AIC First XV rugby round 6 Team of the Week
The round 6 AIC First XV Team of the Week includes a remarkable rags to riches story as a winger turned lock looms as one of the players of the season. More here on who has been starring from your school.
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Has there been a more dramatic transformation of an AIC First XV player this decade than that of St Edmund’s College lock Seb Kracht?
Kracht is a remarkable rags to riches story, someone who has come from the clouds — and the wing — to take the competition by storm this season.
This time last year the athletic Kracht was playing wing in the St Edmund’s Second XV.
Fast forward 12 months and he has been consistently one of the best players on the field in both good times and bad for St Edmund’s this season.
Exhibit A was when St Edmund’s lost its round three match to St Laurence’s at Runcorn when St Laurence’s led 28-nil at halftime, before winning 49-17.
Yet Kracht scored two tries, hit hard in defence to halt Laurie’s forward charges one off the ruck, and contested strongly in lineouts.
They were the bad times, yet he finished the Doubles Daley Medallist.
Now to the good times. Last Saturday St Edmund’s won a thriller against St Peters after a last minute penalty goal by Pat Albion.
Kracht scored and was enormous with his thundering runs and tackles.
Coach Andrew Kirk admits if Kracht had indicated he would be prepared to switch from the outside backs to the forwards, he would have picked him last season at a time when he was wandering in the No. 14 jumper.
Eddies’ revelation Kracht makes the AIC rugby round 6 Team of the Week again following his performance against the Saints.
Who joins him in the side?
AIC FIRST XV RUGBY TEAM OF THE WEEK
15. Harry Taylor (St Laurence’s)
Taylor’s incursions from fullback last weekend were telling.
Taylor, a Year 10 student, is going to be one heck of a three-year player for Laurie’s. He scored a double and dazzled on both occasions, using his footwork, speed and unpredictability to manoeuvre his way past defenders.
He is quite exciting.
14. Jarah Chaseling (Padua)
Like Taylor, winger or fullback Chaseling’s first love is rugby league.
But that hasn’t stopped him from making a palpable difference for Padua this year.
Saturday was a fine example of him at his best because late in the second half he stepped past one player, drew in two defenders and then released an offload while being wrestled to ground.
It created a try and well before that the slippery speedster was involved in a few others which inflated Padua’s score from 19 to 50 in no time.
13. Matt Doherty (Iona)
Doherty has delivered the goods for Iona over the last two seasons and even when he doesn’t touch the ball, his teammates know he is there.
Captain courageous, Doherty is a genuine outside centre with power, speed and skill.
He did not touch the ball much on Saurday but when he did Iona looked dangerous.
On the other side of the ball, he didn’t let anyone through.
12. Nate Clark (Padua)
Clark moved back to inside centre after a grand two-game stint as Padua’s flyhalf.
Perfectly suited to the No.12 position, Clark was a defensive lynchpin across a gruelling first half and he maintained his high standards whenever Paddies had the ball in the second half.
He was excellent in defence on a day where every Padua back had their moment.
11. Rory West (Padua)
The little ripper on Padua’s left wing had a match to remember in front of a bumper St Patrick’s crowd.
With bucketloads of spectators watching on as part of the school’s back to Shorncliffe day, West was magic wherever he went to finish off four tries.
Small but speedy and hard to bring down, West benefitted most from the work of his inside men.
10. Damon Humphrys (Padua)
Humphrys had his hand in a few West tries and plenty of others as the ace flyhalf created four of five second half tries scored by the fast-finishing Padua boys.
The visitors held a slender 19-15 lead at oranges but won 50-15. Humphrys — utilising his deft grubber kicking, short and long passing game and deceptive speed and athleticism — was at the forefront of Padua’s second half heave after the St Patrick’s forwards had dominated early.
9. Harrison Graham (Ashgrove)
The masterful Graham has been a terrific middle man tying together Ashgrove’s authority at the breakdown and its ability to move the ball around.
When Ashgrove race in those many tries from a long, long way out from the line, it is easy to overlook Graham’s snappy service as a firing pin.
8. Seb Gardiner (Ashgrove)
Gardiner is of course a No. 7, but to squeeze in two courageous and inspiring flankers from losing teams into the top 15 (see below), the Ashgrove skipper has been shifted to No.8.
Gardiner has been a revelation with his dynamic runs, both into space and into the opposition, taking his side over the advantage at speed.
Gardiner’s urgency in the defensive line must have set an example for his peers.
7. James Kenny (St Peters)
Not for the first time the compact flanker was magnificent.
Tough, strong and courageous, Kenny has played above his weight and under duress all season and did it again last weekend in a nail biter.
Kenny’s ability to win contested possession at the breakdown has been a highlight of matches he has played. Again last weekend he was responsible for four or five turnovers for his the Saints.
6. Finn Staley (Villanova)
A tenacious, smaller flanker, Staley was bravely on the ball against the odds against Ashgrove last weekend.
He was also an effective and agile defender on the edge of the ruck who helped keep the scoreline down.
Staley has stepped up in the absence of tone-setting backrower Ryder Childs who has been out since round 4 with a broken cheek bone.
5. Seb Kracht (St Edmund’s)
Kracht has undergone an extraordinary transformation from a Second XV winger in 2024 to a tremendous lock in 2025.
