GPS First XV rugby round 4
Brisbane State High School celebrated a major milestone on Saturday with a thriller against Terrace in the GPS First XV rugby, while IGS won on the bell and TSS snapped Churchie’s unbeaten run.
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Brisbane State High School pair Tauava Leofa and Dredyn Takave put the B into brilliance as the home side celebrated the community’s 121st birthday in a schoolboy rugby thriller on Saturday.
BSHS claimed the GPS First XV clash 25-23 over Terrace in a match played at the BSHS South Brisbane campus.
The game, which saw Terrace surge late with two tries only to lose, was played amid a gala carnival atmosphere as the BSHS community toasted its birthday after being denied 100 year celebrations in 2021 due to a COVID blackout.
And in another thriller, Ipswich Grammar School’s Jack Hocking kicked a penalty goal on the bell as IGS defeated Brisbane Grammar School 22-21, while Nudgee College defended its way to a 24-11 win against BBC.
And Churchie’s unbeaten season was halted, as TSS won 22-12.
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At South Brisbane, BSHS Fullback Takave, gangly, all arms and legs, and the more compact, explosive No. 10 Leofa were figureheads in BSHS’s rousing win which only just outlasted a fast finishing Terrace.
One pass by Leofa to his fullback was a brilliant flick that if you had blinked, you would have missed it.
The boys both scored tries themselves and created them for others, and it is just as well because their classy touches were needed to overcome a motivated Terrace.
Terrace, with locks Xavier Grambower and Tom Robinson driving forces, led 6-5 and 13-12 before BSHS turned second half field position into points.
But in a huge moment, and with BSHS leading 22-13, BSHS outside centre Hayden Lawrence threw a cat among the pigeons by landing a shoulder charge which led to his automatic send off, leaving his team a man short for the last 15 minutes.
There was further drama when one of the State High props was yellow carded for pulling down the Terrace rolling maul, further reducing the BSHS side to 13.
Terrace halfback Archie Xavier twice took advantage of a wide blinds, once to put his winger Joe Clifford over, and then to send Angus Munn surging over.
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In between those two tries BSHS centre Netani Lesimaikimatuku raised the lead to 25-18 with a penalty goal – which in the end was the difference.
Lesimaikimatuku also saved a try, tackling Clifford, and as the referee’s whistle was about to sound, Clifford was felled for a second time in an exciting climax.
Earlier, Terrace averted an early disaster when a miskick into touch was plucked down by BSHS winger Toshi Butlin who thought he had sprinted 90m to score.
But in all the excitement the 100m sprint star placed a foot on the sideline, denying BSHS first points.
However State High did score the first try through fly half Leofa who crossed after a withering counter attack by fullback Takava.
On celebrating Leofa kissed his left hand and raised it to the heavens, then launched a swan dive that sent him crashing to earth over the line.
It is a wonder Leofa, all adrenaline, did not wind himself, such was the height he reached.
Terrace fullback Nick Dunstan then impersonated Takave with his own long distance run, but State High defenders displayed desire to regroup, even in the face of a bruising pick and drive assault by the Terrace forwards.
Terrace did scramble its second penalty goal of the day from field position and it was 6-5.
State High again remained composed after powerful lock Joseph Pona had been felled like a tree in the forest 1cm from scoring, and soon after that Pona enjoyed making no mistake to score.
Leofa’s blistering midfield break, supported by centre Neteni Lesimaikimatuku, rewarded Pona for the energy he displayed in backing up his speedy inside backs.
However Terrace had a splash of Flash Dan about them as well, scoring right on halftime when centre Nick Lawrence blazed over after a swish backs ball movement.
The 13-12 halftime score line to Terrace said everything about the closeness of the clash.
At the Shark Tank, Churchie’s hopes of an undefeated First XV season were crushed, with the Southport School clinching a 22-12 victory—yet another thrilling heavyweight bout to highlight the 2022 season.
In what shaped up to be another premiership decider, which we are quickly learning is every game, the stars went head to head to keep their dreams of lifting that trophy alive come the season’s end.
In a duel between centre pairings, Dre Pakeho and Frankie Golsbrough of Churchie and Gray and Blake Ruaporo of Southport, it was Rabbitohs signed Gray who gave his team the edge.
Ruaporo and Golsbrough were destructive with the ball in hand. Golsbrough left the opposition in his wake as he bumped off every first defender that confronted him. It was a similar story for Ruaporo.
