GPS First XV rugby round 1 action:
Nudgee pocket rocket Oska Boyd scored four tries and his centre Rob Tioa was elite, Terrace upset IGS while BBC overcame Toowoomba Grammar School in round 1 of GPS First XV rugby.
Local sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Pocket rocket Oska Boyd scored four tries for Nudgee, Terrace upset Ipswich Grammar School while BBC overcame an enterprising TGS in round 1 of First XV rugby on Saturday.
With captain Joe Liddy leading the way, Terrace scored a rollicking round one victory to set the competition alight.
Premiers BBC also got the job done, while at Brisbane State High School’s grounds, Boyd shone and centre Rob Tioa was elite as the St Joseph’s Nudgee College forward pack laid the platform for a winning start in GPS First XV rugby this afternoon.
Nudgee won 39-7 over Brisbane State High School, and in doing so retained the Paul Morgan Cup which is played on honour of the late Queensland sporting and business identity.
RELATED LINKS
PLAYERS TO WATCH - SEASON 2021
What an afternoon it was for Sunshine Coast product Boyd who capitalised on a wave of possession generated by a blue and white forward unit to cross four times - three in the first half and once in the second.
Centre Toia laid on three tries for Boyd, and then in the second half fly-half Byron Smith hoisted a cross field kick which Boyd latched onto despite the ball floating around like a Goodyear Blimp in the swirling wind.
He and Toia feasted around a possession winning pack which shone with and without the ball.
Power running by Natiana Wini-Kerei and Macarius Perreira helped the cause as well, with Wini-Kerei the unlikely player to send Toia on his 65m run to the tryline.
But Nudgee muscled up in defence as well, and they had to, given the ferocity of Ahmani Leiluc, Stuart Tualima and Mathias Magautai when they carried the ball for BSHS.
BSHS have much to work with, with those three forwards the cornerstone of a performance which got better and better the more the match progressed.
If BSHS can start better in games, they will win matches.
Indeed they would have scored at least one more try had Nudgee No.15 Louis de Villiers not been so brave in toppled Stuart Tualima.
BSHS actually won the territorial game in the second half, which gives even more cause for the Nudgee defensive line to take a bow given their opponents only scored once - through Leilua.
Hats off to Nudgee fullback de Villiers who performed splendidly on a windy day for the winners, while flanker Cooper Cameron richly deserved his try.
Scores: Nudgee 39 (O Boyd 4, R Toia, W Johnstone, C Cameron tries; B Smith 2 convs) def BSHS A Leilua try, L Hatherall conv)
RELATED LINKS
Meanwhile, Cormac Pearson reported on the BBC v Toowoomba Grammar School clash.
Last year, the students of BBC watched their First XV break a century old drought from a large screen in the hall.
For round one of GPS First XV Rugby the school were allowed back at the ground and turned up in the hundreds for their homecoming against Toowoomba Grammar.
BBC Coach Steve Kefu said the worked into the game after a slow start.
“Every game is a grand final so you know, one mistake can cost you a season,” Kefu said.
“Definitely in schoolboys there is always pressure on these boys, they’re young men, it’s how they deal with it.”
TGS opened the scoring through the boot of fullback Morris Clementson and had the first crack with the ball.
But outside centre Xavier Rubens grabbed an intercept from 70m and ran untouched under the posts to start things where they left off last year.
Fly-half Taj Annan looked to control the game with his shoe and it paid off.
They parked themselves in the TGS 22m area and some silky hands from Annan and nice movement outside meant winger Noah Fielding scored in the corner.
With seconds left in the first half captain Charlie Wigan came up with a huge charge down, pouncing on the football to run away and score under the posts.
Five minutes into the second half BBC produced a 15 metre maul, driving TGS back past their try line with hooker Uhila Senituli rewarded with the try.
The boys from the west fought hard to get back in the game and did, scoring through flanker Clancy McPherson from close range.
The relentless reigning champions just too strong, clinching the game through Senituli who grabbed his second for the day.
To add to their spoils, captain, flanker and probably the best on the ground, Zac Hough ran 60m to dive over in the corner.
Scores: BBC 36-20 TGS
Tries: BBC - X. Rubens 8’, N. Fielding 20’, U. Senituli 40’, 62’, Z. Hough 70’
TGS - C. Wigan 35’, C. McPherson 60’
Goals: BBC - B. Davis 5/6
TGS - M. Clementson 3/3
At The Southport School, local wingers Blake Raymond (four) and Jack Denson (three) scored seven tries between them as TSS started like a house on fire against Brisbane Grammar School with a 71-5 win.
TSS coach Mike Wallace said the performance was a reflection on the way the team had trained and to the credit of the players their accuracy and attention to detail was first class.
He said while his team was fortunate to play BGS without some key players due to injury, his team did work hard through the middle of the field to create chances for wingers Raymond and Denson.
Grammar coach Phl Mooney praised the TSS expertise, but said his side was disappointing and needed to do better next week.
“We are extremely disappointed,’’ Mooney said.
“We are not going to hide away from that.. Southport are a good side but we did not bring what we are capable of and we have to prepare better next week.
And in a boilover, Ipswich Grammar School were ambushed 13-7 by St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace in Ipswich.
“The boys were confident going into the game. They did not have any doubts,’’ said Tyron Mandrusiak, Terrace rugby director.
“Our boys ground out a win, kept it simple in the windy conditions.
“They kept it nice and close and ground it out. It was a good one to get away with.’’
Skipper Joe Liddy lead from the front, including scoring a try.
“He is a real calming influence. He is a real leader on and off the field,’’ Mandrusiak said.
“PJ Su’a at No.8 also produced good ball carries and our set piece was good.’’.
IGS director of sport Nigel Grieve doffed his hat to Terrace.
“They deserved their close fought win,’’ he said.
“Terrace dominated at all set piece facets of the game.
“They retained ball for large chunks of the match and were very organised in attack and defence, negating the IGS attacking flair.’’
Grieve said in contrast IGS were inaccurate and struggled to retain possession.
“Havingt said that, the IGS boys were incredibly tenacious in defence and at no stage gave up.
“We look forward to bouncing back aganist BBC.’’
Maroons’ raiders flood SG Ball, Harold Matthews junior reps
Who were the Maroons’ raiders embedded deep in enemy territory playing in the SG Ball and Harold Matthews competitions? Revealed here, along with Queensland’s best female teens at Sydney clubs.
AIC First XI cricket players to watch as new wave of talent strikes comp
The AIC First XI cricket returns on Saturday when reigning premiers Iona College host cross-town rivals Marist in an early season blockbuster. Check out the Players to Watch from all eight colleges here.