My good friends at North Parramatta tell me that Dr Tim Hawkes has put a stop to the practice of the Fathers Association "boosting" the School but paying school fees of talented locals to play rugby. This practice started when Andrew Parry was coach.
Julian Huxley is too young to have a son posting on hereIt actually started before Andrew was born. Kings even started way before Newington and Scots in 1944! My father once confessed that he was the first rugby scholarship recipient at Kings! Like many of the New boys experiencing the joys of 1st XV only (Morris et al), in the 3 years he was at TKS he was in top team for rugby and rowing and had the dubious honor of being GPS Heavy Weight boxing champion but his real claim to fame was his attendance at SGS before TKS!
Ooohhhh.... Hugh..... Are you think of a conspiracy here? Or just being a cyncical old bastard like me?Arms race is an interesting term and while hardly invented by Gaggerlanders, it is not in all that commonly used.
I note that the term "arms race" was first used on the Scholarship thread by smokinjoe on Jun 10 2011 and has been used on no less than 35 occasions since.
This gets old Hugh thinking that either Captain Kirk, who incidentally is one of only 3 Australians to have held the William Webb Ellis trophy aloft as the Rugby World Cup Winning Captain, or one of his close advisors is a fellow Gaggerlander.