Colts 1 club rugby: Wests, Souths, Sunnybank and Norths win as finals picture becomes clouded and 13 year curse broken
Colts 1 club rugby: The finals picture has become much clearer following dramatic Rd 17 results that saw Norths snap a 13 year curse. See who shone in four blockbusters on Saturday.
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The Colts 1 club rugby finals picture will be decided in the final round of the season next Saturday after four dramatic results left the third and fourth spots up for grabs.
GPS FIRST XV RUGBY: HOW ROUND 4 UNFOLDED
On a day where the Norths Eagles snared their first Colts 1 win over Brothers in 13 years with a 29-19 triumph, Easts, despite losing 24-17 to Wests, retained third spot on the ladder.
Bond University lost 45-43 to Souths, who returned from a 36-12 deficit, but captured two bonus points to jump University into fourth spot on the ladder.
The Bullsharks scored seven tries and were within seven points of the visitors, which meant they snared an all-important two bonus points, while the Red Heavies’ finals hopes were dealt a cruel blow following Mattias Agent’s heroic 69th minute try.
University led 21-19 before lock Agent, the Sunnybank captain, threw on his cape and scored the match winner to finish the Dragons seasons on a high note and set up a final round collision course where University, Bond, Norths and Easts will be vying for the two remaining finals tickets.
UPDATED LADDER
Souths (65pts)
Wests (64pts)
Easts (42pts)
Bond Uni (41pts)
Uni (41pts)
Norths (38pts)
Brothers (35pts)
GPS (29pts)
Sunnybank (20pts)
ROUND 18 FIXTURES (home side on left)
Brothers v GPS
Easts v Norths
University v Bond University
Souths v Wests
At UQ, Sunnybank captain Agent made life even harder for finals hopefuls University when a telling pick and drive try delivered a thrilling 24-21 victory for the Dragons.
“We were five metres out and we got a penalty and there was an opportunity to kick to level the game but the boys chose tap and go,” said Sunnybank coach Rex Tapuai.
After three phases, Agent moved in for the matchwinner, capping off a stellar season for the Brisbane State High old boy whose “workrate is probably higher than anyone else’s”.
“His second and third efforts are always huge,” Tapuai praised.
“He is a big leader in the lineouts, he has a lot of responsibility on his belt and he carries it well for a young man.
“He has made the job a lot easier for me.”
Indeed first year coach Tapuai did not know he had a ready-made leader in his ranks ready to lead the team once captain Nico Buckley went down with injury.
“I didn’t realise how good he was until he turned up at the club,” he said.
“Within the first two or three weeks I realised he would be very important to the side.”
At The Kennel, Wests treated their clash against Easts like a grand final and impressive flanker Charlie Cooke produced a telling pilfer after full-time to win possession and grant Jamie Alexander the ball to boot into touch.
Wests won 24-17, and Easts, with their tails up, were closing in during a frantic finish - and in swooped the head gear wearing flanker, stealing ball and denying Easts a chance at levelling the scores.
It was a stop-start affair turned dogfight in an enthralling encounter where BBC old boys James Martens (halfback) and Jamie Alexander were influential in the second stanza.
The up-tempo play and service of Martens and the attack, offloading and off the whim plays of fly half Alexander engineered treasured tries to Dom Kallquist and Liam McGregor.
Earlier, Wests had defended astutely to deny Easts points in a trying period where the home side had a one man disadvantage.
With prop Jack Spencer off due to a yellow card, the Bulldogs were scrappy on their goal line, with No.8 Liam McGregor making some telling tackles when Easts closed in.
Eventually Easts fly half Archie Wilson opted to take the three points, but sure enough Campbell King responded for Wests with an impressive 40m penalty goal to draw level 3-all when loose-head Spencer returned to the field.
Then, right on the stroke of halftime, A wonderful right to left shift form Easts involving Noah Rauluni, Archie Xavier and Archie Wilson resulted in a Rauluni try after he had followed the play and crashed over with a pick-and-drive.
Easts held a 10-3 advantage with 35 minutes to play.
Into the second half, the scheming Archie Xavier, and his forwards Joe Stoddart, Jackson Moloney, Drew Smith and Toby Kennedy worked hard to increase their buffer but it was Wests flanker Alex Watkins who struck first to equalise at 10-all with 25 minutes to go.
10 minutes later, tireless loose-head brute Byron Murphy recaptured the lead for Easts when, after mounting plenty of phases, crashed over with a powerful pick-and-drive.
Then came the wizardry of versatile fly half Alexander who, after playing scrumhalf in the first half, challenged Easts’ defensive line with hard carries of his own and a handful of offloads.
The turning point moment came when big No.8 McGregor latched on to one of Alexander’s offloads and strode over to move ahead 24-7, before courageous try line defence from Wests outlasted the Tigers final heave.
On Hugh Courtney Oval, Norths broke a 13 year drought with a 29-19 triumph over The Brethren.
It must be said that Brothers played the second half a man down following a red card, but Norths were good enough to take full advantage.
Will Rogers, who saved his best for last in what was the hooker’s best outing of the season, scored two tries, while speed demon Sam Dickie also scored a double in the five tries to three success.
The win would have seen Eagles’ players toasting the victory late into the night.
Norths have been under Brothers heel for decades and victories such as come along once in a blue moon.
Norths, now they have speared a hole in Brothers’ armour, will be looking to build on this milestone victory next Saturday when they too can book a spot in the finals.
The victory did not come easy, although the kicking of fly half Ryan FitzGerald and leadership through the actions of captain Mac Hermann certainly helped.
The performance of Brothers lock Charles Stack was to be admired, while workhorse flanker Cooper Cameron was also elite in a match that hung in the balance until the 68th minute.
Norths led 22-19, and when Nudgee old boy Rogers bounded over, that was game.
The Eagles were led by Rogers, Aveau Jovid, Hermann, but really the entire forward pack deserves praise.
Down the coast at The Canal, Souths returned from being down 36-12 early in the second half to win 45-43 in a nailbiting encounter with Bond University.
In a match the intensity of finals footy, the home side stormed out to a healthy lead following tries to Kobe Waikato (two tries), Rocco Gollings, Ieuan Cornelius and Harry Bell.
Bond University’s sizzling start had Souths right where they wanted them to be, but into the second half the Magpies swooped to produce an epic comeback.
In a 14 try feast, it was Souths’ reinforcements that made all the difference.
Bench players Jacob Job, Slater Galloway, Matt Robertson, Dian Minnie and Will Nason were elite coming on and swinging momentum back in the visitor’s favour.
Starters Cadell Rees (lock), Tommy O’Callaghan (flanker) and No.8 Dom Thygesen, who made his return after spending time in the Australian Under-20s camp, were “excellent” according to coach Cian O’Connor.
Cooper Hoare and Kaleb Akaroa bagged two tries each.
But it was the impact of blokes like Robertson and Minnie who changed the game for Souths, as well as Nason who kicked well for goal.
For the Bullsharks, centre Rocco Gollings returned to the line-up and scored a good try while inside centre Waikato was at his best alongside flyhalf Callum Simpson and scrumhalf Sam Howarth.
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