CAS Round 1 vs St Aloysius’ College – 1st XV Match Report
Waverley College travelled across the bridge to take on St Aloysius’ College in the opening round of the 2022 Combined Associated Schools Competition. Pleasingly, the sun was shining over the College Oval, and a dry pitch meant that there would be no excuses for both teams to engage with some running rugby.
The whistle blew, and the home side, St Aloysius’, put the pressure on the visiting team. This early pressure coupled with a number of early penalties saw Aloysius’ go to the front, 6 points to 0.
A breeze behind the Double V in the first half, saw Waverley working to secure territory with some handy kicks downtown, from Caleb Sinclair-Harris and Dane Towns. Some handling errors from Waverley did see some early opportunities lost.
A dashing run by Jonti Morshead-Feildel, followed by a cheeky offload to Solomon Tuqiri, had Waverley over for the first 5-pointer for the CAS competition. Just as Waverley looked to work into a rhythm, they were temporarily reduced to 14 men, following poor discipline at the tackle.
Still, the Waves continued to approach the match with an attacking flair. A slick run by Tino Jahnke-Tavana down the left sideline saw a well-placed chip kick find the hands of Tuqiri who went in for his second try. Tino put on a masterclass again as he stepped past several defenders, and then threw a magic ‘no look’ pass into the hands of the always-supportive Charles Alexander, who charged away to score. Waverley now in front 21 to 6.
It was time for Tino to get rewards for his efforts throughout the match, and he soon accepted a try in the left corner. Approaching the break, Waverley held a comfortable lead, but were looking for more points. An intercept from Sinclair-Harris put Waverley again in a point scoring position. The call to “rumble the ball” was signalled, which included some strong carries from AJ Preketes, Ethan Halatokoua and Noah Tofaeono. But the St Aloysius’ defensive line did a great job holding Waverley out. Half time was called.
The long shadows fell across the College Oval grounds, and it seemed to get colder and colder. Winter had well and truly hit Willoughby! While Waverley held a comfortable lead, would the home side come back?
Cooper Stynes started the half in good form, and was wonderful in the air, disrupting the opposition lineout on several occasions. These efforts were rewarded with a try on the back of an entertaining passage of play from Sinclair-Harris, Tino, Tom Martin and Ben Finegan.
Aloysius’ did not give up, and this effort was rewarded with a try to the delight of the home supporters. However, a couple of late tries to Lachlan Grant as well as Felix Turinui, son of Waverley College Old Boy and Wallaby Legend, Morgan, meant that it would be a comprehensive victory for Waverley.
Other Results from CAS
In other results from around the grounds, Barker defeated Trinity and Knox Grammar defeated Cranbrook in the opening round of CAS. Following the long weekend, Waverley heads up to Wahroonga, in what should be a schoolboy classic against Knox Grammar in Round 2 of the CAS Competition.
Around the Grounds
Last weekend was a successful day of rugby for Waverley College. From the 18 matches played against St Aloysius’, St Stanislaus and St Patrick’s, Waverley came away with 15 wins. The 4th XV match was unfortunately cut short due a player injury, and we pass on our best wishes for a speedy recovery to the St Aloysius’ player.
The 13s, 14s and 15s age group had an undefeated day. Credit to the 13Bs, 14Bs and 15Bs, who all had strong wins against A grade teams. Also, a shout out to the mighty 13Fs, who were the only team to travel out to Strathfield to have a great win against St Patrick’s.
Junior School Report
We would like to congratulate our representatives at the Junior School, who were courageous last weekend in their rugby fixtures.
Firstly, we congratulate the Prep 1sts who got to play on QP1 for the very first time. What was even more pleasing, was a try in the final seconds of the match to Kingsley Turinui, which saw a win to Waverley over Scots College. Well done, lads!
We would also like to congratulate the 11s age group, who had a number of players missing due to illness and State Oztag. We had a group of students who covered two games in C Division (with a win and a loss), and a group who covered two games across A and B divisions, recording two wins. The future is certainly bright with such wonderful determination and commitment from our Junior School students. We are proud of you all!
CAS Round 2 vs Knox Grammar School
Following the long weekend, Waverley College will have a challenging final week of rugby for Term 2 against Knox Grammar School. Knox are always wonderful competition across all age groups, and all our teams will need to be at their best for this encounter. Our 13s, 16s and Opens will play at Knox, while our 14s and 15s will play at Queens Park. It is important that all players get to training next week for this important fixture.
State Championships
We would like to wish all our students involved in the State Championships this weekend, the best of luck. We have a number of students who are involved in a number of club teams, playing at various venues across the state, from Orange to Concord. Safe travels to all involved!
WAVERLEY TO WIN!
Mr John McCoy
Convenor of Rugby
E: jmccoy@waverley.nsw.edu.au
