George Austin – Ultimate team man. Outstanding work rate, great tackler and contester of rucks and mauls. Jack Bethell – Great all-rounder. Dangerous on attack and precision tackles on defence. Henry Blackley – A tackling machine. Always aiming to do better. Luc Botherway – A force to be reckoned with, both with the ball in hand and on defence. Daniel Bridgman – A very reliable player on both attack and defence. Ed Cochran – One of the toughest players in the team. A tackling machine who loved the occasional opportunity at flanker. George Cochrane – Played out of his skin in every game, loved his work. Nic Gibb – A clever player, can read the game well. Max Harris – An elusive runner, with good speed and vision. George Howard – A natural leader, with an accurate pass and knowledge of the game. Leo Jelley – A rock solid option and very accurate goal kicker. Corbin Jones – A natural openside, smart with the ball in hand and a punishing defender. Lachlan McVicar – Strong as an ox. Refused to go down on attack and fierce on defence. Matthew O’Connor – Agile and slippery with the ball in hand. Great vison with great footwork to match. Josh Ratulomai – A powerhouse player, with strong leg drive and superior scrum technique. Jayden Sa – A dominant player and consistent performer. Jack Thelning – Strong fend and very quick. A very useful player, scored many great tries.
and determination. They regularly pulled together in thrilling comebacks. Their rivalry with St Andrew’s College was particularly exciting, with several encounters between the two evenly matched teams. The highlight here was the 36–36 draw early in the season, during which College demonstrated their dedication and a good running game. Old Boys Tom Burt and William Jones-Allen, who graduated from College in 2018, returned to coach the team. They were well received by the boys, and made great strides in their coaching skills. We hope they will continue this positive relationship with the College rugby club in future. Special mention should go to our awardees. The team’s captain, George Goodman, was also awarded Most Valuable Player for his consistent performance and leadership. Jasper Johnson, as stalwart defender in the forwards, was awarded the Most Improved Forward. Kosuke Hashimoto, new to rugby this season, was awarded Most Improved Back for his “can’t catch me” finishing. And, finally, William Simpson was awarded the Jack Bristed Best and Fairest Award for his exceptional positional play and dedication to the team. Congratulations to all those boys, and thanks to the whole team for an enjoyable season.
grading games, but two good wins – against St Bede’s College U14B, 62–0, and Christchurch Boys’ High School U14B, 24–15 – saw the team promoted to Division 1. In their first game in the new division, against a CBHS U14A team on a two season winning streak, the boys showed they were up for the challenge and – with the accurate boot of Leo Jelley sealing a 22–20 win – put on a fantastic performance that set the standard for the rest of the season. A tight game against Shirley Boys’ High School, and 24–27 loss, followed. Then, against St Thomas of Canterbury College, the boys suffered their biggest defeat, going down 22–65. The team were back on form for their match against Hillmorton High School, putting on a great performance and taking a 66–0 win. A rescheduled fixture saw the team play St Bede’s College on a Wednesday afternoon. St Bede’s was a great side and College went down 12–29. The score did not indicate how close the game really was, however, as the boys competed well against a physically larger side before the opposition managed to score a couple of tries in the last 10 minutes. The last two games were must wins for a chance to make the semi-finals, but losses to Merivale Papanui, 26–31, and Cashmere High School, 17–20, saw that opportunity missed. All in all, it was a very enjoyable season with a great bunch of lads who were always hungry to improve their game. There was plenty to celebrate and many lessons learned, which will set the team up well for 2020. We were very proud of how the boys played and conducted themselves on the field and at training. Thank you to all parents, supporters, David Newton, Stephen Dods, the U15A players who helped out when required, and the grounds staff.
James Bartlett Manager
U14A RUGBY Manager: David Newton
Coaches: Mike Peacock, Alistair Collins Team: George Austin, Jack Bethell, Henry Blackley, Luc Botherway, Daniel Bridgman, Ed Cochran, George Cochrane, Nic Gibb, Max Harris, George Howard, Leo Jelley, Corbin Jones, Lachlan McVicar, Matthew O’Connor, Josh Ratulomai, Jayden Sa, Jack Thelning, Angus Thorne, Tom Thyne, Oscar Wells-Swann 2019 was a season of two halves. We started in Division 2 after the
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Register 2019 Sport
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