Rugby vs St. Pius X College

Trial against St. Pius X

The continued rainfall saw several of our fixtures cancelled due to ground closures. However, thanks to the continued stellar effort of the Trinity ground staff, and the considerable administration skills of our Sports Master, we managed to have ten of our teams get down and dirty in the mud over the weekend. Across the ten fixtures we saw a relatively even split of results, with four wins and six losses, with the 13A, 14A and 3^rd XV all losing their fixtures by seven or less points. There were also good wins for the 1^st XV, 16A, 16B and 14B sides.

This week’s results were:

Team of the Week

Our Team of the Week v St. Pius X is:

1. Max Meagher (10Hi) – 1^st XV
2. Ben Keogh (9Ta) – 15A
3. Eden Taouk (12Wj) – 4^th XV
4. Christopher McAuley (7Wh) – 13A
5. Noah Herden (10He) – 1^st XV
6. Amosia Soatini (10Ho) – 16A
7. Hunter Myliotis (12Yo) – 4^th XV
8. Jaiden Timperi (12Hi) – 2^nd XV
9. Makoto Chapman (7Du) – 13A
10. Logan Toohey (9Ke) – 15A – Logan was also selected as the Player of the Day
11. Christos Caridi (8Sc) – 14A
12. Ethan Albrighton (10Sc) – 16B
13. Nelson McEnally-Mino (12Ke) – 4^th XV
14. Joey Acland (8Fo) – 14B
15. Mitchell Chen (11Ar) – 16A

Leading Point Scorers & Leading Try Scorers

Jozef Cluff (8Ar) extended his lead on top of the try scorers’ list and Alessio Caridi (7Sc) has taken a three-way share of second place. Amosia Soatini (10Ho) is the new face appearing on the list after crossing for three tries in the 16As’ victory. Jozef’s dominance extends to the point scorers list as well, sitting 20 points clear of Alessio in 2^nd place.

Mick Snowden |  Director of Rugby

1^st XV Match Report

It was another crisp Saturday afternoon, with the Trinity 1^st XV matched up against St Pius X. The young men were looking to turn around their previous two results but knew it would be a tough match up with the boys in blue and gold. St Pius X were coming off a few strong results, and our boys were missing a few senior players through injury. Either way it was a great day for rugby and a great opportunity for some new starters this week.

The game started at a furious pace with Trinity receiving. The kick-off saw the ball land in the hands of Noah Herden (10He) who was making his 1^st XV debut and he made an immediate impact with a strong carry against some heavy opponents. Trinity went straight on the attack and threatened the St Pius X line several times. Unfortunately, their discipline let them down, allowing the St Pius X to move up into Trinity Territory, with them scoring in the 12^th minute, pushing them into the lead 5-0.

Thankfully Trinity woke up and went straight back on the attack. Some brilliant footwork and connection between Dane Mitchell (11La) and Oliver Askew (11We) saw them take some great field position. Hard hitting forward runs from Max Meagher (10Hi) and Alisi Leao (12Mu) gave Trinity many opportunities, but they kept pulling up short of the line, with minor errors and ill-discipline being the cause. It wasn’t until the 35^th minute when Riley Martin (12We) stole the ball from a St Pius X line out, and a few quick passes later, that Dominic Feros (12WJ) tore their backline apart, scoring under the posts. With captain Orly Hatton-Ward (11Sc) adding the extra two, Trinity went into half-time trailing 8-7.

The second half saw both sides playing some great rugby. Unfortunately, the field was quite heavy under foot, which made throwing the ball wide quite challenging. It became quite forward-orientated, which suited some of our bigger boys up front. Some great play from Alisi Leao and Riley Martin paved the way for a bustling run from Max Meagher, who went over to put Trinity in the lead. Another conversion from the captain saw Trinity take the lead 14-7.

The game continued to be challenging in every way, with St Pius X throwing everything at us. However, Trinity stuck to their guns and managed to come away with a great victory. A penalty to Orly Hatton-Ward and a fantastic try to Alisi Leao, who ran the ball almost 30 metres from the back of the scrum, saw us come away with the victory 24-7.

Congratulations, boys, on a hard-fought win. Next weekend we will take a trip to Campbelltown to compete against St Gregory’s College.

Final Score: Trinity 24 defeated St. Pius X 13.

