GPS First XV rugby: BBC triumph in an Old Boys Day spectacle as the boot of Seamus Boakes keeps BSHS undefeated in Rd 4 stunners
GPS First XV rugby Rd 4: Brisbane State High fly half Seamus Boakes was a matchwinning hero while BBC delivered in an Old Boys Day spectacle. Read the reports here following four blockbusters.
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Nudgee College and Brisbane State High School retained their unbeaten records as the GPS First XV rugby competition delivered four blockbuster games of the highest quality.
Nudgee won in style over Brisbane Grammar, 59-6, Brisbane Boys’ College stormed past the finish line to defeat The Southport School 46-38 and Churchie won away at Toowoomba Grammar School by 33-22.
And Brisbane State High returned from a bye to snare an amazing 23-22, last gasp win over visitors Ipswich Grammar.
MEETING THE BIG BOPPERS OF THE GPS COMPETITION
BSHS’s Seamus Boakes produced two pin point kicks within the space of 90 seconds of each other, and Roman Siulepa a remarkable kick-off catch to help snare a late victory over an unlucky IGS.
BSHS won by one point, with fly half and goalkicker Boakes slotting a penalty goal from an acute angle to snatch victory after full-time.
Just two minutes earlier IGS five-eighth Tyson Walker looked like he would wear the hero’s cape after kicking an angled penalty goal to inch his side ahead.
But from the restart BSHS’s Boakes put a high kick off on a dime to a soaring Siulepa whose leap was higher than any basketball hoop he has slammed dunked into.
BSHS then won a penalty and, with ice in his veins, Boakes stepped up to boot the match winner.
Ironically he missed a conversion attempt from an easier angle earlier after his prop Tyrece Herniman had driven to the line to score, putting BSHS ahead 20-19.
In celebration of Boakes’ successful penalty goal, the BSHS reserves bench burst onto the field in jubilation.
IGS had done enough to win, but it was BSHS who maintained its unbeaten record this season.
The game started well for BSHS who leapt to a 12-nil advantage when Trent Picot and Herniman, a try scoring machine, both scored.
Picot had supported a break by his No. 8 Jesse Maugatai while Herniman scored his first try from a pick and drive effort after his fellow prop, Elyjah Sau, had displayed the reflexes and hands of a cricket slips fieldsman by catching a wayward line out ball as it fell toward the ground.
Coincidentally or not, momentum seemed to swing on two yellow cards which waved BSHS players from the field.
IGS then got into their groove, scoring three unanswered tries.
The first came from sustained pressure that led to flanker Tanner Baker scoring.
IGS scored again when a super, long pass from the ruck by Joseph Post resulted in outstanding No. 8 Matautia diving over out wide.
IGS then hit the front 19-15 by halftime, with thrilling fullback Murgha working a wide blindside play with James Grey.
Murgha, who was dangerous with every touch, then backed up on the inside to score and it was 19-15.
The second half became more of a pitched battle, with occasional bursts from Murgha igniting the game.
IGS’s defence was outstanding for a sustained period in the second half, but finally the dam wall cracked ever so slightly which led to Herniman driving over. His hooker Suniula who was joined at the hip of Herniman and it it was just as well, as both were needed to lunge successfully at the line.
At 20-19 to BSHS, Walker’s heart stopping penalty goal was successful for IGS and they looked certain winners.
But then came Roman’s kick off catch for BSHS and Boakes’ successful penalty from out wide.
It was the second wide, match winning penalty goal kicked by Boakes within the space of a month after he did similar for the Queensland schoolboys.
IGS did so well, spearheaded by a working man forward pack, clever No.10 Walker and thrilling fullback Murgha.
But winning is a habit and BSHS found a way to win.
In an Old Boys Day spectacle on Miskin Oval, BBC flanker Gray O’Neill was to the fore as BBC turned a 22-19 halftime lead into a stunning 46-38 victory.
13 tries were scored in an epic battle which to-and-froed, the lead changing six times across the contest before a telling try by Tai Taka with 16 minutes left regained the lead for BBC at 34-31.
With the game hanging in the balance, a superb right to left step from fullback Andres Ayache to dash over for a try with six minutes remaining put a canyon between the two sides as BBC took their equal biggest lead of the match, 41-31.
