How did the Colts 1 and Premier Women games go in round one? Find out here
Club rugby classic: See how all the Premier Women and Colts 1 games went here, including the round one Teams of the Week and how Norths brought down Souths.
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The Norths Eagles pulled off a spectacular 31-24 victory over Souths on Saturday to kick start their campaign in fine fashion.
The Bart Ritchie coached Norths Eagles ran in five tries to Souths’ four in a hard fought contest where the captaincy of Mac Hermann was second to none.
Hermann was a calm head in trying times, picking his moments brilliantly in a match that was “the start of things to come” for Ritchie.
COLTS ROUND 1 SELECTION HIGHLIGHTS HERE
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CLUB RUGBY HERE
“I am super excited” said Ritchie.
“We worked really hard in the pre-season and got the rewards for it.”
It was a case of how badly do you want it and Ritchie’s Eagles wanted it badly. Hard work was what got the visitors over the line, with Ben Kluck’s line out brilliance something to behold.
When his side needed it, Kluck produced.
Souths were well led by fly half Will Nason, who was solid for 70 minutes. Around him, flanker Thomas O’Callaghan and big man Kaleb Akaroa, the Magpies No.8, were steady. Prop Nick Sturdy and blindside flanker Cadel Rees would have been Souths coach Cian O’Connor’s best.
But it was Norths’ day, with inside centre Ryan Heaton storming onto the Colts 1 scene with a cracking game on both sides of the ball.
Against quality opposition in Maddox Maclean and Xavier Rubens, Heaton might as well have been two players.
Eagles’ hooker Sean Noone also had a strong performance alongside mobile prop Macarius Pereira, whose dominance from close range was rewarded with two tries. Flanker Zack Sinclair was also strong for Norths, who took advantage of Souths’ poor handling to capitalise whenever they had the chance.
At GPS’ home ground, the Easts Tigers edged out the Gallopers in a scrappy affair.
The ground was heavy, muddy, and the ball was slippery. Both sides had their fair share of dropped balls, but the urgency of Easts shone through to win 27-15.
Easts captain Joe Liddy proved a key player, the flanker winning a pilfer early in the game to make his presence felt.
And the contribution of Tigers five-eight Luke Hatherell cannot be under estimated, with his control in heavy conditions giving his side every chance of success.
GPS would have been frustrated by errors. Tough hooker Ewald Kruger, towering lock Pat Gavin, flame-haired scrum half James Prole and fearless winger Joe Doljanin were strong performers in a losing side.
Under fatigue GPS struggled, but with more games under their belt, expect plenty of improvement.
Boom Reds centre Frankie Goldsbrough scored a terrific try late in the game to seal the deal, before GPS stormed back into the contest to make things interesting.
But it was too late. The kicking game of halfback Archie Xavier, the power of No.8 PJ Su’a and the bench impact of Joe Stoddart were among the positives for the visitors, who were clinical enough at times to keep a comfortable lead.
At Sci-Fleet Stadium, an arm wrestle unfolded between the Red Heavies and Bulldogs, but it was the home side who pulled away 17-14.
University led 7-0 after an early try by winger Max Blair.
The match to-and-froed with both sides having chances.
Wests, making the most of it halfway through the game when two unanswered tries through skipper Campbell King and Nick Dunstan saw the home side take a 17-7 lead. This was after a penalty goal by King added to the buffer.
Wests scrum half Jamie Alexander felt right at home and showed it with a promising first game which included a handful of line breaks.
Alexander’s running game was a standout, as was the work rate of flanker Charlie Cooke. He was everywhere.
University scrum half Tafito Ah-Ki returned serve to Alexander, playing a strong game for his side.
Red Heavies fullback Siliva Leofa also showed his class, but in the end it came down to hanging in there. And Wests did that very well, particularly when University had momentum.
At the Canal, Bond winger Ieuan Cornelius scored two tries and nailed three-from-four off the tee to deliver Bond University a 26-15 victory over Sunnybank.
Having trained with the club’s premier grade side over the pre-season, Cornelius was in mid-season form, highlighted by a lovely set piece try he scored off the scrum midway through the game.
New Zealand boy Andre Loughlin barged over for a try in his first game for the ‘Bank which was a nice moment, joining Isaac Nomani and scrum half Oscar McCarthy on the scorers sheet.
Bond University played a conservative game style to begin their season, putting the ball in Sunnybank’s court with the deft kicking game of instrumental fly half Kobe Waikato.
Waikato’s game management was A1, the young fly half getting the best out of his Bullsharks.
Waikato turned his opposition around with his kicks, and helping him was Callum Simpson whose big boot helped earn a territorial advantage.
Simpson and his centre Blake Raymond were quality on defence.
Sunnybank responded well, but into the second half the Bullsharks scrum ascendancy was too much to handle for the Dragons.
Powerful prop Harry Bell was to the fore, as was Lochlan Smith.
The youngster was a late inclusion as an injury replacement and was outstanding.
He scored a try, which was significant in a game where Bond University left a few out there.
ROUND 1 TEAM OF THE WEEK
1 Nick Sturdy (Souths)
2 Lochlan Smith (Bond)
3 Harry Bell (Bond)
4 Pat Gavin (GPS)
5 Mac Hermann (Norths)
6 Charlie Cooke (Wests)
7 Joe Liddy (Easts)
8 Cadell Rees (Souths)
9 Jamie Alexander (Wests)
10 Kobe Waikato (Bond)
11 Joe Doljanin (GPS)
12 Luke Hatherell (Easts)
13 Frankie Goldsbrough (Easts)
14 Ryan Heaton (played inside centre but had to be in the team)
15 Siliva Leofa (University)
Special mentions: Nico Buckley (Sunnybank), Sean Noone (Norths), Macarius Pereira (Norths), Zack Zinclair (Norths), Ben Kluck (Norths), Te Ohorei Totorewa (Souths), Archie Xavier (Easts), Drew Smith (Easts), James Prole (GPS), George Griffiths (GPS), Ewald Kruger (GPS), Ieuan Cornelius (Bond).
