Shore Rugby Report – Kings 

Shore Rugby Report – Kings 

Last Saturday, Shore faced off against Kings in round one of the GPS Rugby competition. All Shore teams looked magnificent in pink socks – wearing them as a nod to their Mum’s for Mother’s Day on Sunday and raising some money for the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation at the same time. Well done, boys. 

The Rugby out at Kings was first-rate all day. Kings’ Doyle fields are set up nicely for the junior age groups to all play at once. Great to see Shore get the points in the majority of these matches. 

When the play switched to the main White Oval, Kings won the day, with only the 6ths registering a win and the 4ths fighting a hard-fought draw. Much focus is put on the First XV in Rugby, which is understandable. However, one of the great attributes of the Rugby teams at Shore is the belief the boys have that everyone represents Shore when they play. I saw the same fight and determination in the boys of the 16D’s and 14C’s in their hard-fought wins as in the boys of the First XV in their loss. It is this mindset that I have loved seeing, and when I walked the grounds on Saturday, I saw every Shore team “in the fight”. 

In that vein, we should be proud of the results across our age groups. 

Junior TeamsWinLossDraw
U13’s 41
U14’s 32
U15’s 221
U16’s 32
Junior Total1271
Opens161
Total13132

Whilst Kings fielded some big boys in the Opens teams, Shore will look back on the games in First’s, Second’s and Third’s and admit that some soft tries were allowed and missed opportunities not taken with the ball. Kings are one of the top teams this year, given their unique size and combinations, but given the two-round competition in 2023, lessons have been learned, and the return match at Northbridge will be one to watch. 

The First XV started the game in the best possible way, with Marshall Le Maitre getting the day’s first try and Hugo Orpin slotting the goal from the sideline. Kings struck back, though, and scored the next two tries. Rather than being out-muscled, some lapses in defence resulted in those tries. 

Kings continued to show a greater ability to hit the gain line, and the second half continued to go Kings’ way. Shore kept coming all day and managed to cross the try line three more times, but it was not enough to stem the Kings’ raids. Whilst giving up 10kg per man in the front row, the Shore scrum was a dominant force all game – a credit to the boys. Luca Fulton made the tackle of the day on the Kings #4, who weighed 120kgs and charged at full speed downfield, only to be met with a Fulton ‘special’ and be stopped well in his tracks. 

Team of the week – 16D XV 

The 16D’s toughed out a gritty win on the Doyle fields and never took a backwards step, even in the face of adversity. It was entertaining Rugby to watch, so thanks for the show, boys!  

Saturday 20 May vs Joeys 

Tomorrow sees a huge day out at Northbridge against Joey’s. I am calling on everyone to come out and “Make a stand in our Stand”. Let’s fill the ENTIRE Hawker Stand with Shore boys and outcheer the Joeys’ boys, who will be set up on the opposite side of A Ground. 

In this round, we recognise all the new boys who have joined us at Shore Rugby. Most of them (U13’s) will all be playing Joey’s at Northbridge, so let’s all make an effort to support and welcome our new boys too. 

Shore
First XVL24Kings52
Second XVL14Kings36
Third XVL10Kings21
Fourth XVD7Kings7
Fifth XVL12Kings24
6th XVW27Kings5
7th XVL0Kings27
8th XVL0Kings26
16AL13Kings26
16BW10Kings0
16CL5Kings19
16DW22Kings19
16EW27Kings7
15AL15Kings19
15BW12Kings5
15CD17Kings17
15DW24Kings7
15EL22Kings26
14AL7Kings38
14BL0Kings33
14CW43Kings0
14DW66Kings5
14EW78Kings12
14FL24Kings31
13AW33Kings12
13BW45Kings5
13CW66Kings0
13DL12Kings29
13EW29Kings15