Rugby Report
Saturday 17 May
Shore vs St Joseph’s College (Joeys) – Northbridge
A tough day at the office is the best way to describe last Saturday. Shore sides struggled to get positive outcomes on the weekend, and Joeys set a fast pace in all games played.
Our Third XV are still competing in trials and do not start their competition rounds until 31 May, but there is no such thing as a trial against Joeys, and the game was full pace. The Thirds were one of the better teams to put the fight to Joeys on the weekend, and a close loss followed. The team’s preparation continues to go well in what will be another interesting Third XV Competition.
Our Second XV had a day to forget. The first 10 minutes of the match were a back-and-forth affair with both sides playing good rugby. However, after a kick mistake, Joeys pounced and scored their first try. After a forward pass was not detected, Joeys scored a second and then in the space of a few moments, two more tries came in. Momentum had well and truly shifted. Nick Wendt, returning from a year-long injury, managed to get Shore’s first points on the board with a clever try. Welcome back, Nick! The second half continued like the first, and Joeys played expansive rugby to secure the win.
The First XV match proved to be one of the great Northbridge afternoon clashes. Rain had been forecast, but a bright day greeted both teams, and Round 1 was off and running. Shore had the wind in the first half, and Dan Ritchie was controlling the field well with some well-placed kicks, gaining territory for Shore. Shore’s plan was to start fast, and Digby Hockey set a good tone in defence with an early crunching tackle. However, Joeys were first in and took the lead. Shore hit back through a well-worked lineout and Dom Jarret try, and the score was 7-7. Joeys then got a jump and scored two converted tries to take a 21-7 lead into half-time.
The half-time talk was to start out fast again. That is what Shore did. A kick penalty tap from Stirling Stachan and smart thinking from Oscar d’Almeida led to Shore’s next try. It was now 12-21. Reserves were coming on for injuries, and Charlie Armati, Fin Shadforth and Mr Incredible Alex Yates started doing a great job backing up after their previous game. Shore got another try and took the score to 17-21. Had the momentum shifted? It felt like it had in the Hawker Stand. The Blue and White army was up. I had no more fingernails to chew. Shore went back on the attack, and a questionable spear tackle was missed on a Shore attacking player, which resulted in a transition attack from Joeys and a try. That really hurt and, unfortunately, closed out the game.
Whilst Shore was beaten across the grounds, the First XV played with great passion, bravery and grit. They may have lost on the scoreboard, but they were not beaten Shore boys. They are definitely in the fight for this Premiership.
All teams should be looking at that performance as they head into their games against The Scots College tomorrow.
Go Shore!
Mr David Mason-Jones
MIC Rugby