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Easts inside centre Loretta Lealiifano had the Midas touch in the Tigers 34-17 opening round victory over GPS at Yoku road on Saturday.
The classy midfielder was a level above, but still not at her best, spearheading the visitors alongside goalkicking outside centre Gemma Walker who scored a try and set up another.
A highlight moment of hers was a brilliant length of the field effort where she kicked ahead loose ball in her 22, all the way to the try line where she scooped it up and offloaded to her teammate who scored.
The match was closer than the scoreline suggested and both teams went away knowing improvement was possible.
GPS lost two players within five minutes in the second half due to late tackle infringements which edored their chances of victory.
Prior to this, the home side were right in it. But when they lost winger Bridget Meka and prop Mana’ia Fotu, and then Easts were clinical enough to make them pay.
Outside backs Brooke Gillroy, Piper Flynn, Walker, speedy winger Jay Zischke were to the fore of Easts winning start to the season.
Veteran fullback Tahlia Lewis was good as always for GPS and scored a nice try on the back of some sharp footwork.
FIJIAN POWERHOUSE
In the opening passages of Saturday’s season opener powerful GPS No.8 Sereima Leweniquila made her presence felt.
First with her defence, then in the scrum, and then before long in the middle of the field when a nice draw and pass to Marlugu Dixon set up the first try of 2024 through flanker Amelia Brown.
Leweniquila resembled Reds lock Seru Uru the way she got offloads away in contact, it was very impressive.
However, handling errors were GPS’ worst enemy, which led to ill-discipline.
Easts were well-drilled, and with all the ball in the second half, they put away their recent rivals.
At Sci-Fleet Stadium, rugby fans were treated to a top shelf contest between two promising sides, University and Wests.
The Bulldogs won 22-0, but the winner was women’s rugby.
The game had a grand final type vibe to it. Two much improved sides, battling it out until the final whistle with the highest quality of rugby on display.
Just looking at how lock Dillyn Blackburn stormed up the field was enough for a Saturday evening viewing on Sylvan Road.
The brilliant ball carrying of University backs Alex Fern (fullback), Ciara McAlpine (outside centre) and lightning bolt scrum half Greta Gowen was an added bonus.
The barnstorming Blackburn cemented her spot in the Wests starting line-up and did it with force.
Both sides flexed their muscles, with the powerful crash running of Wests No.8 Maraea Tupai matching the brute force of Red Heavies lock Anelisa Vito Sula and her relentless forwards Memory Manapori and Tamara Gardiner (props), Matauimalo Mall Lafeta (hooker), Nina Williamson (lock) and backrowers Chalize Bakker, Ellie Gambling and Lauren Robinson.
Even with University playing out of their skin, Wests found a way to dominate.
It started on the defensive end.
The home side held out University up until the final 10 minutes when Sula surged over with a charge from close range.
Prior to that point, Wests defended like their season was on the line.
The defensive toil shown by ex-Reds centre Tupai, flanker Hana Lane, Ipswich SHS schoolgirl Dominika Baleinagasau, Grace Sullivan, Ella Hooper and Co at one end, created momentum for strike weapons Darcy Milfull, Casey Dobson, Blackburn and Chloe Cocks to feed off at the other.
And it all started in the hands of classy halfback Jessica Craig, who was one cog in an overwhelmingly sharp Wests outfit which blooded Casey Dobson, Chloe Cocks, Holly Radge, Tailah Whitmore and 17-year-old Dominika Baleinagasau.
At Bond University, the Bullsharks won a heavyweight bout against Sunnybank 14-13 in an exciting season opener.
While the Dragons did not get the result they were after, it was a positive outing.
“I am real happy actually,” said coach Tui Nofoaiga.
“We were able to get a lot of our young girls and new girls out there today. It was more so a first hit out kind of game.
“A lot of our young girls stepped up. There were a lot of positives out of today.”
For the ‘Bank emerging No.8 Sky-Yvette Faimalie made her debut and impressed with ball in hand.
But that was no surprise. The schoolgirl is in mid-season form having played for the Brisbane Tigers under-17 and under-19 representative teams over the last few months.
Lock Luciah Silao also made her debut, alongside blindside flanker Meleane Mahina.
Fullback Kalisi Longopoa was masterful at the back for Sunnybank while late inclusion Dianne Waight dazzled for the home side.
In front of a healthy crowd, veteran tighthead prop Shelley Fox was dominant at scrum time.
“She was a standout for us upfront,” praised Bond University coach Shannon Symon.
“Definitely (pleasing). A win is a win.
“You got to be happy with that,” said Symon.
Bullsharks scrumhalf Evie Sampson had an impressive game, fighting through the scrappiness and retrieving messy ruck ball well to distribute to her forwards and backs.
She also showed her running game which caused problems for Sunnybank’s defence around the breakdown.
At Souths, the Magpies scored their first win of the season over Norths.
The home side won 32-0 against a much improved Norths outfit, who despite scoring, showed plenty on attack.
Winger Losa Chan Kee, scrumhalf Taylor Bailey, outside centre Mariah Parai, locks Saane Ahokava and Alexis Wolske were among the tryscorers for Souths who joined Wests, Easts and Bond University as round one winners.
Originally published as How did the Colts 1 and Premier Women games go in round one? Find out here
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