AIC First XV rugby’s Rd 6: Padua claim title as Ashgrove triumph on old boys
Padua secure premiership after Ashgrove snapped one of rugby’s great winning streaks today, but will St Laurence’s share the title?
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If the Padua College First XV players don’t send the Marist College XV a Christmas card this festive season, they will be Christmas grinches after Ashgrove’s stunning upset win over St Laurence’s College.
Ashgrove’s win ended one of Australian rugby’s great winning streaks, with St Laurence’s losing 29-20 for the first time since round 4, 2019.
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Padua have the premiership secured, but the unbeaten boys from Kedron will share the title if Laurie’s bounce back and beat them at Runcorn in the final round of the season next weekend.
“It is strange actually” said Padua premiership winning coach Andrew Clyne.
“Pretty stoked with the joint (premiership) but we want it outright.
“We will be fired up to go take it on their (St Laurence’s) home turf.
“I think for some of the younger guys it will relax them a bit … it is not as high stakes... we will be confident coming into it.
“It might relax us a little bit. It might allow us to play more freely.
“I know exactly what the boys will prefer,” he said about the boys wanting to go seven-from-seven.
On a day of high emotions at McMahon Oval, Ashgrove first channelled some of the college’s finest inspired performers of the past to upset the four time reigning premiers.
Ashgrove’s forward pack pulled back the bow and then fired the arrow to strike Laurie’s right between the eyes.
From the moment Ashgrove vice-captain Jasper Barry got in the face of SLC captain Tom Nadenic, it was game on as he drew a line on the hallowed No.1 turf.
Inspired flanker Sebastian Gardner later snapped at Laurie’s prop Luka Smith and replacement forward Adam Burnell mocked Laurie’s Ben Davis after Davis had been penalised for a double movement while attempting to score.
It was confrontational stuff from the Ashgrove forwards who backed up their huff and puff with strong physical running and tackling.
Behind his forwards, inside centre Tom Millard was sensational, winger Joel Drew an athletic marvel and Ashgrove fullback and captain Tom Howard simply superb.
Howard produced two startling individual bursts and without his pure class, Ashgrove’s effort would have fallen short.
Three times he drove side steps off his left foot to score a scintillating first half try, and in the second half burst clear to set up the winning scramble to the line by Ash breakaway Gardner.
Gardner, replacement second rower Adam Burnell and opening flanker Ben Caughley were remarkable.
How appropriate watching from the grandstand was 1984 Ash open flanker Gavin Darwin, at the oval for a reunion.
In ‘84 Darwin cut the plaster from his broken wrist to play in the premiership decider against St Laurence’s, and made the try saving tackle which won the premiership for his Blue and Golds.
The performance of 2024 flankers Gardner and Caughley did not come in a premiership winning side, but they played with the intent, desire and pride of past giants who had gone before them in those positions.
It was Ashgrove’s day.
But let us for a moment pay homage to St Laurence’s College coach Welmar du Plessis and his players from 2019 to round 6, 2024.
Unbeaten in that period, du Plessis and his players have represented their college with dignity, passion and pride.
To win so many games in succession in a competition like the one the AIC put together has been absolutely extraordinary.
And all is not over. Laurie’s can still win the premiership, albeit a shared title.
Du Plessis heaped praise on Marist for their winning, saying they were the better side.
“We lost the battle but not the war, We will get back up for the next game.’’ du Plessis said.
St Laurence’s prop Luka Smith, back rowers Ben Davis Liam O’Callaghan and five-eight Finn Mackay were enormous, and hooker Huw Griffiths an inspired performer in the second half.
Ashgrove hustled and bustled their rivals and took them out of their comfort zone, forcing them into error.
Ash also did a good job defending St Laurence’s feared rolling maul.
In defence and at scrum time Ash’s prop Gane and Downes were heroic, while second rower Christian Kurylewski mighty following his lock partner Burnell, an early replacement following an injury to starting second rower Pat Anderson.
Ashgrove displayed plenty of skill today.
Ashgrove, using blindside winger Joel Drew often in open side attack, were enterprising as halves McCall and Roberts let the ball sing to inside centre Tom Millard who had a whale of a game.
Fullback Howard loomed as the biggest threat carrying the ball and in the big match, he was high and mighty.
Ashgrove turned at halftime leading 14-10, but could they sustain their intensity and discipline under pressure from Laurie’s in the second half?
It was a long way to the finish line, but they did find the legs to get to the line.
“We knew there were a couple of things that we if we did well today, we’d fall on the right side,’’ said Ashgrove coach Richard Graham.
“Clearly we wanted to challenge them on anywhere on the field. And I thought we did that really well.
“We had some magic moments, didn’t we,’’ Graham said, no doubt in reference to captain Tom Howard’s contribution.
The game could have gone either way as Laurie;'s closed the gap to 14-10 and then 21-20 until Howard’s match winning burst to create Gardner’s late try.
“I thought we did well in the line out to turn some ball over and take away some momentum,’’ Graham added.
Earlier in the match Finn Mackay’s kicking game was magnificent for St Laurence’s, driving them to the right end of the field.
Ash inside centre Millard was a two try hero, helped along by his halfback McCall’s service and Roberts’ straightning of the attack from five-eight.
Early in the match, Ashgrove set the crowd alight with a sensational 95m try from a scrum when Xavier Howard backed his pace and put his winger Drew on the way to the tryline.
Drew was to win the Doubles Daley Medal for his side, while O’Callaghan was awarded the honour for St Laurie's’s.