Tries: Alisi Leao, Max Meagher and Dominic Feros

Conversions: Orly Hatton-Ward (3)

Penalties: Orly Hatton-Ward

Mr. Snowden and Mr. Pay | 1^st XV Coaches

2^nd XV Match Report

With muddy conditions making ball security difficult for both teams, Saturday’s fixture against St. Pius X College was a tightly-fought contest between the two sides. For the second week in a row, it was Trinity who managed to cross the try line first. In what was a great debut performance from Jaiden Timperi (12Hi) in the back row, the Number 8 capitalised on a strong cleanout from Jye Lawrence (11Ke) to run 70m for a great solo try under the posts. However, some costly turnovers at key points in the first half allowed the visitors back into the game and Trinity were unfortunate to go into the break, down 7-15.

Unfortunately, due to the conditions, the second half was marred by numerous stoppages and turnovers from both teams. As a result, neither side managed to take control of the match. Wingers Will Moir (12Hi) and Kelvin Kong (11Ar) made solid defensive plays out wide, while Daniel Akpinar (12Ho) had a sound debut in the front row. However, despite the team’s efforts, the home side had to settle for a disappointing 7-18 loss.

Final Score: Trinity 7 defeated by St. Pius X 18.

Tries: Jaiden Timperi (1)

Conversions: Hugo Reed (1)

Mr. M Kearsley and Mr. M Di Paola

16A Match Report

The St Pius team provided sustained opposition against the Trinity 16 As, who had to work for their 27-7 win. The Trinity Greens made a strong start compared to their outing against Oakhill the previous week by scoring a try in the first three minutes from sustained attacking pressure in their opponents’ 22′. However, at times, Trinity players became isolated, affecting the team’s momentum that allowed the Pius players to establish a foothold in the game before half time when the score favoured Trinity by 10 – 7.

After an honest half-time appraisal, the team recognised the importance of maintaining their patterns and attacking structures, setting the platform for another 17 well-earned points in the second half. By keeping to their structures for most of the second half, the Trinity 16 As demonstrated how effective they can be when they communicate and adhere to the structures they rehearse at training.

Charles Williams (10La) Scored the opening try the game and Amosia Soatini (10Ho) scored the second try of the first half from sustained pressure in the Pius 22’. Amosia scored two more tries in the second half and Mitchell Chen (11Ar) produced a slicing run through the Pius defence to score a try under the posts, which Hugo Van Hal (10Mu) converted. Overall, the team demonstrated their maturity by trusting the game plan and returning to their structures particularly in the second half.

Final Score: Trinity 27 defeated St. Pius X 7.

Tries: Amosia Soatini (3), Mitchell Chen and Charles Williams

Conversions: Hugo Van Hal (1)

Mr. Folli | 16A Coach

16B Match Report

Trinty faced a depleted St. Pius X side and started the game in a 10s format. The first half was a largely scrappy affair with both sides struggling to gain momentum in the muddy conditions. Trinty’s forwards were able to keep the home side in the game with Bailey Martin (10We) securing several turnovers and Alex Runciman (11Yo) crossing for two tries. The final 20 minutes saw a clearing of the sizeable Trinity bench for a 14 a-side game. The added players allowed Trinity to play with more structure and gain dominance. Fly-half Anton Dimento (10WJ) took control of the game, unleashing Trinity’s backline and allowing wingers Mathew Nasr (10Mu) and Adriano Lemme (10Fo) to cross for late tries. Credit must be given to all the 16Bs players for approaching the situation with enthusiasm and coming away with a strong 34-19 victory.

Final Score: Trinity 34 defeated St. Pius X 19.

Tries: Alex Runciman (2), Aiden Gaitanis, Matthew Nasr, Adriano Lemme and Harry Cotton

Conversions: Oliver Pearson and Ethan Albrighton

Mr. McKee | 16B Coach

14B Match Report

Trinity fielded their strongest team since the opening game of the season and the men in Green responded with a solid 15-point victory. After good lead up work from the forwards George Salvartis (8WH) and Hudson Myliotis (8Yo), Leo Taylor (8Fo) crashed over to give Trinity the opening points. Some slick passing through the hands out wide allowed Joey Acland (8Fo) to score the first of his two tries. Lachlan Stevens (9We) converted, and the Greens were in command. Stevens then showed some good footwork to break through for Trinity’s third try of the half. Tom Maloney (8Du) came off the bench and made an instant impact crossing for another five-pointer resulting in a confidence boosting win for Trinity.

Final Score: Trinity 27 defeated St. Pius X 12.

Tries: Joey Acland (2), Leo Taylor, Lachlan Stevens and Tom Maloney

Conversions: Lachlan Stevens

Mr. Morrissey | 14B Coach