Pakeho’s passing was crisp and decision making spot on, but it was Gray and the whole Southport outfit who gave their passionate supporters one to remember.
From the way the game was going in the early stages, you would have expected a different result. Churchie had more ball, better field position, and a couple great looks at the line, but it was the gutsy Southport defence that denied all that momentum.
This effort on defence was even more impressive when managing to hold out Churchie for the last 10 minutes of the game and a few more after the whistle.
Southport were clinical, resilient and a brick wall defensively. They were rewarded with the first two tries of the day, courtesy of some sorcery by Gray.
Blake Raymond was on the receiving end of a draw and pass and made no mistake finishing it in the corner to go ahead five points, after twenty minutes holding out Churchie’s raids at the line.
It was pure magic from Southport in the 30th minute, scoring an incredible try to go into the break ahead 12.
Jye Gray had his prints all over it, with two touches in the scoring passage. Gray popped it up for Blake Ruaporo rampaging through the line and the rest was history with Ruaporo, Keahn Skipps and Gray connecting with a few unbelievable offloads.
It was winger Mason King who dove over in the corner, getting hundreds of loud Southport supporters cheering. There wasn’t a time where they weren’t belting war cries.
Destructive Dre Pakeho answered with a try from in close. Even with his head only half full of steam, Pakeho’s fend and ability to get on the outside of his defender allowed him to score Churchie’s first of the day.
Gray can wreak havoc with the smallest of holes, so when scattered defenders and open pastures were presented in front of him he capitalised.
With blistering speed and fleet of foot, Gray sliced through the line and struck away on an emphatic 20m dash. Southport now had the upper hand at 19-5.
Churchie fullback Will Herbert drew his side within seven thanks to the quick hands of Pakeho and speedy service from scrumhalf Archie Wilson.
Churchie were now uncomfortably close but the calm and collected Spencer Alcock had just the response—a cracking penalty goal.
With plenty of time left on the clock, Churchie were on the hunt down 22-12. A promising scrum unit in front row Diamond Fifita, Toby Kennedy and Archie Smith aided Churchie on their comeback.
But, Southport forwards Harry Ward, Billy Wellard, Fergus Gillan and Nick Hilton, in an inspired team effort, managed to keep them out.
This stunning win by Southport makes things interesting, especially with the competitiveness of team’s in this year’s competition.
How will Churchie bounce back against talented Toowoomba, BBC and Brisbane Grammar teams and how will Southport and Nudgee perform in the second half of the season?
Only time will tell as the premiership race heats up.
On the famous Ipswich Grammar School soil, the home side snatched a win at the end over Brisbane Grammar School - after looking winners for the majority of the game.
IGS led 19-7 at halftime, then lost the lead with two or three minutes to play by halfback Ned Madden, only to kick a penalty goal and win courtesy of Jack Hocking.
IGS Director of Sport Nigel Greive said it was “an epic battle between two historic schools’’.
“We have been playing each other since the 1860s in cricket and other sports, and for over a 100 years in rugby,’’ he said.
“It was an amazing old boys day, a really special day for the school.’’
It was a game of two halves, with IGS leading well at halftime, only to be starved of ball and opportunity by a resurging BGS in the second half.
BGS coach Phil Mooney said his side “really fought hard’’ and was well led by No.8 Liam McGregor. “I was extremely proud of my boys.’’
For IGS, Hocking showed nerves of steel to nail the winner while the team’s defence shone and showed great character.
Captain and lock Ned Kendall, hooker Ayrton Holmes and flanker Lyncoln Cliffe did well, but it was a team performance.
At Brisbane Boys College, a resilient, rousing defence effort by Nudgee College was the foundation for a hard fought win 24-11.
On old boys day BBC were up for the battle and some battle it was, played largely in the forwards as both teams dug in for the long haul.
Nudgee’ Head of Rugby Sean Graham described it as a “grinding sought of game’’, with Nudgee scoring some tries from rolling mauls.
Importantly for Nudgee, prop Macarius Pereira returned from injury through the seconds and into the Firsts, scoring a try.
BBC centre Xavier Rubens was competitive from start to finish and led the way for his side.
ROUND 5
TGS v ACGS
BSHS v IGS
BBC v TSS
NC v BGS
ROUND 6
GT v IGS
TGS v BBC
NC v BSHS
BGS v TSS
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