Aside from his authority in defence, damaging runs and safe lineout retrieval, Kracht has now scored a try against every opponent this season.
Certainly Kracht is the find of the season among the forwards in the AIC competition.
4. Zane Smith (St Peters)
In a team desperately unlucky to lose, the undersized second rower continued to play above his weight and give his side his all.
Smith was solid with his carries, running straight and hard, and continued to give his team a high work rate and mobility around the field.
3. Luka Smith (St Laurence’s)
There has been no third-season syndrome for Laurie’s prop Luka Smith.
In fact, he has only gotten better and better as the seasons have worn on. Against Iona, Smith’s pick-and-drive play — partnered with Vin Rix, Brad Smith and others — mounted enormous pressure on the opposition’s goal line.
Smith’s strength and skill was best eclipsed late in the game when a short lineout play saw him throw the ball in, receive a quick offload and storm 20m to the tryline, barreling a defender over on his barnstorming pursuit.
2. Mitch Wallis (St Patrick’s)
Wallis’ room would be full of Doubles Daley medals after his deeds this season.
A hooker with two more years of First XV rugby ahead, Wallis has headed a strong Paddies scrum and gotten increasingly harder to handle running the ball.
The powerful 15-year-old was at the epicentre of Paddies’ strong start which saw them lead Padua 5-nil and looking capable of an upset when trailing by four early in the second half.
1. Jack Mercer (Padua)
An impressive prop every week for Padua with his work rate and involvement, Mercer made inroads again versing an amped-up Paddies pack.
Fast and fit for a prop, Mercer was solid in his core role but raised the bar with his cover tackling and urgency running from A to B.
He has been top notch in 2025.
RESERVES
16. Josh Heinrich (Ashgrove)
Heinrich was a four-star performer again as both a tight forward and a loose forward, all the while kicking six goals from seven attempts.
Again he looked like an inside centre in full cry when he burst through to score a 45m try, while never shirking his other responsibilities in the set pieces and at the breakdown.
17. Will Tatt (St Edmund’s)
The back-row forward has been Mr Consistency, someone who has done the one percent plays from start to finish this season.
Eddies’ would not have swapped him for anyone over the last two seasons and it was nice for the hard working forward to have that winning feeling again in 2025.
Tatt deserved nothing more.
18. Matt Linnell (Villanova)
Gridiron quarterback and rugby captain Matt Linnell led from the front as a tight forward work horse against Ashgrove.
He finished with an elbow injury, but before his departure the upbeat chap led the team strongly with runs and was great over the ball.
19. Tom Croft (St Laurence’s)
Croft scored two tries within the first 15 minutes to put a down payment on victory for the black and golds.
As the match progressed, the No.8 was in everything. He put his head down and got to work in pick-and-drive play which delivered more than half of Laurie’s 61 points and his pressure off kick restarts and in defence was outstanding.
20. James Turner (Iona)
Entering the fold with Keanu Bothma out injured, scrumhalf Jimmy Turner took his chance with both hands and had a posiitve showing.
His quick taps kept the Laurie’s defenders on their toes and Turner’s service from the ruck base was pin point. The ultra-fit First XI cricketer was quick to the breakdown and his sound 70-minute performance against an on-fire Laurie’s outfit warrants praise.
21. Alex Borger (Villanova)
It was not an easy day in the office for the Villanova scrumhalf, such was the pressure exerted by the Ashgrove forwards at the breakdown.
But goal-kicking gun Borger held up well, was brave under pressure, moved the ball well and overall had a fine match.
22. Joey Cervetto (Ashgrove)
No.10 Cervetto has come on in leaps and bounds for unbeaten Ashgrove.
Earlier in the season the headgear-wearing flyhalf did not over play his hand and his confidence and patience has obviously grown as his combination with the players around him has improved.
The Queensland Thunder water polo prodigy looked like a senior player with class last Saturday against Villanova.
23. Tomi Wilson (St Edmund’s)
St Edmund’s fullback Tom Wilson has been one of the rookies of the season.
He is only in Year 10, but has taken to First XV rugby like a duck to the Bremer River through Ipswich.
He was also a two-try hero last weekend and dropped the ball over the line attempting a third try.
24. Gio Koopu (St Laurence’s)
Koopu played inside centre and was great in a forward-dominated game.
A revelation for the black and golds in 2025, Koopu is only in Year 11 and has continued a strong tradition of hard-running Laurie’s midfielders.
He has been tough, uncompromising and always charging over the advantage line, a bit like Sean Green (Ashgrove).
SPECIAL MENTIONS: Elliot Aldridge (Ashgrove), Will Ross (Padua), Hudson Bishop (Villanova), Oliver Gibson (Iona), Matt Doherty (Iona), Liam Whale and Fionn MacCafferkey (Iona), Justin Wilson (St Laurence’s), Sean Green (Ashgrove), Harrison Vera (Padua), Tom O’Regan (Padua), Denzel Savelino (St Patrick’s), Abe Huxtable (St Patrick’s), Oliver Slater (St Patrick’s), Tiakina Bateman (St Patrick’s), Kalix Swifte (Iona), Sam Hodder (Iona).
ROUND 7
Villanova v St Patrick’s
St Edmund’s v Iona
Padua v Marist
St Laurence’s v St Peters College
Originally published as AIC First XV rugby round 6 Team of the Week
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