From John McCoy, Convenor of Rugby
1st XV Match Report: Waverley College Vs The Shore School
Saturday 7 April, 2018 was a date many were looking forward to. For some, it felt like Christmas had arrived! Rugby season was back! Waverley College travelled to North Sydney to play against the Shore School. It would be the first time the Double V had taken the field following a history making 2017 season.
Shore has a proud history in rugby, producing a number of Wallabies including Phil Waugh. The Shore fixture is always entertaining and very competitive with both schools matching up almost perfectly in teams and playing numbers.
In hot conditions, Shore kicked off and placed pressure on the Waverley side early on. Waverley were pinned inside their own 22 for the opening 10 minutes. It was Luca Moretti who put his early influence on the match not through a tackle or a hit up, but through a clever kick up field. Immediately, Waverley capitalised on the territory gained and Levi Milford went across for the first try of the season.
Waverley College School Captain, Harley McGuiggan was the next to penetrate the Shore defensive line as he strode through like a 100m sprinter at the Commonwealth Games. McGuiggan’s magic offload to Luca Martin had the crowd on their feet. Waverley in front 12-0 after 20 minutes.
A lapse in concentration at the kick-off allowed Shore to get back into the game as they shot away down the right edge to go over. The Waves did not seem to panic though and were not afraid to throw the ball around. This led to more points as Aisea Aholelei found his Captain, Conor Molloy, who was able to cross for a nice team try.
This was not the end of the point scoring in the first half as Luca Moretti again put a mark on the match. Luca took a quick tap and charged through the entire Shore forward pack to take the scoreboard to 26-5 in favour of the visitors.
It did not take too long for Waverley to post more points after the halftime break. Again, Levi Milford found the line after beating a few defenders on the left edge. This pushed the lead just over 30 points.
To the credit of the home side, they did not give up and remained upbeat. This energy contributed to two tries which included a well-constructed driving maul near the Waverley line.
When McGuiggan went in for a well-deserved try, the result was just about decided. Coaches Cornish and Coleman decided to rest a few and took the chance to blood a number of up and coming players. One of the new faces included Luca’s younger brother, Marco, who was able to gather an offload from his older brother and score the final try of the match. This movement included a nice Brad Fittler like sidestep to beat the fullback.
The final score was 45 to 19. This was a pleasing start to the season. While there is still plenty of improvement to take away from the run, the style of rugby on display first up should give all Double V followers plenty to get excited about.
Around the Grounds
The Opens had a mixed day. The 2nd XV struggled to build phases and apply any pressure to the opposition in attack. With more time building combinations and with more patience, the 2nd XV can definitely turn things around. The highlight was the scrum, led by the front row combination of Santamaria, Howe and Valentine. The 3rd XV were very unlucky to go down with Steven Schocher having a strong game in the centres. The hot conditions got to the 4th XV who struggled to remain discipline despite being in the contest for a large portion of the game. The 5th XV tackled hard, particularly Moby Westwood and Michael Gatto, but were unable to contain the Shore attack in the second half.
The 16s had a pleasing day winning in all 4 grades. The 16As got off to a really positive start in front of a vocal crowd with Zach Smith-Karim scoring a nice try. The 16Bs also enjoyed a competitive match and came away with a good win under the guidance of Coaches Drew-Morris and Donaldson. The 16Cs and 16Ds both had wins and appeared to have already developed exciting combinations.
The 15As match did not really get into much of a rhythm, due to a significant amount of penalties being blow against both sides. The 15Bs had a solid 33-24 victory. The 15Cs just went down in a very competitive match up and the 15Ds led by Jack Fingleton had a win in a modified 10-a-side match to start the day on QP1.
The 14As had a great start to the season with a strong win. Cade Lacy and AJ Prekets were the work horses for the As bulldozing the Shore defense from start to finish. Nick Quinn played with intelligence and a cool head throughout his game and will be the player to watch this season. The 14Bs had a tightly fought victory. Jude Sedley was impressive and he used his raw pace to outrun the opposition on several occasions. Jack Rigg showed some unique versatility moving form half back to wing and managing to cross the line for a try. Harrison Boys was a standout for the 14Cs with some impressive passing. Isiah Close-Brown played with grit in the 14Ds with a never give up attitude. Patrick Rindlisbache in the 14Es played extremely well and will earn a promotion through the ranks quickly. He scored 3 tries and was dominant over the Shore defense.
The 13As had a thrilling match, with a conversion the difference in the end. Darcy Standfield led his side to the win with some tidy work at halfback. The 13Bs went so close to tasting victory. James Jones played a strong match in the 13Cs win. The 13Ds and 13Es both crossed the line a number of times and scored some impressive totals. Congratulations to all 13s players for the effort they put into the opening matches in 2018. For some students, it was their first time in Blue and Gold – Well done!
Holiday Fixtures
On Tuesday 16th April, our 14As and 15As will be playing a game against Southern District and Canberra Grammar respectively. The match times are as follows:
14As Vs Southern District – QP1 @ 10am
15As Vs Canberra Grammar – QP1 @ 11am
It is a tradition that when we host a 1st XV match or when we host a touring side, we provide afternoon tea following in the Queens Park Pavilion. Waverley’s functions have always been rated so highly by visiting teams and we are hoping to keep the tradition alive in 2018. We are requesting that each student involved in the 14A/Bs and 15A/Bs teams bring a plate of food for our guests.
If I can also please request some assistance from parents or friends who may be available to assist setting up the function, it would be appreciated. If you are able to assist, simply email Mr McCoy (jmccoy@waverley.nsw.edu.au). The function should commence following the 15As match at around 12:15pm.
Waterford – The Armidale School Rugby Carnival
I would like to wish our players, coaches and supporters at Waterford all the best for an enjoyable and safe trip to Armidale this coming weekend. Waverley College is always well represented at this Under 12s event hosted by The Armidale School. I hope that all those attending the tournament get to enjoy plenty of success and I look forward to hearing plenty of exciting stories when you return.
Term 2
A reminder that rugby training will resume as soon as Term 2 commences. Our 16s and Opens train resumes on Tuesday 1st May. Our 13s, 14s and 15s will have their one and only training session for the week on Wednesday 2nd May. It is important that all players in the 13s, 14s and 15s do get to training on this date to ensure they are ready to the first match of Term 2 against Riverview on Saturday 5th May. Our 13s, 16s and Opens will be playing at home, while our 14s and 15s sides will be playing at Riverview.
Have a safe and restful holiday break!
WAVERLEY TO WIN!
