GPS First XV rugby round 8: Three, two point thrillers
Three, two point thrillers highlighted round 8 of GPS First XV rugby this afternoon.
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Brisbane State High School’s Jackson Connolly scored with seconds to play to deliver his team its first win of the GPS First XV season.
BSHS won 22-20, sparking scenes of unrestrained joy.
On full time players were mobbed by fellow students, their jerseys disappearing under a sea of well wishers who had spent most of the second half cheering themselves hoarse.
In another thriller, Toowoomba Grammar School beat Ipswich Grammar School 7-5 with winger Will Holly scoring on debut for TGS in a match which featured “brutal defence’’.
And at Churchie, the home side snuck home 31-29 in another grandstand finish (report below).
And on the Gold Coast, Nudgee College flexed its muscles with a 42-15 win over The Southport School, confirming its place as the No.1 team in the shortened competition this season.
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At Fursden Rd BSHS built mountainous amounts of pressure in the final, dramatic 10 minutes after BBC had hit the front midway through the second half courtesy of tries by wingers DC Ripley and Ben Davis.
But BSHS refused to yield and running into the breeze, they mounted tremendous forward pressure on their rivals.
With props MIkaele Smith-Kami and Ahmani Leilua spearheads, and mobile lock Stuart Tualima contributing, the BSHS forwards attacked through phases of pick and drive plays.
In this period the side was waved three penalties, adding to the pressure.
Then, with time almost up, and after a forceful run by centre Kaleb Winters, Jackson Chang passed to Connolly who sprinted over - sparking wild celebrations.
Aside from the forwards, halve Xavier Ruebens and Toshi Butlin - a national track and field sprinter - did well in the halves.
BBC fullback Blake Davis continued to enhance his reputation, while BBC replacement forward Kadell Rees was a hefty contributor to the BBC second half effort.
At Churchie, Cormac Pearson wrote: You’d be brave to say there will be a better game of GPS Rugby this season.
The game had it all, beautiful backline plays, forwards ripping in, big hits and a bit of niggle, all capitulating in a frantic final five minutes.
The two sides were tied at 26 with just minutes left.
A penalty set up from a heads up play from Archie Xavier from 30 out gave Terrace a three-point lead with but the best player on the field, outside centre Larzlo Sword shrugged tackles off with less than a minute left and set up second rower Charlie Brosnan to score the game winner.
Former Gregory Terrace coach and now Churchie coach Ryan Shultz praised his side for their strong start and backed them in to finish the job.
“I thought our first 20 minutes was exceptional, we really showcased the team that we can be, but immense credit to Terrace, they played their game,” he said.
“We have a lot of quality players in our backs and we wanted to unleash them... I was confident if we got the ball and maintained possession we’d be good enough to win.”
He said he was super proud of both teams and said the thrilling contest was good for footy.
Churchie shot out of the blocks and their dangerous backline shone, with fly-half Zack Lamont linking up perfectly with his dangerous centres.
Larzlo Sword was dominant throughout the game, beating tackles and a force in defence, scoring a try within the first five minutes.
Tries to Lewis Mene and Dre Pakeho had Churchie at a 19-0 lead, but Terrace fought back through their forwards and would score four unanswered tries.
Toby Weston put Terrace on the board through a driving maul with PJ Su’a shortening the lead to 5 at halftime.
Scrumhalf Archie Xavier was one of Terrace’s best, tying the game at 19-19 before PJ Su’a dove over from close range for his second.
Just when Churchie looked finished, the momentum swung and Dre Pakeho came up with a game tying pass to flanker Thomas Stoddard who scored untouched.
It was a cracking game of GPS Rugby.
At Southport, TSS coach Mike Wallace doffed his hat to Nudgee in its 42-15 win.
“Nudgee were outstanding, one of the better Nudgee teams I have seen. They were well balanced across the park and well coached,’’ Wallace said.
“We were our own worst enemy, gifting them possession in their half of the field.
“When you have a combination of an outstanding team and a lot of possession, you make life hard for yourself.’’
Nudgee’s Director of Rugby Sean Graham said it was a complete performance from the Nudgee side.
“In the past against TSS we have struggled a bit at the set piece but not today, our scrum particularly held up really well and our lineout was really good,” he said.
“That allowed our backs to do what they have done all year and play with some front foot ball and get it to the edges where we put them under a bit of stress.”
Number 8 Liam Le Blanc stood out in the win as well as lock Daniel Maiava and centre Rob Toia.
Winger Oska Boyd had a double, with Tory Bath, Daniel Maiava, Liam Le Blanc and Oahu Davey-Phillips all crossing the stripe for Nudgee.
ROUND 9
BGS v Churchie
TGS v BSHS
Terrace v TSS
Nudgee v Ipswich
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