In other matches, Padua defeated St Peters 56-7, Iona beat Villanova 32-7 and St Patrick’s won 36-14 over St Edmund’s.
On Davine Oval at Iona, Iona went down to 13 men with the game in the balance and in that 10 minute period scored two tries to turn the corner and run home 32-7 winners on the school’s old boys day.
With thousands in attendance and without Adam Kelly (red card) for the entire match, Iona won through their defence, which let in just one try to Villanova’s No. 8 Jackson Connor.
Ahead 15-7 midway through the second half, Iona went to 13 men when Connor Quinn was yellow carded, but somehow the side found success on the left edge where Hopo Leota and Finn Lucock crashed over to move ahead 29-7 and run away from their rivals.
Iona sniper Campbell Rolfe slotted both conversions from wide out and then nailed a penalty goal on the cusp of time to ensure an inspired victory.
Earlier in the game, Campbell Rolfe and Hopo Leota propelled home side Iona to a 15-0 halftime lead in front of a healthy crowd, made up predominantly of Iona supporters.
Rolfe was his usual self, creating the attack with his incursions from fullback while powerhouse prop Leota dominated in close quarter battle with some thumping tackles, barnstorming carries and terrific link play with his outside backs, Matt Doherty (inside centre) the pick of the bunch.
Rolfe and Leota were a class above, coming to the fore after a brave stint of defence to open the game denied Villanova any reward for promising attacking play.
With backrow dynamo Kelly red carded early on, Iona defended so well no one would have noticed they had a one man disadvantage.
In the first 20 minutes, Villanova displayed some of their best rugby, with excellent props Sam Binney and Harry Higgins leading the charge for a firing forward pack eager to land the first blow.
Villanova did not strike, but the service of scrumhalf Ben Lawrence, crash running of midfielder Edison Murname and hustle of winger Joe Watson helped them come within inches, more than once.
Watson was a revelation on debut, his pressure on the kick chase something to behold, as well as his second efforts.
Iona led 15-0 at halftime, before Villanova everywhere man Jackson Connor crashed over midway through the second half to make it 15-7, No. 8 Connor adding the extras off the tee.
But Iona sealed the deal through Leota, the exciting prop barging over in his favourite part of the field, near the left touchline in front of the passionate Iona supporters to move further in front 29-7.
This was after trusted left wing finisher Finn Lucock ran in a five-pointer to halt dangerous Villanova momentum.
Villanova outside backs Watson (winger), Harry Inness (fullback), Edison Murname (inside centre) and classy conductor Roman Dunne (fly half) were all tremendous in the bayside derby which delivered in spades.
Will Gallagher, Jackson Connor and Doubles Daley medallist Binney were also worthy of praise for their efforts, while dynamic hooker Fononga Tuitahi and Leota were excellent for the home side.
At St Peters, Padua won 55-7 with the running game of Damon Humphrys and relentless presence of Doubles Daley Medallist flanker Josh Forrest the keys to success.
On a muddy Mayer Oval track, St Peters defended for much of the contest, only rarely making into the visitor’s half.
When they did, man of the match Johnny Nona was able to scorch away for his team’s lone try.
However Padua, with Will Ross, Forrest at the forefront, camped in St Peter’s half and didn’t leave.
They had the game won at half time, leading 28-0 before bench spark plugs Harry Walsh (hooker) and Ryan McPherson (No. 8) added the finishing touches with boundless energy.
Representative lock Ross bagged two tries in the match, while midfielder Nate Clarke was a defensive menace who aimed up and shut down St Peters when they won the ball.
Winning them the ball was Alex Brown, the turnover king who, with Nigel Sherriff, spearheaded St Peters’ defensive effort.
“They were tough. They aimed up defensively and had good resilience and heart,” Padua coach Andrew Clyne said in praise of St Peters.
At St Patrick’s College on the school’s old boys day, the battalion conceded two early tries to trail 14-0, before scoring 36 unanswered points to win 36-14.
St Edmund’s crashed over twice in the opening five minutes, and were the better side for the first 20 minutes, applying plenty of pressure onto the home side.
But once St Patrick’s got within striking distance, it was all over red rover as ace hooker Manaaki Bateman muscled over.
Not once, not twice but three times the representative hooker scored off rolling maul plays, swinging the momentum in his team’s favour as they mounted an impressive six try ambush with the wind behind them in the second stanza.
Classy fly half Riley Horn followed suit of St Edmund’s fly half Tiger Campbell who kicked well in the first half, to use the wind and turn his rivals around in St Patrick’s impressive second half effort.
“He is pretty calm and his kicking was good. He put us in the right areas,” said St Patrick’s coach Jim Potts.
The scrummaging of St Patrick’s trio Tom Davie, Manaaki Bateman and Denzel Savelino was also a highlight, before 140kg tight-head monster Keahn Nukunuku scrummed the house down when coming on for the second half.
With their scrum moving forward, St Patrick’s lock Alex Howard and Harry Dows stood tall in the lineouts and in general play with their ball carrying and cleaning out, while Matt Condon (outside centre) and Jesse Daly (halfback) were top notch in the backline.
Again, St Edmund’s No. 8 Jack Breuer was one and a half players, leading his team with all energy and effort.
A workhorse, Breuer does everything and more and would move a mountain for his side if he had to.
ROUND 7
Villanova v St Peters Lutheran College
Iona v St Patrick’s College
St Laurence’s College v Padua College
St Edmund’s College v Marist College Ashgrove
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