Ayache was the school’s 16Bs fly half last season, but his special 12 month journey to making the Firsts reached a flashpoint on Saturday when scoring this all-important five pointer.
“He was always prepared to do whatever it took,” BBC head of rugby Todd Dammers said of Ayache’s commitment over the last year.
“This is the first time he has ever played 15.
“He just works it out. He is a footballer.”
Representative flanker O’Neill, who slotted four tough conversions and a penalty goal, then produced another dagger when a flick pass in contact set free his inside centre Frank Howarth.
Howarth powered home down the right touchline, evading three defenders before slamming the ball down and nailing the coffin in, 46-31, with three minutes to play.
“There’s a lot (special about O’Neill),” Dammers said in praise of his promising open side flanker.
“I just think his calmness is what sets him apart.
“He is very skillful, … but he is just calm. Unflappable.
“He is exceptional. You don’t hear much from him … but you wouldn’t want to live without him.”
TSS centre Kilarney Lavender scored a classy solo try to get one back, but the damage was already done - BBC’s impressive final quarter of play the difference.
FIRST HALF ACTION
In the first half, the impressive goalkicking of flanker Gray O’Neill, power game of front rowers Conrad Scott and Tyler Maybery and activity of scrumhalf Isaac Kefu created a slight 22-19 halftime advantage for the home side.
Scott, Maybery and lightning quick left winger DJ Colaivalu scored tries, while TSS’s trusty outside backs Dylan Terblanche and Jake Lane each scored tries on the back of some creative playmaking from game-managing fly half Dallas Ingram.
Blaze Moana also scored for TSS, a brilliant rolling maul effort which brought his team within three points just shy of the break after BBC made the most of their chances to capture a 22-14 lead.
ROLLING MAUL MAGIC
Would you believe BBC hooker Tyler Maybery scored two tries spearing off the back of rolling mauls, and Moana two himself with similar impressive efforts that ensured TSS remained within striking distance right before halftime, and just after Maybery had crossed to begin the second stanza.
Both boys were elite, but it was a reward for the efforts of their respective tight fives who each shone in an 84 point scoring feast.
TSS locks Hayden Keldie-Genner and Dan Wells were excellent winning lineouts, while the dominance of their front rowers Kingsley Uys, Moana and Jonah Rangiwai was evident at scrum time.
Tall timbers Tavita Loughland and Jack Randall were also impressive for the home side.
TURNING POINT
BBC led 29-19 after their inspirational skipper had crossed the stripe for the second time early in the second half, but quickly TSS rose to take a 31-29 lead after Moana and right wing Kingston Seve scored tries.
Seve’s five-pointer was a beauty, but the catch was clicking the home side into gear.
Uys, Lavender had brilliant touches in Seve’s try, but then arrived Taka, Ayache and finally Howarth to deliver significant moments of magic in a 17 point scoring spurt within a frantic 13 minute period approaching time.
One of Queensland’s finest schoolboy set pieces has the potential to sweep Nudgee College to its 45th GPS First XV rugby union premiership in 2024, having piled on half a century of points in a second-half surge against Brisbane Grammar.
Nudgee moved to four wins from four with a 59-6 thumping of Grammar on Ross Oval, the seed of which was planted by a destructive aerial performance from twin tower locks Bennett Armistead and Ed Kasprowicz.
The Butcher Stripes’ resident air traffic controllers tore Grammar’s lineout to shreds, stealing eight throws and restricting the visitors to four clean wins from 13 to freeze the visitors out of the match.
It was an essential performance because Nudgee’s ill-discipline at the breakdown in the first half had sent Grammar minds wandering back to the famous ‘grand final’ upset at this ground 12 years prior – the school’s last victory on GPS rugby’s most fearsome home fortress.
Nudgee were whistled off the park in the opening half but that counted for little as Kasprowicz and Armistead beat Grammar’s five-man lineout to the punch at every turn.
Unable to advance the ball upfield or bring down a clean lineout throw, Grammar captain Zac Reader was forced to turn to the kicking tee with two first half penalties to get his side onto the scoreboard.
The margin could have been eight points at the break if Reader nailed all three of his attempts but a 17-6 differential hinted that history could repeat itself at Nudgee.
The Butcher Stripes returned from the break ready to show why the College has earned title favouritism in the 2024 race.
