AIC rugby: Padua juggernaut; Laurie’s unbeaten
AIC First XV rugby: The Padua College juggernaut continued thanks to a baby-faced assassin while the chase of St Laurence’s hotted up today.
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Padua College’s baby-faced assassin Damon Humphrys twice stepped up to pluck victory from the clutches of defeat as his team maintained its unbeaten record in AIC First XV rugby on Saturday.
With his side trailing 26-24, Humphry’s conjured up a sideline conversion to draw the match two minutes from full-time, and then slotted a penalty goal after the siren to give Padua an unlikely victory 29-26.
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“It was a really high quality game of footy,’’ said Iona coach Paul Davey. “I said to our boys that even in great games of footy there has to be a loser, and it sucks to be us today. But that is sport.’’
In other matches, Marist College Ashgrove blew the cobwebs outs to beat cross suburb rivals St Peters 39-13.
Meanwhile Villa had a red hot second half to beat Eddie’s 39-12 as Laurie’s marched on with a 46-8 win over Paddies.
Iona College had the win in the locker, but forgot to throw away the key, allowing Padua to hustle 15 points in the closing minutes after they had led 26-14.
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What a game it was as Iona, with all the momentum, looked headed for a stunning upset.
The home Iona crowd were roaring, the band was playing and the Iona players were throwing themselves into the fray.
This was ambush central.
War cries started and every decision waved in Iona’s favour were cheered with the same gusto of a try being celebrated.
This was Iona’s House and Padua were in a scrap.
Yet somehow Padua won.
Momentum shifted out of nothing when Padua No. 8 Will Tozer charged down a clearing kick, forcing a turnover.
Padua controlled possession and from the build-up lock Jack Corby powered over. It was back to 26-19.
Padua threatened again when Tom Chapman chased a clearing kick and regained the ball 20m put, but somehow Iona hooker Alex Manteit joined his winger Tom Kovacic in cover defence.
But still Padua came at Iona, and a blindside pick and drive try, followed by Humphrys sideline conversion, made it 26-26.
Humphrys then stepped up kick the winner. Before his two kicks, Humphrys had dropped the ball in attack, so he displayed great composure to put those errors behind him.
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“We knew he was an excellent kicker and that is one of the reasons he is in the side,’’ said Padua coach Andrew Clyne.
“He would be the first to admit he had a couple of dropped balls, but he was very calm, very composed and he did not let that get to him. Or all the crowd noise.’’
“This was a good test. We found a way to bounce back and show a bit of character.’’
Iona coach Paul Davey was proud of his side. “The effort was outstanding.
“The boys played an amazing game. The whole team played well.
“With a 12-point lead we may have overplayed our hand a bit towards the end instead of respecting field position.
“But Padua were good. They kept coming and it was the best game of rugby in AIC I have seen this year.’’
Iona had enough good players to win - flanker Kelly, No. 8 Dore, locks Nicholson and Lane and the front row of Marlborough, skipper Manteit and Leota.
And Davey said the backs played the best they had all season.
Yet Iona did not win.
It was Padua, spearheaded by Jack Corby, Will Tozer and Brock Powell, and polished by Humphrys and an impressive Will Rogers, who claimed victory.
And at St Peters, the rivalry had never been so alive between the Saints and Marist College Ashgrove as two equally hungry teams battled it out in a round 4 thriller.
Ashgrove, outscoring the home side 29-5 in a second half ambush to thwart the Saints chances and storm away with a gripping 39-13 result.
In an enthralling arm wrestle of a contest, it was Ashgrove’s Year 11 outside centre Tom Howard who broke things open, his blistering speed and side step delivering a matchwinning performance.
Howard, a Queensland Reds Under 16s talent, was busy as ever, sparking his team’s two first half tries and scoring their third to open the second half.
His accomplice, fullback ace Jude Knapp - a revelation who dazzled in the No. 15 jersey with his kick returns.
With open pastures, created by the playmaking of Tobias Graham and line running of Cody O’May, Knapp put away his rivals as he made line breaks look easy.
Competition was fierce in the first half. Both teams were aggressive and up for it physically, the atmosphere tense and stunning solo efforts abound.
There was a great battle between fullbacks, Ashgrove’s Knapp having the game of his life and St Peters’ Dom Morton a jinking menace who proved almost impossible to contain when returning the ball from the back.
Ashgrove had a 10-8 upper hand at the break but it was anyone’s game.
In fact, Peter’s had an extra man to start the second after Ashgrove lock Ben Caughley was given 10 the bin (shoulder charge).
But being a man down didn’t stop third year First XV scrum half Jack Condon from having a run and finding Howard for a try.
Peter’s winger Jack Banks returned the favour to edge closer, 15-13 the score with Ashgrove a nose in front.
But a flip switched and Ashgrove stormed away with it.
Graham, who had kicked Ashgrove to safety on countless occasions already, connected effortlessly with his backline threats and the Fraser’s road boys were off to the races.
Winger Joel Drew was the first beneficiary of coach Richard Graham’s playbook, then it was prop powerhouse Bailey Caplick, centre Cody O’May and flanker Atticus Armstrong.
