GPS First XV rugby: Round two teams and six things we learnt from round one

Nudgee College will field 13 debut players including the son of a Test cricketer. All round two teams here – plus six things we learned from round one.

Action from the GPS rugby round one match between Churchie and Brisbane State High. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Nudgee College will field 13 players on debut against Ipswich Grammar School on Saturday at Ross Oval.

The Courier Mail will be there when prop Princeton Ioane, hooker Oliver Barrett, forwards Ed Kasprowicz, Eamon Mahoney, Hugo Hart, Noah Rauluni and Nixon Pasese joins halfback Samuel Watson and three quarters James Duggan, Ryan Heaton, Prestyn Laine-Sietu, Emmanuel Taviri and Jacob Johnson on debut for Nudgee.

ROUND 1 TEAM OF THE WEEK

Lock Kasprowicz, who earlier in the season played First XI cricket, is the son of Queensland’s Test fast bowler Michael, while Rauluni is the son of former Queensland and Fijian international halfback Jacob.

Elite prop Macarius Pereira will captain Nudgee in his third season of First XV.

Saturday’s game against IGS is Nudgee’s first of the season after a round one bye.

Ed Kasprowicz, second from the left, facing toward camera. He played First XI this season.

Prestyn Laine-Sietu played for the Queensland rugby league schoolboys earlier this month and is a Qld under 18 rugby representative, while Hart and Pasese are prodigious junior talents.

In other games, Terrace will host its second match against The Southport School while Toowoomba Grammar School were at home to Brisbane State High School. Brisbane Grammar School will play Churchie.

Prestyn Laine-Sietu of the Youth Boys Queensland side. Picture: Jeremy Ng

Terrace will unleash excellent outside back Miaka Poese on the wing, while fly-half Isaac McAuliffe will also made his first appearance after playing last year.

Terrace halfback George Hales will make his First XV debut for Terrace The Brave.

Ipswich Grammar School’s back division looks even stronger on paper with junior representative centre Finn Kendall in for the round one clash.

TGS named an unchanged line to clash with BSHS, with Chace Oates (head) out until round three.

Churchie has made a few changes. The new wingers were Oscar Harris and Harry Cool, 15 Fletcher Austin while Jye Crothers moves to lock and Caleb Godfrey to flanker.

Nudgee college fans at the ground Nudgee College v BSHS in the GPS First XV rugby on August 20, 2022. Picture: John Gass

BSHS also have a new face in its starting line-up – tall, athletic outside back Bailey Trew who has come off the bench previously, but who will run on for the first time. Laquan Afamiliona moves from wing to fullback.

There is also a new face, Spencer Blakelock, on the bench.

At Brisbane Grammar School Mika Crichton is out injured and has been replaced by James Murray, who makes his debut.

ROUND ONE TEAMS, FEARLESS FORECAST FOR THE PREMIERSHIP

SIX THINGS WE HAVE LEARNT

Yes, it is an even competition

We learnt that we were correct with our pre-season predictions – except when it came to the mystery box match between The Southport School and Ipswich Grammar.

At Terrace, we highly fancied TGS and they obliged by leading 12-nil and 34-14 – but we also saw green shoots in Terrace and were not surprised to see them score 28 points. If they did not gift wrap TGS possession by conceding second half penalties, Terrace may have won.

BGS v BBC in round one of the GPS rugby season.

We thought Churchie would win round one, but were not surprised BSHS – full of talent – gave them a fright.

And we thought Brisbane Boys College had points in them this season – while knowing Brisbane Grammar would not roll over. Both happened.

We also knew TSS had a very good forward pack. But what we were unsure about was how TSS would go without an impact outside back, or what IGS would offer.

Action from the GPS rugby round one match between Churchie and Brisbane State High. Picture: Tertius Pickard

We now know IGS will be a handful, particularly if they can again release the ball to their outside backs which include two Year 10 students, Kendall and Walker.

RELATED LINKS

round one REPORT – WHAT A START TO THE SEASON

GPS FIRST XV PLAYERS TO WATCH

GPS RUGBY TEAM OF THE DECADE SO FAR

Who needs Chace Oates?

We learnt Toowoomba Grammar School were potent without ace back Chace Oates, rested after a head knock in the trials.

We learnt they can play wide, but can also divert to the rolling maul and pick or drive. Both forward facets of their game have been expertly coached by one of the best in the business, Queensland prop champion and former Wallaby Cameron Lillicrap. He is assistant coach to Scott Gale, the former Nudgee First XV ace.

TGS coach Scott Gale addresses his side in round one.

Fine line between a win and a loss

We learnt it’s a fine line between winning and defeat, and that Terrace was capable of giving a yelp. They scored 28 points against Terrace, but lost their way early in the second half when penalties flooded TGS’s way, leading to a pick and drive assault by TGS that Terrace could not stop. Dry up those penalties and they will be in every match.

Terrace hooker Cody Harkins in round one against TGS.

Cool as they come

We learnt Churchie five-eight Charlie Johnstone is man for a crisis, and TSS’s old pro No. 10 Spencer Alcock is unmatched. In a match which ebbed and flowed, the Churchie’s Johnstone was as cool as a cucumber and got Churchie home against BSHS.

