King of the Country Team of the Tournament
There was so much talent on display at King of the Country it was almost impossible to select a team of standouts, but that’s exactly what tournament commentator Nic Darveniza has done. SEE THE TEAM
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
There was so much talent on display at King of the Country it was almost impossible to select a team of standouts, but that’s exactly what tournament commentator Nic Darveniza has done.
1. FLYNN KIRKBY
Team: USQ Saints U14
More than just a key cog in one of the King of the Country tournament’s best scrums, Kirkby wowed with his athleticism in the open field.
The dynamic prop could beat defenders with size and strength as well as deceptive pace that made him an all-round weapon for the Saints in their run to the U14s grand final against Far North Coast.
2. KEIDO GOULDING
Team: Surfers Paradise Dolphins U14
The easiest selection of the entire tournament. No hooker at King of the Country came close to Keido Goulding’s impact for the Dolphins despite their winless run.
Hard-charging, tackle-busting, leg-churning carries and monstrous tackles in defence were just the start for the top hooker in any age group at the tournament.
3. HARRISON HUMPHRIES
Team: USQ Saints U13
Front-rowers didn’t score tries a generation ago.
Harrison Humphries is part of the new breed of front rower who can shove you back at the scrum and sit you on your bum with ball in hand.
Doubles on Day One and Day Three at King of the Country, including a few runaways from distance, were evidence that Humphries’ sense of when and where to inject himself into the attack were second to none.
WATCH REPLAYS: Gold Coast King of the Country Rugby Day Three - Grand Finals
4. COOPER THOMAS
Team: Far North Coast U14
If you needed to take the ball from your half of the field to the opposition tryline quick, Cooper Thomas was the man for the job.
Broad-shouldered Thomas wore the No.5 for Far North Coast but was wasted in the forward pack because his combination of size and speed was lightyears ahead of the defenders who tried and failed to shut him down.
5. JOHNNY RYAN
Team: Highfields Redbacks U15
Tall and gangly, Ryan didn’t look like much when running onto the field but punched consistently above his weight all tournament long.
There were few harder toilers at King of the Country, putting his hand up for the tough carries alongside No.8 Max North to lead the Redbacks from the front.
The subtle skills showed on tip passes were the icing on top of a complete package at lock. With some added size and strength the future could be anything for Ryan.
6. COOPER EAGLE
Team: Gold Coast Eagles U15
The motor on this No.8 is unbelievable. He was locked into a backrow spot in the team of the tournament by day two, but his hat-trick heroics in the U15s tournament final against Sunshine Coast Grammar (40-7) consolidated his place perfectly.
Rangy and strong, Eagle’s dynamic carries were his greatest strength but the leadership shown when barking orders and galvanising his teammates didn’t go unnoticed from the commentary box.
7. MAX MUNNERY
Team: Gold Coast Eagles U15
It seems wrong to list this Eagles flanker without his partner-in-crime Caleb Ahern because the pair were an inseparable force throughout the tournament.
No breakdown was safe when those two sharks were stalking their prey but in the end we had to choose one.
Munnery gets the nod over Ahern, and formidable flankers Jesse Jones (Maroochydore) and Jezziah Berry (Highfields), because his impact on defence was greatest.
WATCH REPLAYS: King of the Country Day Two, Gold Coast
8. XAVIER AUSTIN
Team: USQ Saints U14
A team of Xavier Austin’s from 1-15 would give the 2021 Waratahs a run for their money.
The USQ Saints No.8 was the chip-and-chasing, sidestepping, tackle-shredding, goal-kicking monster who was the closest thing to the complete footballer seen all tournament.
Every time Austin touched the ball the commentary tower lurched to one side as our crew moved to the edge of our seats, waiitng to see what magic he’d come up with next.
9. KOBI NOUANRASY
Team: Helensvale Hogs U13
In an era of Tate McDermotts and Kalani Thomas’ and Folau Fakatavas, Kobi Nouanrasy was the sidestepping, linebreaking spark that ignited the exciting Helensvale backline.
The Hogs withdrew from the tournament late on Day Two which meant we didn’t get to see Nouanrasy play grand final football.
If the Hogs were going to beat the Barbarians, their halfback would have been near the top of the reasons why.