Six tries and 42 points later and Brisbane Grammar had been washed away.
This Nudgee side is the real deal.
LATHAM SPECIAL
Wide-running Nudgee College No. 8 Adam Latham has inherited plenty of his old man’s x-factor.
The son of four-time Queensland Reds player of the year Chris Latham scored two tries including a contender for GPS try of the season in the first half.
Nudgee went 90m to score with three grubber kicks in the same movement, including two from Latham who outpaced two members of the Grammar backline to score in the 14th minute.
It was superb control from the rangy loose forward, who later scored a far simpler try to kickstart a 15 minute scoring blitz that saw Nudgee add 35 points to their scoreboard in that span.
Fatigued BGS could barely hang on as the Butcher Stripes stretched the field left and right and had no petrol left to stop Latham from tucking the ball under an arm and powering over on the right wing.
FAST AND FURIOUS
Nudgee winger Nicholas Conway may be GPS rugby’s most dangerous attacking player.
The head gear wearing left winger ran for the most metres of any player in the game and was a constant danger down the touch line.
Conway beat multiple defenders to score Nudgee’s opening try and did the hard work for several other scores only for teammates to finish.
Queensland sprint sensation Ethan Grimshaw returned to First XV action from the bench and didn’t have to wait long before he was back among the tryscorers.
Grimshaw could have had multiple tries if not for desperate defensive efforts from the visitors.
TRYSAVERS GALORE
Diminutive Grammar fullback Elijah Breen can hold his head high as his side’s brightest spark in attack and is to be applauded for one of the highlight defensive plays of the game.
Breen’s fast feet troubled Nudgee’s defence on multiple occasions but his finest moment arrived without the ball in his hands.
Nudgee centre Max Rohan had split the Grammar defence to crash over by the posts but was not expecting Breen to put his body on the line.
The fullback attached himself like a limpet around the ball leaving Rohan no space to plant down.
It would have been the defensive play of the entire day had Nudgee’s Bond Bradley not produced an even better try saver late in the second half.
Brisbane Grammar had cross field kicked for an unmarked man on the wing and was all set to score his side’s first five-pointer when Bradley swooped in from nowhere with a ball-and-all tackle to deny the hosts even that.
It was premiership-level commitment because Nudgee led 59-6 with four minutes to play when Bradley slammed the door on the visitors.
NUDGEE COLLEGE 59 (Nicholas Conway, Adam Latham 2, John Grenfell, Hugo Hart, Sam Watson, Ethan Grimshaw, Isaac Rauluni, William Reardon tries; Jacob Johnson 5, Conway, Max Rohan conversions) DEF. BRISBANE GRAMMAR SCHOOL 6 (Zac Reader 2 penalties)
Up on the Range, Churchie survived a gallant late game comeback attempt by Toowoomba Grammar to come away 33-22 winners.
What a game it was, begun in fine fashion with Toowoomba Grammar left wing Adam Davis scoring two screamers in the left corner.
In reply, Churchie left winger Will Bloxham scored a try and assisted on another scored by Oli Chancellor which equalised the scores at 12-all.
In a crucial moment leading up to halftime, Churchie captain and inside centre Max Blanch burst through a hole and scored to give the visitors a 19-12 advantage.
The turning point of the match came just two minutes into the second stanza when Churchie went over 80m to score through fullback Treyvon Pritchard.
From a scrum positioned within their 22m, Churchie shifted the ball from Chancellor through Blanch, Fletcher Austin and Pritchard before Bloxham tore down left field and found tryscorer Pritchard in support on his inside.
Pritchard added the extras to move further in front 26-12, and then with the same exact play a little over 10 minutes later and still deep in their own half, Churchie surged 70m down the field to go ahead 33-12.
Despite conceding 28 successive points, Toowoomba Grammar regrouped and mounted an impressive comeback attempt, sparked by 15-year-old hooker Ruben Kruger who scored a rolling maul try.
The home side hit back again through the jinking supersub Jonah Allen to be within 11 points, down 33-22, with three minutes to play, but that was the last time the boys in blue and gold would cross.
ROUND 5
Terrace v Nudgee
The Southport School v BSHS
BGS v Toowoomba Grammar
Churchie v Brisbane Boys College
Bye: Ipswich Grammar School
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