A Suspenseful Saturday
Around the Grounds of AAGPS Rugby Round Three
F. A. Loxton
COMING OFF ONE OF THE MOST ENTERTAINING SCHOOLBOY RUGBY MATCHES NORTHBRIDGE HAS EVER SEEN, LAST SATURDAY SAW THE SHORE FIRST XV FACE SCOTS AT THE ‘DEATH STAR’ OR MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS BELLEVUE HILL. In other fixtures, the two undefeated teams in the competition – Kings and Riverview, faced off at Parramatta, and Joeys travelled to Stanmore to face a hungry Newington outfit that remained without a competition point.
In a highly anticipated fixture at Hunters Hill, Joeys remained winless with two draws to Scots and Shore in their opening two rounds. Whilst promise remains with many accomplished players on the sidelines, such as outside back Oscar Jorgensen, last week’s game was crucial to stay within range of Kings and Riverview, who have been impressive to start. Led by Hwi Sharples – the halfback of the AAGPS First XV last year, Joeys struggled in the first half with handling errors to be behind at halftime. And at one point, the side was within five metres from scoring before an intercept try was conceded, and the 12-point turnaround proved a bridge too far. Whilst a comeback was made in the second half, the margin was too great as Newington secured a great 31-29 win.
Out at Parramatta, the top of the table, Kings faced the undefeated Riverview in a rematch after Kings got the upper hand in a preseason match in the holidays. With talented winger Hadley Tonga returning for his second match of the season and Riverview missing talented second rower Charlie Bull after an ACL injury, two early tries to the Kings school saw them establish an early lead through strong forward hit-ups. However, Riverview hit back after a charge down saw their winger go over, as Joe Dillon led the side from strong defence and attacking kicks. In the second half, the Kings inside centre Boston Fakanua made the most of some weak edge defence, and as the game closed, his intercept try secured a 31-26 win for the home side, despite some late efforts from Riverview. Kings now lead the competition as they remain undefeated with three wins after as many rounds.
In the final fixture of the round, Shore faced Scots as both sides looked for their first win after draws against Joeys. After a slow start, Scots found themselves ahead 12-0 with breakaway tries from wingers, however, Shore was as determined as ever to recover the deficit. This came through James Warner scoring off a rolling maul, which was then followed by Tom Klem breaking the line untouched off a well-executed move. Both sides went over once more to see the scores tied 19-19 at halftime. In the second half, Scots started strong with an early try, as Henry James’ kicking game led from the front. And, despite several tries in the final ten minutes from Shore, the brilliance of the Scots backline overcame Shore, defeated 31-38. This fixture next term at Northbridge will be highly anticipated.
Ultimately, Round Three of the AAGPS competition affirmed Kings as the competition’s leaders, Joeys as a struggling and defeatable side, and Shore with some work to do if they are to remain in contention in the new 10-round format.