From the Convenor of Rugby, John McCoy
1st XV Match Report – CAS Round 2: Waverley College Vs St Aloysius’ College
The Double V travelled just over the bridge to Willoughby to take on St Aloysius’ College. St Aloysius’ had enjoyed a good win against Trinity Grammar School in Round 1 of the 2018 CAS Competition. Waverley, who were also coming off a nice win against Knox, knew it would be a challenging end to Term 2.
Waverley kicked off to Aloys in front of a very vocal home crowd. Waverley were awarded with an early penalty in an attacking position but failed to find touch. This let the Aloysius side off the hook, and provided the first real chance for the home team to show off their attack. It was impressive to watch, as the ball was effectively spread across the park by the St Aloysius’ fly half, Ben Pollack, who linked in well with the fullback, James Westbury. A real dangerous combination that will trouble many CAS schools.
Aloys had the chance to take the first points, but a penalty conversation was waved away by the touch judges. Waverley ran it back and it was that man, Tadgh Murphy, who charged up field to put the Waves on the front foot. Reece Thorn and Harley McGuiggan were also excellent in support and really helped swing the momentum back in favour of Waverley. Luca Moretti was the first to score in the match. On the back of some good tight work by the forward back, Luca was always going to be difficult to stop so close to the line.
St Aloysius’ hit back almost immediately, following some nice hands which found the winger down the left sideline of the field. One could sense that the match was heading into a classic see-sawing affair once again, which the Waverley supporters were very familiar with.
Waverley went close to easing the worries of the supporting fans, through a nice effort by Levi Milford down the grandstand side. It was Phoenix Baldwin who got the job done though, going in under the sticks following some excellent lead up work by Alex Rice, Luca Moretti and Captain Conor Molloy. The scoreboard displayed 14 to 5 and would remain this way right to the break.
Aloys kicked off in the second half, running into the sun. The match was still very much there for either side to take. A perfect cut out pass from Daniel Andrew found Ronald Volkman out wide. A cheeky inside ball to Jacob Tomasiello looked like Waverley were in for a try. It wasn’t to be, unfortunately, as the ball hit the turf. It did not take long for Waverley to post a try soon after this chance as Aisea Aholelei somehow found a gap on the side of the ruck. Charging through, Aisea attracted several defenders which created space out wide. Reece Thorn found Kieran Donohue who was in the open on the wing, and it was try time for the hooker.
The wide passing game from Aloysius continued to cause a few headaches for the Waves out wide, as they progressed up field well. This eventually led to a try to the home side down the left edge, as Waverley struggled to clear it out of the 22. The score now 19 to 12 with plenty of rugby remaining.
After the kick off Waverley were awarded with a penalty in kicking range. With only seven points in it, Captain Molloy pointed towards the sticks to take points on offer. Volkman manged to stike the ball nicely to put the Waves back in front by 10 points with 20 minutes on the clock. Once again, Aloysius were quick to fire back following some good forward work off a line-out. It was now 22 to 17, as the local crowd started to really come into the game.
At this point, Waverley started to be more thoughtful about closing out the match and played some smart rugby. The Waverley forward pack took control and began to build phases by picking and going forward. Not only did this put Waverley into good field position but it chewed up the minutes. Waverley’s patience in attack was awarded with a penalty in front of the posts. Daniel Andrews, as cool as ever, slotted the conversion and Aloysius’ were again in a position where they would need to score twice to get the win.
Off the kick-off, the home side managed to get the ball back and it was game on! The crowds started moving closer and closer to the edge of their seats. The Aloysius’ blindside flanker score a well-deserved try which was converted by the fullback, Westbury. Three minutes were remaining on the clock.
Some poor discipline from Waverley gave the home side the chance they needed. A kick into the corner would be the final play for Aloysius. It was like time had stopped. The ball thrown in by the Aloysius hooker drifted over the top of the hands of all in the lineout. The ball found the ground and bobbled around, ready to be taken by whoever was the more desperate to get there. In swooped Tadgh Murphy, like a magpie attacking a postman, to save the day for the Double V! Thorn cleared the ball to Donohue who kicked the ball into touch and full time was called. The final score 25 to 24.
Congratulations must go to the St Aloysius’ side who had a fantastic game plan and were prepared to throw the ball around, to make it an entertaining game to watch. This side will no doubt be a team to watch over the remaining three games. Waverley head into the June/July holiday break on top of the CAS table alongside Barker College. We look forward to an exciting few weeks of rugby in Term 3!
Around the Grounds
The 2nd XV had a very entertaining win against St Aloysius’ and showed to the crowds that this team has plenty of points in them. Corey Kallis, who celebrated his birthday last weekend, scored some nice tries, but loose head prop Felix Valentine stole the show by scoring a fantastic individual try. Felix’s acceleration meant that the video footage had to be reviewed in slow motion to identify who actually scored the try. The 3rd XV travelled to Knox for the second week in a row. Mr Frost was pleased with the tight 14-5 win. Max Johnson had a perfect record with the goalkicking duties. Gerry Fragias scored the game winning try as the 4th XV defeated the SAC 3rd XV 15-14, in similar fashion to the 1st XV. Carl Torrisi scored one of the most entertaining tries of the season to seal the win for the 5th XV from a well-placed kick by Ryan Jones. It was great to see the smiles on the faces of the 5th XV players who remain CAS undefeated!
