identified as a gap that needed plugging. With the next match against St Bede’s College following a similar narrative, it became clear that College needed to stop playing ‘catch-up’ rugby. Thanks to continued guidance from Old Boy coaches Tom Burt and William Jones-Allen, the U75kg White side found itself in safe hands. Many boys had the benefit of working with the same coaches last year, which was a real plus for the team. From a coaching perspective, the objective was to develop a more aggressive style of play. With the team possessing good core skills, it was time to focus on building ‘contact confidence’ so that they could tackle more effectively and assert their dominance in scrums, rucks, and mauls. It did not take long for progress to materialise, with the White side finding a 26–19 victory against its counterparts from St Andrew’s College. In one of the most memorable games of the season, the boys faced College’s second underweight team in this division – the U75kg Black side. With this team featuring their peers from Years 12–13, this battle brought with it the energy of a classic grudge match. The game was tit-for-tat throughout, with no clear frontrunner until Max Cookeson bowled through the backline to make a match-winning contribution. With James Kelly converting almost every kick, the boys claimed a slim lead. Despite conceding a try in the last 10 minutes of play, the White side contained the damage to earn a shock 19–14 victory over the older boys. Despite another good win in the next game, the team struggled to maintain the momentum. Consecutive losses to Christchurch Boys’ High School and St Bede’s College meant missing out on a top spot. Regrettably, the re-emergence of Covid-19 forced a premature end to the season, dashing hopes of playing it out for 4th overall. Special mention goes to our awardees. Captain’s Award – Oscar Wells-
Swann Most Valuable Player – Jack Mckenzie Most
Improved Forward – Fergus Ryan Most Improved Back – Joel Bailey Jack Bristed Best and Fairest Award – Charlie Poulter Congratulations to these boys. The team extends its thanks to the parent community for yet another well-supported season. Zac Knight Manager U75KG BLACK RUGBY Coach: Kevin Anderson, Alister Collins, Craig Aitken Team: Hamish Grigg (captain), Oliver Barker-McMillan, Jack Bethell, Oliver Blackburn, Ed Cochran, Alex Gale, Akira Ghafoor, Nick Gibb, Monty Hamilton, Louis Hitchings, Harry Johnston, Corbin Jones, Jim Luisetti, Logan Marshall, George Mason, Alex MacDonald, Angus McDonald, Conor Nicholson, Armando O’Shannessey, Tom Picton-Warlow, William Simpson, George Smith, Freddie Tapper, Jack Thelning, Oscar Todhunter, Will Wightman The U75kg grade featured several high-scoring, close games. With the weight limitations, there were no dominant players, making skill and pace the key components. Having no scrums meant that anyone could play in the front row, which gave more players more time on the field. After a first-game loss, there was a close match against Christchurch Boys’ High School (CBHS), with College coming back from 13 points down in the final few minutes to narrowly lose by three points. The
bonus points for close loses were important in the final placements of teams in the grade. Against the College U75kg White team, the team started and finished well. However, even though Oliver Blackburn and George Mason nearly grabbed the win in the final minutes, the boys had to settle for a second close loss. The side grabbed its first win with a George Mason hat-trick of tries against St Andrew’s College and then repeated the success with a 69–14 win against another Christchurch Boys’ High School team, with Corbin Jones scoring two tries and Nick Gibb scoring 24 points. Against the top-of-the-table CBHS side, the lead changed five times. Unfortunately, College was again on the wrong side of a close loss. The team went into the final round-robin match against St Bede’s College needing a win to make the top four. In the first half, College was soon behind by 17 points, but rallied to bring the game back to 19–22 at half-time. The second half was a superb defensive effort to keep the opposition scoreless. A Hamish Grigg try was enough to give us the win, 24–22, which, with the bonus-point losses, put the side in the top four ahead of the College White team. The first match of the top four was a bruising encounter against CBHS, where College had no reserves and the players dug in to get through the match. With pressure mounting, the opposition’s ability to score from a long distance exhausted
279
Register 2021 Sport
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software