Students involved in Australian Catholic University player study
From the Convenor of Rugby, John McCoy
1st XV Match Report – Waverley College Vs The King’s School
Waverley College headed out to Parramatta to take on Australia’s oldest independent school, The King’s School. Waverley were coming off a very successful New Zealand tour, in which the 1st XV had enjoyed three nice wins from three matches played. It was the first time in a number of years that Waverley had played on the impressive ‘White Oval’ and with this came a great deal of uncertainty on how the match would play out.
Waverley kicked off and secured the first penalty of the match on the back of a dominant scrum led by Will McCormick, Hunter Doyle and Finn Wright. The Waves were unable to capitalise on early opportunities, which unfortunately became a trend for the first half. That said, Waverley did show some impressive signs in defence with strong tackles made by Luca Moretti, Liam Cornish as well as Daniel Andrews who made some crucial tackles at the back.
TKS were the first to score after 15 minutes through No.8 Josh Gunstone, which was converted by the very impressive goalkicking of fly half, Matt Minogue. Soon after, King’s were on Waverley’s line again and another five-pointer was scored by lock, Finley Brown. The Double V started to look slightly deflated after a confident start.
The home side was able to score twice more before the break, in a very lengthy 43 minute first half, as the bounce of the ball just did not seem to be going in Waverley’s favour. The halftime message from Coaches Coleman and Cornish revolved around building phases, maintaining shape, playing the brand of rugby that had brought success in NZ and keeping a ‘Blue Head’.
Again, luck just wasn’t with Waverley as King’s were able to intercept many of their guests attacking plays early in the second half. As a sign of respect, King’s elected to take a penalty conversion with a lead of in excess of 25 points mid-way through the second half. This was to miss, however, a nice grubber kick by the King’s winger had the boys in pale blue and white over again.
To the credit of the Waverlians, they did not give up, they defended well and began to build phases – playing the style of rugby which had been so successful early on in the season. This eventually led to a well-deserved try to Max Towns who made his 1st XV debut after some time off with injury.
Luca Moretti and Hunter Doyle continued to make some strong charges up field to almost have Marco Bell in for a try, but again the execution was letting the team down. King’s were able to score through the speed of winger, Mac Williams, which sealed the match for the home side following another lengthy 42 minute half. The final score 36-7.
While the Waverley players were disappointed at the end of the match, the result will no doubt work as a positive for the side moving forward. The side has now felt the standard of the GPS competition which will prepare the team, both physically and mentally, for some challenging GPS matches against Shore, St Joseph’s, Newington and Riverview.
Around the Grounds
Overall, Waverley Rugby won a total of 9 out of the 22 matches played against The King’s School. The standout performances came from our 13s age group who were able to win all the matches played from 13As to 13Es.
The Opens had a tough day against a very strong TKS Opens age group, which possessed a strong amount of depth (right through to a 9th XV). The 2nd XV were able to stay in the contest for the majority of their match. Liam Rayner, Luca Martin and Joshua Weinstein all had strong matches, as did Daniel Szabo and Conor Molloy who returned from injury. The 3rds, 4ths and 5ths were simply outclassed, however, these teams will now have an clear understanding of the effort that needs to be put in at training in preparation for some tough GPS rounds.
The 16As were the first to score off the kick off, however, King’s were quick to turn this around and ran away with the victory. Coaches Horrocks and Foley were happy with how the team is building as we move closer to the CAS season. The 16Bs put in a great effort to just go down 10 to 5 on Doyle Field. Daniel Cobbe was very strong at the breakdown. Andre Carretero led the way forward as the 16Cs scored a convincing victory. Saxon Cook and Dylan Davis were the standouts in the 16Ds 35-10 win.
The 15As fought really hard in their contest against King’s and looked to be well on top at stages through the match. Axel Runow had an outstanding match before he was forced off with injury, as did Hugh Johnson who took on some players twice his size. The 15Bs and 15Cs both finished in second place on the day, and the 15Ds almost got the job done just going down 24-17. Mackenzie Martin and Reece Cohen were the standout players.
The 14As took on a very large side, which had players who would not look out of place in a 1st XV team. King’s were able to run away with the match in the first half, but the Waves did a great job to win the second half. Matthew Chapman was outstanding. A great run by Jack Harms down the left sideline was not enough to get the 14Bs home in another wonderful contest. The 14Cs had a tight victory with Kai Xuereb contributing with some very positive and motivating talk on the field. Dane Perica was unbelievable, scoring 3 tries in the 14Ds 36-12 win.
The 13s age group had a great day out at Parramatta, winning five from five matches. Max Harrison again was very strong in the 13As win. Bobby Morris made plenty of metres in the 13Bs victory. Coach Downey reported that James Eveleigh and Sam Lodge were fantastic in the 13Cs 29-10 win. Finbar Moss was dynamic at Flanker as the 13Ds got up. The 13Es started the day on a very high note for Waverley in their massive 76-5 win, with Jesse Harper scoring three brilliant tries!
Waverley College Vs Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore)
This weekend Waverley College Rugby will play against Shore. Shore has a proud history in rugby, producing a number of Wallabies including Phil Waugh. Our 13s, 16s and Opens will play at Queens Park, while our 14s and 15s will be playing at Northbridge (Shore’s home grounds).
It has been a number of years since Waverley has played a full round of rugby against Shore, like the recent trial against The King’s School. This unfamiliar fixture is sure to provide a great deal of uncertainty regarding what players and teams can expect. For many teams, last week should be a strong guide as to what to expect through the next four weeks as we take on some very strong GPS schools. Waverley teams will have to continue to work hard at training, particularly on securing possession at the breakdown.
2017 Season Guide
The 2017 Season Guide for Waverley College Rugby is now out and available online. Copies will also be available at the Queens Park Canteen this Saturday.
Waverley Rugby Team App
A reminder to all member of the Waverley Rugby community to download our own “Team App”. This is a platform which allows our rugby community to improve communications. The app includes items such as News, Fixtures, Competition Ladders, Live Scores, Photos and most importantly, frequently updated Team Selections. Simply download the Team App (by ‘Team Mates’) from the App Store, search for ‘Waverley College Rugby’ and request access.
Australian Catholic University – Player Study
This week members of the 14s, 15s and 16s age groups commenced their work with Australian Catholic University in a study looking at minimising injury in adolescent rugby players by examining training loads.
Each week, players in the selected teams will keep a diary (prior to training) which will monitor how much training an individual has completed each week and any injuries an individual may have suffered through the week.
Thank you to those players who have agreed to be part of the study, which should ultimately help grassroots rugby in the years ahead.
Reserving Expectations
A reminder that all players are expected to reserve for the match following their own game. For example, “D grade” players are to reserve for the “C grade” match, “C grade” players are to reserve for the “B grade” game, and so on. The reason for this is that, from time to time, injuries can impact upon teams during the match. This will ensure teams playing are not left short. It is also a good way for players to impress coaches and show that they have a strong desire to move up into higher graded teams.
Waverley College Rugby Supporter Group – Help Appreciated!
This Saturday marks our first home fixture for Term 2. Any assistance on the canteen as well as the BBQ would be appreciated. All money raised by the Rugby Supporter Group goes back into improving the standards of rugby at Waverley College. If you are able to assist please feel free to contact President of the Rugby Supporter Group, Mr Darren Ellis (darren@ellisplumbing.com.au)
Good luck to all teams this weekend against Shore!
WAVERLEY TO WIN!
