Rugby – The St Ignatius Round

From the Convenor of Rugby, John McCoy

Waverley College 1^st XV Vs St Ignatius College, Riverview

It was time. The fields were marked and the posts erected. The smell of BBQ sausage and onion was in the air. The dramatic tones of the Queens Park crowds echoed throughout the Eastern Suburbs. Rugby season was back!

Waverley College matched up against a slightly understrength Riverview side who had some players committed to the Scot Sevens Tournament. At the same time, the Waverley College side had a number of key players still to come back from injury. Waverley welcomed several first starters into the “Double V”.

The first half kicked off in glorious autumn conditions. It did not take long for Waverley to post the first try of the season. Liam Cornish went over for his first try for Waverley after missing two years with an ACL injury. A great way to come back.

Strong support work and hard running had Hunter Doyle over for two tries. Debutants Daniel Andrews and Lachlan Wallace were also able to get their names on the score sheet in the first half. However, the highlight of the half came from some amazing work by Ben Donaldson as he sliced through the Riverview defence to throw a miracle pass to Tim Eyles, in an effort which had all spectators on their feet! At halftime the scoreboard read in favour of Waverley, 40 points to 0.

Lachlan Wallace got the ball rolling for Waverley in the second half, however, penalties started to creep into the game. While the home side were well in front, the home side gave away a significant amount of territory through some poor discipline. This opened the door for Riverview to score.

Waverley were able to respond through tries to Finn O’Sullivan, Joel Ellis, Ben Donaldson, as well as Lachlan Wallace who made it three tries.

The final score on the day was 67 to 12. The first ‘Custard Pie’ for sung for the year, and most pleasingly, by a number of new faces. While the opposition will continue to get tougher, this victory will give the side plenty of confidence ahead of the New Zealand Rugby Tour.

 

Around the Grounds

Luca Martin had a brilliant game for the 2^nd XV, scoring three tries in their 30 – 12 victory. The 3^rd XV played in very hot conditions and managed to draw with their North Shore rivals, with Luc Johnson showing good early season form. The 4^th XV displayed some positive signs early in the season, despite going down, with some entertaining phases of play. The 5^th XV marked the first rugby game for Gerry Fragias, Morgan Hall, Ross Mormanis, Harrison Keir and Lorys Chanelieve. Unfortunately, it was a tough one, but the boys will no doubt improve with experience.

The 16As were very competitive against a physical Riverview side, just going down 19-10. Patrick Kite scored a nice try and Anthony Santamaria made some very strong tackles. Joseph Moroney scored a nice try in the 16Bs 26-7 loss. Theo Liong and Aydin Caltagirone-Pantano both scored tries, and Max Weale had a great game in the 16Cs win. The 16Ds tried hard but found the St Ignatius side a little better on the day.

The 15As held their opposition to 14-0 at halftime, but Riverview ran away with the match in the second half. Coach Lachlan Drew-Morris reported that the team stayed together and kept working for each other, which was a positive. The 15Bs showed a lot of character in the second half after being well behind at half time. Matthew Douglas and Noah Gardiner were the pick of the players. The 15Cs came up against a strong opposition under the coaching of Zac Carr. the 15Ds had a pleasing victory, 27-12, with Finn McClean having a fantastic game in his first ever match.

14s had a very tough day, but a big thanks to all players in this age group who had to back up from cadet camp. Riley Fitzroy and Christian Smirnotis were the standouts for the 14As, as was Harjot Mand for the 14Bs. Unfortunately, the 14Cs and 14Ds did have some big losses, but can expect improvements as the combinations have more time together.

The 13As had a great start to the season with a 37-7 victory. Cade Lacey, Max Harrison and Patrick Hoggett were the best on the ground. 13Bs had a 22-22 draw in a thriller! Jack Rigg played well at half back. 13Cs had an excellent win 10-0 under the guidance of Miss Kaitlyn Downey. Charlie Nowlan was the pick of the players. The 13Ds gave their all under the coaching of Mr Lachlan Trowell. The 13Es had a good win 22-7 with Vincent Torsellini, Charles Winklemeier and Henry Kopsiaftis all playing very well. Luke O’Donnell had a terrific game in the 13Fs, who just went down 17-5.

 

New Zealand Rugby Tour

On Monday 10^th April, a group of 41 students and 5 staff members will be heading across the ditch to the North Island of New Zealand. The touring group (1^st XV and 2^nd XV/Development Squad) will play three games:

• Tuesday 11^th April – Rangitoto College, Auckland (1^st XV @ 2:30pm, 2^nd XV @ 1:00pm)
• Thursday 13^th April – Western Heights High School, Rotorua (1^st XV @ 2:00pm, 2^nd XV @ 12:30pm)
• Wednesday 19^th April – St Patrick’s College, Wellington (1^st XV @ 2:30pm, 2^nd XV @ 1:00pm)

 

Photos, videos and tour updates can all be followed through the Waverley Rugby Team App as well as the Facebook Page “Waverley College NZ Rugby Tour 2017”. Simply ‘Like’ the page to gain access. We wish all players and coaching staff the best for a safe and successful trip!

 

14/15s trial game vs St Lawrence

On Monday 10^th April, a combination of the 14As and 15As will be playing a touring school from Queensland. St Laurence’s College will be playing against our 14s and 15s team at 11am on Queens Park 1. We wish all players the best for an enjoyable match.

 

Australian Schools Rugby Foundation Luncheon 2017

Last week a group of senior students assisted at the Australian Schools Rugby Luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney. Also present were members of the current Waverley Rugby Supporter Group, Waverley Coaching Staff and Old Boys.

The event, hosted by Vince Sorrenti, celebrated the 40^th reunion of the 1977 Australian Schoolboys team which included greats such as the Ella brothers, Michael O’Connor and Wally Lewis. Alan Jones led an entertaining “Q & A” with former players about what happened behind the scenes on this famous tour.

Thanks to Daniel Szabo, William McCormick, Liam Cornish, Finn Wright, Finn O’Sullivan, Marco Bell and Ben Donaldson, for their efforts in assisting former Headmaster Br Wallace with this special occasion.

Training – Term 2

Training commences back in Term 2 for 13s, 14s & 15s on Wednesday 26^th April and our 16s & Opens on Thursday 27^th April. These are important training sessions in the lead up to the Kings Trial fixtures on Saturday 29^th April.

Year 12 students will have exams running from 26^th April until 5^th May. All students will be expected at training unless they have an examination during the set training session times (i.e. Tuesday & Thursday afternoons). I encourage all Year 12 students to factor trainings into their study timetables and to consider these sessions as a break or ‘time out’ from study.

 

I wish all players and families a very safe and peaceful Easter break.

Waverley to Win!