FROM THE CONVENOR OF RUGBY, JOHN MCCOY
1st XV Match Report Vs Shore
Winter had hit Death Valley. It was freezing. Even Princess Elsa from the hit film Frozen was having second thoughts about the comments she had made that “The cold never bothered me anyway.” It was brutal.
That said, the Shore and Waverley players bravely entered onto the playing field to meet for the second occasion in 2018. Waverley had scored a 45 to 19 win in the opening trial game. This match up would be a good point in the season to determine and measure how both sides had progressed.
Waverley kicked off and Shore used the ball well early, maintaining a high percentage of possession through the opening ten minutes. Waverley defended really well as a team, and it through these defensive efforts Levi Milford was able to go in for the opening try of the game.
It did not take long for the Double V to cross the line again. This time it was the big blindside flanker, Tadgh Murphy, who powered his way through defenders and raced away for a try. This followed some nice running efforts by Daniel Andrews and Reece Thorn, who were able to build momentum for their team.
Shore went close to scoring through the efforts of their big flanker, Daniel Williams. Waverley’s desperation to not allow Shore to score again was fantastic, with Luca Moretti making a great try saver. Once again, when Waverley held the ball they were able to convert possession to points. This time it was Jacob Tomasiello, who returned to the starting team, that went in for a try down the right wing.
Daniel Andrews showed plenty of speed when he had clear room to move in his return the fullback position. This speed was impressive and gave the Waves an advantage. Levi Milford was again able to capitalise on the team effort to get up field, going over for his second try.
Just before the halftime break, Shore were able to take advantage of back to back penalty opportunities which were presented to them. A well-constructed rolling maul, which seems to be a real attacking option in schoolboy rugby this year, got the Shore boys over the line. At halftime, Waverley were in front 4 tries to 1.
The cold and breezy conditions were not assisting the quality of the match. Both teams still did try to throw the ball around but, unfortunately, the ball kept finding the turf. Shore were good at pressuring the breakdown, with some strong counter-rucking. Waverley were, however, dominant once the ball was cleared of the ruck.
Harry Whiteman was the first to score after the halftime break, as he accelerated like a Ferrari to outpace the Shore outside backs. As Waverley held a comfortable lead, Coaches Cornish and Coleman decided to give a few players a rest ahead of CAS. Harley McGuiggan returned from injury for some much needed game time.
This change did not have the desired impact as Shore scored soon after, which gave the men from North Sydney a sniff at victory. With 20 minutes to go, Waverley did not help themselves as they were reduced to 14 men for a lazy tackle. In the dark conditions, the visiting side started to look dangerous.
Against the run of play, Levi Milford scooped up the loose football and ran just about the length of the field to score his third try of the match. This sealed the result. Waverley were not finished though, and saved the best efforts until last.
With seconds remaining, a penalty was taken quickly by Reece Thorn inside the Waves own 22. Thorn found Moretti who offloaded to young Ronald Volkman. Volkman gave a miracle ball away to Levi Milford, Man of the Match. Milford again found Moretti who had backed up well. Moretti threw a speculator, which was picked from the air by Phoenix Baldwin and it was try time! Another example of schoolboy rugby at its best.
The final score was 41 to 10. Waverley now head into the CAS competition, and with that final win, have plenty of momentum. I encourage all members of the Waverley Community to get up to Wahroonga to cheer on the Waves in what should be an entertaining match against Knox Grammar.
Around the Grounds
The 2nd XV won a low scoring match in punishing condition. A penalty goal taken by Luca Martin was the only thing which separated the two teams. The final score, 3-0. Both teams should be commended on their defensive efforts. The 3rd XV had a similar scoreline, just going down 5-0. Unfortunately, Lewis Thompson suffered a knee injury. The community wishes Lewis well for a speedy recovery. Captain Daniel Allen tried hard but could not get his 4th XV side home, going down 3 tries to 1. The 5th XV showed a great amount of improvement from the last time they met Shore. Harvey Williams, Saxon Cook and Daniel Lambert all had strong games.
The 16A got their season back on track with another entertaining victory. Patrick Gooley scored an excellent opening try. Keilan Grace and Jordan Swann also had strong games, scoring multiple tries between them. Zavian Taylor-Simi played his best game of the season in the 16Bs 48-10 win. The 16Cs who had a few players ruled out late due to sickness, went down in a nail biter. Nathan Le starred in the 16Ds big win against Shore.
Captain Klayton Thorn commented that it was the hard work of his forward pack that got his 15A side home. Darcy Sullivan, Alfie Carr and Alex Elder all having very strong games up front. The 15Bs welcomed Ben Zlattner and Matthew Chapman back from injuries, but could not get the win on the board. This side will no doubt learn a great deal from the match. The 15Cs had a pleasing 52-20 victory and the 15Ds also enjoyed a big win. Oliver Brownie was a standout, as well Jackson Green who scored two tries.
The 14As were a tad unlucky to go down 27-19, with a couple of tries scored against the run of play. 14As hooker, Jasper Doyle, had a mighty game and really worked hard around the ground. The 14Bs had a very impressive win for Coach Gair. Jesse Sonego was particularly impressive in the centres. Eduardo De Vecchi played a strong game for the 14Cs. The 14Ds and 14Es both met strong opposition teams. Thanks to all those players who backed up to assist in both matches.
The 13As had another tight win against Shore. In the opening trial round the 13As won by 2 points. On Saturday, they bettered this by a single point winning, 22-19. An improvement! Sam Johnson at fly half and Aidan Mahoney on the wing, both had great games in the 13Bs 33-10 victory. The 13Cs did five points better, winning 38-10, making Coach Downey very excited ahead of CAS. Moyo Adewusi scored a fantastic long range try to help his 13Ds to a good win and the mighty 13Es managed to win a thriller, 22-21, in the early hours at Queens Park.
The other match to report was the Prep 1st XV who played against Knox Grammar on QP1 following the 16As match. Pleasingly, the Waterford boys were able to score a great win 24-12. Despite the cold conditions, it was a very exciting opportunity for the Junior School boys. Thanks to Mr Stephen O’Donnell and Mr Matthew Ryan for arranging this fixture and giving the boys this unforgettable experience. Thanks also to Prep 1st XV Coaches Mr Greg Harris and Mr Josh Weinstein who guided the boys through the experience on the day.
Queen’s Birthday Long-Weekend
A reminder that there is no rugby this weekend, being the Queen’s Birthday Long-Weekend. In saying this, a number of students at Waverley will be representing different clubs at the Sydney Junior Rugby Union State Championships over the weekend. This will be played at various venues across NSW from Orange to Concord. We wish all teams the best for the weekend, as well as those boys giving up their time to referee the matches played. We look forward to hearing the results next week. Please travel safely.
CAS ROUND 1 VS KNOX GRAMMAR – Saturday 16th June, 2018
Following the long weekend, Waverley College will be playing against Knox Grammar School in Round 1 of the CAS Competition. It is extremely important that all players attend training next week to ensure that teams are well and truly set for the opening round. Our 13s, 16s and Opens face some challenging matches at Wahroonga, while our 14s and 15s will start their CAS campaign at Queens Park.
Have a wonderful long weekend!
WAVERLEY TO WIN!