10. ZANE GLANVILLE
Team: Sunshine Coast Grammar School U15
Flyhalf was the toughest position to select with a wealth of strong options.
Glanville’s graceful and accurate play in the No.10 tipped him over other exciting playmakers like Ashley Graham (Far North Coast) and Jack Paterson (Surfers Paradise).
Some players just have ‘The Look’ - an intangible quality where the game appears in slow motion while they move at rapid speed - and Glanville passed every eye test.
WATCH: King of the Country Rugby Day One Gold Coast
11. VJ LETALU
Team: Invitational Barbarians U13
The Barbarians were the exciting team to watch in the tournament and their classy fullback VJ Letalu was a major reason why.
Letalu beat defenders with every touch, sidestepping tacklers, running around them and often just straight over the top.
We had to find a spot for him somewhere, and with a shallow pool of standout wingers, the No.11 was the perfect pick.
12. ZAC NICHOL
Team: Sunshine Coast Grammar School U15
Inside centre was the deepest talent pool of the entire tournament but the standout among them was clear.
Hinata Inoue (Saints U13s), Gazniah Toomaga (Barbarians), Jimmy McCoombie (FNC), Jarvis Wood (Swans) and Hedley Donges (Saints U14s) all played well enough to deserve a place in a team of the tournament but none of them could match the linebreaking and tryscoring feats of Tim Horan clone Zac Nichol.
Opponents will be waiting weeks for the handprints left by his super fend to fade away.
13. BLISS WHITE
Team: Gold Coast Eagles U15
If Bliss White doesn’t want to go down with the ball, he isn’t going to.
The skyscraper-tall Gold Coast Eagle’s future might be in the back-row in senior rugby but he was the ultimate outside centre at King of the Country.
The offloads fired off with startling ease and repetition earned comparisons to World Cup winning All Black Sonny Bill Williams.
The ability to draw three defenders in the outside channels before popping away a ball is a veritable superpower at U15 level and White is the master of it.
14. TAWA-DEAN SIMPKINS
Team: Invitational Barbarians U13
This was the no-brainer selection that anybody from Eddie Jones to my cousin Alfie could have made - and Alfie is barely three weeks old.
Jot down the name Tawa-Dean Simpkins because we’ll be seeing it a TON on the Queensland representative scene over the next few years.
Power and pace personified, Simpkins exploded for a second half hat-trick in his first game without breaking a sweat. He had the talent that he could have done it again if he fancied.
42 Players to watch at King of the Country Rugby 2021
15. BROCK COOMBES
Team: Maroochydore Swans
There was something magnetic about Brock Coombes play at fullback that you couldn’t quite tear your eyes away from.
The Swans custodian was a linebreaking threat in the first two games but the moment that solidified his selection in the team of the tournament only arrived in the final match of the tournament against Surfers Paradise Dolphins.
He had just been crunched in a tackle. On Day Two, winded by a similiar tackle, Coombes took himself off the field. But against the Dolphins, Coombes brushed himself off and decided to get even.
From that point on the diminutive fullback was the most physical player on the field, charging into opposition defenders like a cannonball launched down a 10-pin bowling lane.
His kamikaze impression ended up carving a path for Andy Bailey’s matchwinning try. It was a small moment but one that made an impression.
THE BENCH
16. Xhai Waerea, Far North Coast U13
17. Soren Webster, Far North Coast U15
18. Brooklyn Waerea, Far North Coast U15
19. Kingsley Uys, Surfers Paradise Dolphins U14
20. Zac Heath, Maroochydore Swans U14
21. Liam Dunne, Surfers Paradise Dolphins U14
22. Gazniah Toomaga, Invitational Barbarians U13
23. Hinata Inoue, USQ Saints U13
Langer Trophy’s best new faces named ahead of Rd 4 bouts
The best new faces of the Langer Trophy include a Wavell playmaker making up for lost time, a PBC SHS Kiwi duo, a Peninsula speed demon and a Cairns junior who has been an Ipswich success. See the full list.
Roosters poach 16yo GPS rugby prodigy in historic cross-border coup
The gentlemen’s agreement between the private school rugby juggernauts of QLD and NSW against poaching talent from each other’s backyards has been broken over a prodigious No.8 who made his First XV debut aged just 15.