Colts 1 club rugby latest: Brothers pull of upset of the season as Easts, Wests and Norths win
Brothers have pulled off the upset of the season by beating first-placed Bond Uni on the Gold Coast while Wests and Easts snared crucial wins. More here on how round 15 of Colts 1 club rugby unfolded.
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With a whiff of finals’ fever in the air, and the defensive call of “jungle’’ echoing across the David Wilson Field, the Tigers revved up to produce one of their best performances of the season to down cross-town rivals Souths 25-14 on Saturday.
Brothers also brought up their second win of the season by beating Bond University 38-36 in a thriller on the Gold Coast. Wests moved to first on the ladder with a 38-21 over Sunnybank and Norths got up over GPS 19-17 after a frantic finish.
At Easts, the Tigers forwards performed magnificently and, backed by cast-iron defence from centres Ilan Cloete and Larry Clark along with astute tactical kicking from Sam McGahan, overcame a fast-starting Souths to move from fifth to third on the premiership ladder.
The loss also relegated Souths from second to fourth, with Souths yet to have their second bye.
What a performance it was from Easts to rise above a considerable challenge laid down by the Trent Picot-led Magpies.
Souths had roared to life from the outset, backing their support play and handling skills among the forwards to stretch their rivals.
The Magpies hot-potato passing placed an enormous strain on the Easts’ defence, and it was no surprise when sustained pressure led to halfback Jimmy Jackson scoring off a lovely pass in contact by No. 8 Jake Stephens.
But trailing 7-0, the Easts players stayed on deck to see out the storm whipped up by their rivals.
A catchcry of “jungle’’ hyped the Tigers into a defensive frenzy every time Souths entered the attacking zone on the field.
The Tigers hit hard and often, effectively turning the Souths runners away.
Easts’ defensive net included fullback Will Quinn saving a try when his eye-catching opposite, Souths No. 15 Gideon Lasaqa, had stepped through and looked certain to score under the posts.
Surely gaining confidence from their sledgehammer defence, and with the Tigers pack edging ahead in the physical confrontations, the home side turned its best field position of the day into their first try.
It was scored by winger Ned Godwin after a glorious pass from Joe Stoddart.
Leading 8-7 at the break, Easts then gathered further momentum when No. 10 McGahan swooped onto a pass delivered by Cloete in heavy contact.
It was a great ball by Cloete, who had also defended so well.
Not even a yellow card waved in the face of Easts winger Godwin could derail the Tigers, whose next hard-earned try by hooker Jakeb Horne came courtesy of a perfectly executed rolling maul movement.
The icing on the cake was then delivered by flanker Stoddart, who regathered a deflected kick to race 35m, unopposed to score.
Down 25-7, there was still time for Souths, but the Easts players kept tackling — and then tackling some more.
Souths were encouraged by a converted pick-and-drive try by lock Rhys Chadburn, but the Tigers pack maintained its intensity to the end.
It was a splendid win by Easts against a quality side just three rounds from the start of the semi-finals.
The biggest result of the round came on the Gold Coast where Brothers defeated Bond University 38-36 in the upset of the season.
Brothers had to withstand one last attempt from Bond approaching full time and their defence held firm after they had conceded the first 12 points to be on the back foot early.
Shortly after, Tate Connors broke his try-scoring drought (18th) to make it 12-all and set up an exhilarating finish to the first half.
Bond forwards Heinrich Fourie and Keanu Rasch scored while prop Angus Herlihy and lock Will Ross hit back for the visitors to put them in front 26-24 at half time.
Bond applied pressure with their sensational set-piece that has had coaches and players alike singing praise all season long.
Returning serve for Brothers was New Zealand revelation Juan Falaniko, brilliant breakaway Nate Wines and two-try winger Connors who came to life to assist in a successful hit-and-run mission down the MI highway.
Brothers also got plenty from scrumhalf Joe Post before supersub Will Graham gave his best for the final half-hour.
Brothers won’t feature in the finals this year but Saturday’s win against the odds will be a springboard into the final three games of the season and a spirited performance that they can build on entering the off-season.
At Yoku Road, Norths top gun Ben Kluck garnished another ripper performance with his matchwinning try in the 70th minute another feather in his cap this season.
The tone-setting flanker was at his best again before pick-and-driving his team to a 17-all scoreline after the hooter had sounded.
Flyhalf Cale Maurice, as calm as you like, knocked over a tough conversion 15m in from touch to bring up Norths’ third win of the season after they had returned from 12-nil down.
KLUCK IS KING
Before he scored the equaliser, the flame-haired flanker was here, there and everywhere displaying an exceptional work ethic, polished skills and defiant defence.
He was the head of the snake and around him the Norths forwards rallied to produce a squeaky-clean showing at the lineout.
THE BEST YET
Norths centres Jayden Solien and Carlos Ka were terrific as Norths came back from 12-nil down and then a 17-12 deficit to turn scrum-time ascendancy and midfield punch into a treasured victory away from home.
Dominant front rowers Oli Aleman, Manaaki Bateman, who scored Norths’ second try, and Ta’ialalo Faalogo scrummed the house down to yield penalties and mount pressure.
“They were exceptional,” Norths coach Bart Ritchie said.