Action from the GPS rugby round one match between Churchie and Brisbane State High. Pictured is Churchie’S Fletcher Austin. Picture: Tertius Pickard

It was almost as close between TSS and IGS, but with Alcock at the steering wheel, he directed The Southport School to the winners post.

Don’t give up on Brisbane Grammar

Despite the 38-14 loss, do not give up on Phil Mooney’s Brisbane Grammar team. The manner in which they defended was incredible and their scrambling defence, personified by try saving hooker Kody Perry, proved they will give the competition a shake.

Promising signs from hulking forwards Mika Crichton and Will Pascoe, along with the Elijah Breen engineered backline, taught us BGS will not be going down without a fight.

BBC is the real deal

When you play BBC this season beware. The fact they won 38-14 in a far from perfect performance, at Northgate, showed they mean business.

The team’s fast finish which included a flurry of late tries also sent a clear message that they have the firepower.

Terrace coach Adrian Thompson addresses his side.

SECOND ROUND TEAMS

St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace v The Southport School
Internationals Oval, Tennyson, 2.20pm

Terrace: 1. Jack Butterfield, 2. Cody Harkins, 3. Jovid Aveau, 4. Noah Clifford, 5. Tom Robinson, 6. Charlie Cooke, 7. Tim Bliss, 8. PJ Su’a, 9. George Hales, 10. Isaac McAuliffe,

11. Sam Russell, 12. Angus Kelly, 13. Henry Hill, 14. Maika Poese, 15. Nick Dunstan

TSS: TBC – 1. Kingsley Uys, 2. Blaze Moana, 3. Dylan Lachlan-Harden, 4. Fergus Gillan, 5. Sebastian Smith-Power, 6. Will Carter, 7. Billy Wellard, 8. Amare Milford, 9. Tom Goldie 10. Spencer Alcock, 11. Charlie Coffey, 12. Billy Tonkin, 13. Mason King, 14. Max Durrington, 15. Charlie Dwyer.

TGS players swamped by supporters.

Toowoomba Grammar Schoolv Brisbane State High School
Mills Oval, Toowoomba, 2.20pm

TGS: 1. Jeremiah Sialau, 2. Ewald Kruger, 3. Angus Buckley, 5. George Griffiths, 5. Jonah Allen, 6. Tom Bailey, 7. Joe Gray, 8. Jimmy White, 9. Matt Moore, 10. Iliasa Baravilala, 11. Clancy McCosker, 12. Harry Newnham, 13. Trace Beattie, 14. Will Holley, 15. Richard Dean

BSHS: 1 Siale Mahina, 2 Jakeb Horne, 3 Moses Manu, 4 Eli Langi, 5 Jack Gordon, 6 Joel Broderick, 7 Mattias Agent, 8 Dirhys Sefo, 9 Bailey Pell, 10 Tauave Leofa, 11 Bailey Trew, Laquan Afamiliona, 12 Netani Lesimaikimatuku, 13 Joshua Takai, 14 Nick Pareti, 15 Laquan Afamiliona

Brisbane Grammar School v Churchie

Brisbane Grammar Playing Fields, Northgate, 2.20pm
BGS: 1. Tristan Knudsen 2 Kody Perry 3 Rowan Tong-Law 4 Oliver Akhavan 5 Will Pascoe 6 Ronan Mellick 7 Ronan Mellick 8 Alex Roe (c) 9 Flynn Horton 10 Elijah Breen 11 Doug Chapman 12 Jonty Davis 13 Shannon Simpson 14 Duncan Feltham 15 Oliver Spence

Churchie: 1. Diamond Fifita, 2 Hamish Ward, 3 Emil Willie-Jawai, 4 Rory Bliss, 5 Jye Crothers, 6. Caleb Godfrey, 7 Joseph Stoddart (c), 8 Max Campbell, 9 Hugh Rylance, 10 Charlie Johnstone (vc), 11. Oscar Harris, 12 Max Blanch, 13 Frankie Goldsbrough (vc), 14 Harry Cool, 15 Fletcher Austin

Nudgee College players celebrate a try last season. Picture: John Gass

Nudgee College v Ipswich Grammar School

Ross Oval, Nudgee, 2.20pm
Nudgee: 1. Princeton Ioane, 2. Oliver Barrett, 3. Macarius Pereira (c), 4. Ed Kasprowicz, 5. Eamon Mahoney, 6. Hugo Hart, 7. Noah Rauluni, 8. Nixon Pasese, 9. Samuel Watson, 10. Maddox Maclean, 11. James Duggan, 12. Ryan Heaton, 13. Prestyn Laine-Sietu, 14. Emmanuel Taviri, 15. Jacob Johnson.

IGS: 1 William Pamenter, 2 Jean-Paul Sia, 3 Alexander Schumacher, 4 Oscar Affleck, 5 Raife McKenzie, 6 Tane Gregory, 7 Domanic Mason, 8 Lyncoln Cliffe, 9 Patrick Emmett, 10. Nathan Fraser, 11 Amaziah Murgha, 12 Dajuan Manase, 13 Finn Kendall, 14 Brock Coombes, 15 Tyson Walker

round three

BBC v ACGS

NC v GT

TGS v BGS

BSHS v TSS