The 16As faced up against St Aloysius at Primrose Park and secured a nice 71-5 victory. Billy Elmes scored a nice early try to help ease the nerves of his side. The 16Bs took on Riverview at Queens Park and got away with a pleasing win in muddy conditions. The 16Cs had a bye round for the week and the 16Ds travelled the Hunters Hill, where they just went down to St Joseph’s by a try in a great effort.
The 15s had a tough task with a number of students missing in action from the age group. A big thanks to all those boys who stepped up to play across a number of games, to cover for those who could not be there. It is the commitment and passion of these types of players that is the heart and soul of Waverley College Rugby! The 15As enjoyed a nice win despite not being at full strength once again. The holiday season had come at a good time for this side to regroup and start again. The 15Bs faced a tough task against St Joseph’s College. Jack Harms was forced off with a head knock – we wish Jack all the best in his recovery. The 15Cs tried hard but had a number of players backing up, just getting a bit too tired in the end. The 15Ds managed to get the win against the St Aloysius 15Bs. Thanks to all the players who arrived early to support this team.
After a slow start, the 14As managed to secure a big win 66-0. AJ Preketes was fantastic with some strong running as was Noah Kulscar who crossed the line 3 times in the match. The 14Bs had their second win against St Augustine’s for the season. Luke Furlong, Brent Hawkins and Lachie Smith were excellent in the backline, as was Ed Sullivan who looked ferocious running from Number 8. The 14Cs travelled to Riverview and just went down narrowly on the small field. Bobby Morris and Ryland Short made some terrific contributions. The 14Ds faced up against St Aloysius’ and really challenged the B graded Aloysius’ team. Riley Moore was a standout, as was Rocco Moustacas who took some strong pick and drives on several occasions. The 14Es also played at Riverview in a high scoring affair, just going down 51 to 43! Thanks to all the 14Cs players who arrived early to support the Es and to all the Es players who stayed to help the Cs!
The 13As enjoyed a nice win on Saturday morning at a sloppy Primrose Park. The team played really well together and managed to post a solid 55-7 win. The 13Bs travelled across to Riverview and Coach Soden was pleased with the 42-7 victory. The 13Cs proved to be too good for the St Aloysius 13Bs team. Jordan Mercer had a terrific game, defending really well. The 13Ds match against Riverview was a little bit of a blow out as this side won 79-5. The 13Es had a great contest against Sydney Grammar School with Harry Hill having another brilliant game. David Belavic and William Lane also made solid contributions in the win.
CAS Selection
Waverley College had a number of students selected in the CAS Opens Representative teams as well as the CAS U16’s teams. Congratulations to the following boys:
CAS 1st XV – Luca Moretti & Conor Molloy
CAS 2nd XV – Daniel Andrews, Harry Whiteman & Luca Martin
CAS Shadow Players – Levi Milford & Phoenix Baldwin
CAS U16s – Aisea Aloholei, Ronald Volkman, Will Baker, Zac Smith-Karim, Miles Amatosero, Jordan Swann, Oliver Ferguson & Emmanuel Di Bartolo
The CAS Opens teams faced up against GPS on Tuesday 26th June. For the second year in a row, the CAS Schools proved too strong for the GPS team with the CAS 1st XV winning 24-19. The 2nd XV went down 45-17. Congratulations to CAS 1st XV Coach, Mr Scott Coleman, who did a tremendous job once again in getting this team over the line. Mr Coleman will also be going on to coach the Combined States side over the upcoming holiday break.
Team App
The Waverley Rugby Team App has recently been updated. The community are now able to access the Queens Park Canteen/BBQ Roster on the Homepage. This will allow parents and friends to view the weekly roster and log times that they may be able to volunteer. We have three more weekends of rugby remaining in Term 3 and any assistance, particularly in the final two matches, would be appreciated.
Holiday Fixture
During the upcoming holiday break our 1st XV will be playing against a touring rugby side from Wales (Coleg Gwent). This match will be taking place on Sunday 15th July at around 11:15am. All are welcome to come along to the match and support the Double V in action!
Term 3
A reminder that training commences immediately at the start of Term 3. Our 16s and Opens will be training on Tuesday 24th July (first day back) and our 13s, 14s and 15s will resume training on Wednesday 25th July. It is extremely important that all boys get to training in preparation for the CAS Round 3 fixture against Cranbrook which will take place on Saturday 28th July. Cranbrook, whose 1st XV recently defeated Knox Grammar, will be strong across all age groups and we need to be ready for this first up match.
I wish all players and families all the best for a very safe and restful holiday break!
WAVERLEY TO WIN!
