St Augustine’s to take on Waverley College ahead of Wallabies Test at Bankwest stadium
It will be schoolboys rugby at its best when St Augustine’s Brookvale takes on Waverley College ahead of the Wallabies Test against Samoa at Bankwest Stadium.
Manly
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St Augustine’s went through the Independent Schools Association (ISA) rugby competion undefeated this season but there was one small blot on their copybook before it started - a loss to Waverley College in a warm-up game.
The northern beaches team now has the chance to rectify this with the two schools to clash prior to the Wallabies’ Test against Samoa at Bankwest Stadium on September 7.
Waverly, who finished third in the Combined Associated Schools (CAS) competition, beat St Augustine’s 15-0 in their only other match-up this season.
“We played Waverley in a pre-seasons fixture at Manly Oval back in May but we’d like to think we are a lot better now,’’ said St Augustine’s 1st XV coach Brian Burke.
“We were having quite an injury-ravaged period at that time.
“We went through the ISA undefeated so we are looking forward to seeing how much we have improved.’’
The Sydney game follows in the wake of Queensland’s Brisbane State High and Nudgee College playing the curtain raiser to the Wallabies test against Argentina in July.
“It’s a great promotion for rugby union,’’ Burke said.
Burke said there will be slight changes to the team which navigated the season undefeated.
“We finished August 17 but we may be down a couple of backs in Angus O’Donnell and James Lewis who are injured,’’ Burke said.
“One injured himself in the grand final and the other playing league the next day.”
The St Augustine’s line boasts two players who recently made the Australian schoolboys Barbarians team in captain Zac Barnabas and Langi Gleeson.
The pair also made the NSW schoolboys team with Tom Douglas and Benji Gallacher.
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