Proud record for College team

Press, 20 September 1985, Page 20

Proud record for College team

The 1985 rugby season has been the most successful for a Christ’s College first XV for 63 years. Not since 1922 has College completed a season without a loss, although some first XVs of other years were unbeaten in inter-school games. Even the great 1977 team which included Robbie Deans, Jock Hobbs and Joe Leota, with Vaughan Brown as the captain, suffered two losses in club games. This year the College first XV played 21 games and won 20, its only “blemish” coming in a 10-10 draw with St Andrew’s College. It amassed 564 points for only 82 against, and scored a whopping 105 tries while allowing its own line to be crossed on only eight occasions.

The team won the Trusteebank Trophy, which it shared with St Bede’s College the previous season; won the Canterbury Rugby Union’s sixth' grade competition; and took first place in the annual quadrangular tournament with Wellington College (which it beat 14-6, in the final), Nelson College and Wanganui Collegiate in Nelson. Unfortunately, Christ’s

College had to decline playing in the national “top four” competition because of a clash with its own quadrangular tournament. The team again had the services of Mr Jerry Rowberry as coach. He was able to pass on his not inconsiderable rugby knowledge. Mr Rowberry, a loose forward, captained the Christchurch seniors when they were the club champions in 1974,1975 and 1976. Mr Rowberry, who guided the College first XV for the fifth year, said that the 1985 team was a very good one, strong in the vital places. “It was the best front row I’ve ever had; the loose forwards complemented each other; and the halfback (Tim Cameron), first five-eighths (Stephen Cottrell), and second fiveeighths (Simon Batchelor) were at times quite outstanding.” He said that he had told the players at the beginning of' the year that they had the potential to be a very good team and “should set their sights at being very special.” The team went on a May holiday tour to Hawke’s Bay and Masterton. On the tour it played Te Aute College,

of Hastings, the winner of the “top four” competition the previous year. “We literally thumped Te Aute that day and the team started to believe what I had told them.” Mr Rowberry said that the College first XV was just like the Canterbury Ranfurly Shield team in that it did the basics well. “They drove and mauled and won the lineouts well.” Only in the game against St Andrew’s, he said, was the team beaten in the lineouts. “We spent 20min in the second half without the ball, but David Tudehope scored a try in the dying moments to give us a draw. It would have been an injustice if the conversion had gone over.” He made special mention of the outstanding leadership qualities of Cottrell, both on and off the playing field. “He was more mature than the usual type of school captain.” Easily the top pointsscorer was the left wing and goal-kicker, Tudehope, with 192 points. His tally included 16 tries. “He kicked a lot of good goals and scored some vital tries,” Mr Rowberry said. Remarkably, one of the second top try-scorers was

a prop, Michael Hutton. Both he and Batchelor collected 10 tries.

“Only two people in the team didn’t score tries,” Mr Rowberry said. “There was talent from front to back.” Several team members won representative honours, among them Hutton who was named in the front row of the South Island under-18 team. According to Mr Rowberry, the College vicecaptain and No. 8, Mark Hutchinson, was unlucky to miss selection in that side. Both Hutchinson and Batchelor were selected for South Island secondary schools; Nick Winters, a lock, was included in the South Island under 16 team; Hutchinson, Cameron and Richard Bishop (lock) all played for the Canterbury under 18 “A” team with Cottrell, Batchelor, Tudehope, Jim Hazlett (flanker), Hutton. Ben Greenslade (hooker), and Hamish Murray (prop) all in the Canterbury under 18 “B” team. The College half-back, Cameron, had his fourth year in the first XV and has played 71 games. He scored nine tries during the 1985 season. Mr Rowberry should still

have a useful team next year with seven of the 19.' players expected to return to school.

The last unbeaten College team — that of 1922 — included a brilliant pair of five-eighths, Toby Sheen and Ron Talbot, who went on to represent- New Zealand in rugby and cricket respec--tively. In the course of a - huge 81-6 victory over Wan-; ganui that year Talbot scored 42 points. j

Since then the teams of ■ 1954, 1956 and 1977 were all; unbeaten in inter-school games, but lost one or more, club games. Incidentally, the fathers of Cottrell and Simon.. Batchelor were both in the - 1954 XV, while the fathers of Greenslade, Hutchinson and Nick Reekie (the 1985 reserve) all played in 1956. - Christ’s College never got; the chance to prove whether ■ it was the best school rugby team in New Zealand this < season because of the com-' mitment to the collegequadrangular tournament.’' But Mr Rowberry said that ’ St Stephen’s School, of’ Auckland, which won the top four play-offs, “would have been very hard to' beat ' TIM DUNBAR