Premier Rugby Hospital Cup: University beat GPS as Stephen Moore notches another milestone
The great warrior Stephen Moore added a first Hospital Cup to his honour board as University whitewashed GPS in the Premier Rugby grand final today.
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The great warrior Stephen Moore added a first Hospital Cup to his honour board in a University grand final whitewash - then declared he would retire.
“That’s it, I am definitely done. You heard it here first,’’ smiled the 129-Test veteran after helping perennial finalists University to a 29-12 win over GPS in the Premier Rugby Hospital Cup at Suncorp Stadium.
The win avenged last year’s ambush loss to Easts, and was yet another notch in the belt for Wallaby great Moore who received a Melbourne Cup ovation upon his entry from the reserves bench with 20 minutes to play.
“I never expected to play this year and it feels a bit surreal to be back here and winning a premiership,’’ Moore explained.
“This is as special as anything,’’ said Moore, who many years ago played in two losing grand finals.
“Club premierships and club grand finals are as good as anything.
“The boys put a lot into it, and none of them get paid, including the coaches. They do it for the love of the game. And it is a great feeling when you work that hard and get that result, because I have been in that group (pointing to GPS) and it is not a great feeling.
“It is relief more than anything because GPS is a quality side.’’
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The match was also another moment to saviour for University coach Mick Heenan who, with six Premier Rugby titles in his CV, is one of club rugby’s greatest coaches.
“I’d love to see him (Heenan) get an opportunity at a higher level,’’ Moore said.
Heenan joked that Moore “didn’t read the fine print when we said committee members (of which Moore is one) had to be get involved’’.
Heenan, who ironically started his coaching premiership run as colts coach at GPS, said he would decide his coaching future while having a beer in the public bar of the RE pub.
GPS had received a black eye from University when they trailed 18-nil at halftime into the 15 round bout, and they were on one knee when Uni flanker Sam Wallis scored a barrelling blindside try off scrum ball.
GPS were staring down being the first team kept to nil in a grand final since Souths in 1980, but to the team’s credit they rallied across the final 20 minutes.
The side, coming off an extraordinary semi-final win over Wests, had come too far not to rise and in the final quarter of the match they got their game going, hence Moore’s high praise for his opponents.
“The effort was great but they played a much smarter game of finals footy in that first half,’’ said GPS coach Shane Arnold.
“We put pressure on ourselves with silly errors and penalties, and we tried to fix it in the second half but when you give a team like Uni such a good lead, they are hard to pull back.’’
Arnold joined Moore in glowing praise of his No.7 Matt Gicquel after Moore said a Super Rugby franchise simply had to sign the GPS flanker.
University dominated territory and opened the try-scoring when winger Kye Oates scurried 25m after a bounced pass from his centre Lukas Ripley had skidded into his bread basket.
Around goalkicker Kye Oates knocking over penalty goals, University also scored a fearsome rolling maul try.
Flanker Sam Wallis, the Tony Shaw Medallist, snared attacking lineout ball and the Uni pack quickly formed a rolling maul which saw hooker Hanson spin off the back and score.
It was a sweet moment for Hanson who returned to his beloved Uni from Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown to share premiership success with his old team mates.
Heenan said he was confident Uni would win because “we didn’t have any weaknesses we were trying to cover up’’.
“Were as last year we probably knew we were going to struggle upfront a bit, but this year we didn’t have to worry about that.’’
University 29 (J Hanson, K Oates, S Wallis tries; Oates 4 pens, conv) def GPS 12 (M Gicquel, J Collins tries; J Hofmyer con).
There was joy earlier in the day for GPS when the colts 1 capped a fairytale season by defeating minor premiers Easts 34-24.
In the women’s grand final, Easts beat GPS 28-10.
The Galloping Greens colts 1 success was remarkable.
GPS, winless in 2020, rose from the embers of a first round thrashing at the hands of the Tigers to complete what at the time seemed like mission impossible – winning the premiership.
A Floyd Aubrey try and a super pass from centre Campbell Moller to put Bas Ward over propelled GPS to the brink of victory in the second half.
The match was a feather in the cap of GPS coach Visesio Kite who pulled 2020 survivors together with new blood to come up with a premiership winning side.
With just one representative player – Aubrey – and another fringe player in Nick Baker, GPS were a blue collar mob who worked for each other.
For the second successive season the best side all year – Easts – did not win the premiership after last season’s grand final day saw Brothers upset hot favourites University.
Easts can take a bow. Across the week to week grind of home and away they set the highest of standards, playing with skill and spirit.
In the women’s grand final, the Easts Tigers surged to a 28-10 win over GPS.
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