The visitors, scoring seven tries to St Peter’s two on their way to victory.
Richard Graham said his side talked all week about finding their shape. “If we stick with our shape it will pay dividends.
“I didn’t think the loss of a guy was important. What was important was our discipline in our tackles and in our shape.
“We executed well. The boys did really well transferring from training into the game.”
It was hard for Graham not to be happy with his son’s effort, Tobias kicking “very well.”
Graham said it was fantastic to see Knapp and Howard have the game they did.
“Anytime you sit in the stands and watch the backs move the ball. that’s a hallmark of our rugby at the school. Physical, attacking rugby. I thought we did that really well.”
The most pleasing aspect for Graham was his side’s resilience on the try line under pressure.
St Peter’s coach Cameron Wallace was proud of his team, but said they lacked execution, “letting them in the game in the second half.”
“It was a 70 effort. Can’t fault them there.”
For Peter’s, fly half Wallace Charlie shone bright with his instinctual playmaking.
“He has improved in leaps and bounds. We didn’t have him for the first week but he turned our whole team around in the second … he changed the whole dynamic … he just has a rugby brain.
He picks a part play by play and he can read players on the fly and make smart decisions. He doesn’t have tunnel vision. He sees the whole game. It’s not something you can coach,” Wallace said about the Year 11 Cairns product who is in his second year of First XV.
Centre Kuwanon Dickman ran hard, while flanker Tarnah Ford-West continued to impress in his new position.
“He played wing last year and now he’s absolutely killing it. He just wanted to give it a crack and he’s been amazing,” Wallace said.
At Curlew Park, Laurie’s outplayed St Patrick’s to come away 46-8 winners.
Laurie’s head coach Welmar Du Plesiss said he was very pleased his side was able to get the job done.
He said good direct play and playing the game in the right areas of the field set the foundations.
“We played nice and direct rugby. We were physically up for it … dominated the collision, got metres in the carries and we made our tackles.”
Du Plessis was also very happy to have kept Paddies to just one try, commending his team’s effort in defence.
“An all around defensive effort, they worked for each other out there. We put them under pressure and the points came.”
Hooker Luka Smith was damaging, physically dominant and defensively a battering ram.
Rylan Lock, his prop teammate, was just as physical, getting his side front foot ball and working overtime.
But lock Tom Jago stole the show with his work rate just out of this world according to du Plessis.
“He got through a lot of work. His work rate was right up there.
“Finn Mackay was really good. He controlled the game, played eyes up footy, put our guys through games.
“His kicking game was on point so we could play in the right areas.
Paddies head coach Jim Potts said his team played quite well but Laurie’s scoring three first half tries off three unforced errors made things impossible.
And an intercept early in the second half did not help.
Potts said: “ They tried hard and that (the scoreline) did not reflect the long passages of the game.
“Credit to Laurie’s. They were clinical
“We spoke about that … If you give them territory and possession they’ll make you pay.
“We invited them into the 22 and they scored.
“Credit to them they did well,.”
Manaaki Bateman was once again brilliant, earning man of the match honours from Laurie’s.
He was strong at the set piece and at hooker, his lineout and scrimmaging was excellent.
“He carried well, he was getting post contact metres every time they hit him. Outstanding,” Potts said about the Year 11 superstar.
“Eli Avci was very good at lock. In the lineouts and with strong carries and defence.”
Winger Noah James scored Paddies’ lone try after a smart kick to the corner.
Potts praised Laurie’s fly half Mackay, saying he “steered the ship, had a steady head and kicked well.
“He sent it out wide when they had the space.”
At Ipswich, Tafito Falaniko Ah-Ki announced himself as the best scrum half for his age in Queensland with two tries in a 39-12 losing effort against Villanova.
Eddie’s had the lead 12-0 with one minute to go in the first half before Villa fly half Larry Clark threw his cape on and scored an intercept try.
This try, the game changer.
Eddie’s hard coach Andrew Kirk said it went downhill after Clark’s heroics at the horn.
“We didn’t show the resilience that we have been big on.”
Fundamental errors and the one per cent plays caused Eddie’s problems in the second half.
But, even in a loss, halfback Ah-Ki dazzled in an “untouchable” performance.
Villa head coach Eddie Harris said his side was average in the first half with Eddie’s tackling fer
ociously, and “very disciplined”.
“Larry Clark’s intercept.....it was crucial. He scored under the posts and swung the momentum.
“In the second half the boys stuck to the plan. We kicked to the corners, pressured the lineouts … used the ball smartly, great passing and good ball security.
“Larry was outstanding, as was Jackson Connor at outside centre.
“He (Connor) set up a try and scored two tries himself. He had an outstanding game.
James Sullivan at blindside flanker also had a day out, ruling the lineouts.
“He won every ball, 12 or 13 himself,” Harris said.
“Halfback Caden Griffiths controlled the tempo in a fast paced game
“I am really proud of the boys.
Footnote: Replays and live coverage of match will be available courtesy of the QRU and available via the website: https://qld.rugby/aic
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