In the midfield, No. 13 Carlos Ka had his best rugby outing yet after the Wavell State High product opted to tried his hand at a new format for this season.
Ca started well with a break down field and carried strongly as the match endured, joining inside centre Jayden Solien in Norths’ quest for points.
Gritty defence from GPS prevented Norths from scoring more points but Solien was a unanimous danger man who sparked half-chances with his speed, skill and direct running.
It was the midfield combination coach Ritchie had been eager to see in action and it worked perfectly on a day where Norths’ set-piece was on song.
FINAL SAY
GPS outside centre Tom Millard was top notch on both sides of the ball and multiple times he prevented Solien from storming down field.
Around him, fullback Jonah Allen and intercept-king Matt Ribot were quality.
Ribot scored an intercept try late in the game that handed GPS a 17-12 lead and was busy all game.
Scrumhalf James Prole was also useful with his right boot working a treat at the breakdown and when kicking for touch.
The presence of big Tom Hansson, playing at No. 8 in his return from a headknock, was felt in defence where, alongside Riley Canavan, he made a big difference.
GPS coach Matt Mafi was delighted with the ball-carrying of robust second rower Samson Chow, who has been excellent since stepping up from Colts 2 last month.
Chow had been chomping at the bit to play at this level and the determined Mackay product has taken his chance with both hands by producing a string of strong performances.
“Without his own needs being met, he was still able to give to the group,” Mafi said in praise of the “deserving” Chow, a team-first forward who was running water for his teammates earlier this year.
At Sylvan Road, Wests fullback Nick Dunstan was outstanding as his side claimed the crucial scalp of Sunnybank to remain in finals contention.
The Bulldogs scored six tries on their way to a 38-21 win, with Dunstan’s territorial kicking game excellent in a match that demanded it.
Dunstan then raced away for a 40m try on the stroke of full time that put the exclamation mark on a superb individual performance from fullback.
The match was sloppy. It was not pretty. But it was an all-important win nonetheless for Wests, who have now won their last five games and are closing in on a finals berth.
For the first time this season, last year’s runners up are first on the ladder.
Wests led 19-14 at half time and with hard-hitting defence, they kept the visitors scoreless from the 20th minute all the way until the 66th minute when wing Kiyan Gunewardene scored Sunnybank’s third try in the right corner.
The Bulldogs crept three steps closer to a victory when Tom Doe (55th) and Stan Keats (61st) scored tries in quick succession to turn a slender five-point lead into a telling 31-14 advantage.
Flyhalf Jamie Alexander sent Doe through a hole with a lovely pass while Keats’ quick-thinking scoot from the ruck to score was the product of a great exit by Dunstan and Ryan Shaw when Wests went 80m downfield in one phase.
UNDERMANNED
The Bulldogs, like most teams, were playing without key men but those that stepped up in their absence were game.
Think injured aces Charlie Cooke (Flanker), Finlay King (hooker) Will Nason (flyhalf), DJ Colaivalu (wing) and many more.
Winger Atticus Richter, replacing an injured Colaivalu, produced one of the biggest plays in the first half when Sunnybank were banging on the door.
Just 5m out from his tryline, Richter was first in and best dressed at the breakdown to snare a crucial penalty. Had Sunnybank scored it could’ve been 21- 7 but instead Wests scored two tries in a flash approaching the break to take a 19-14 lead into the second half.
Richter almost created Wests’ fourth try early in the second half when he grubbered the ball forward into the in-goal but it was fumbled by a teammate.
Earlier, impressive prop Hamish Ward scored a try before halfback Keats cooked up some magic on the half-time hooter when he attacked the blind side, faked a pass back on his inside and scurried over in cheeky fashion.
Keats’ first of two smart tries was the product of a sensational scrum effort by his forward pack.
FRONT-ROW FIRES
Wests got what they wanted, when they wanted at the scrum to build a stellar platform in which they used to score tries.
Not once in the first half did their scrum effort go without a penalty in their favour.
It was the stuff of legends. Something that would put a smile on the faces of forward coaches all over the world.
Ward, Harry Solofa (hooker) and Archie Smith were spearheads and behind them Rory Bliss, Will Pascoe, Ezalle Matautia, Alex Watkins and Tom Doe dug their heels in and rolled Sunnybank over.
Solofa, a front-row standout currently in the form of his life, scored a freakish try that got Wests level at 7-all midway through the first half. Royden Fakaosilea had opened the scoring for Sunnybank.
Solofa shed a tackler with brute force and then dashed clear from the last line of defence with the speed of an outside back.
No hooker moves like that.
The match belonged to Wests and specifically Dunstan who played one of his finest games as a member of the Bulldog kennel.
His territorial kicking was elite, he was safe like the Bank of England under the high ball and his decision making, positioning and speed created a try to Keats and saw him score one for his troubles (68th).
Sunnybank got plenty out of hooker Dre Loughlin, athletic lock Mattias Agent and backrowers Genesis Iuli and Declan O’Sullivan but poor execution prevented them from giving Wests a fright after the first 20 minutes.
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Originally published as Colts 1 club rugby latest: Brothers pull of upset of the season as Easts, Wests and Norths win
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