THURSDAY 26 MARCH
TERM 1 WEEK 9
It has been another action packed week of Cranbrook Rugby; trial fixtures against St Pius, the
commencement of Junior School Training, a visit by a Waratah to Year 1 and 2 players as well as
a lunch and Waratahs match for Year 1, 2 and 3 boys and their parents.
Looking ahead, our Primary School 7s boys start their carnival today at Latham Park as they
attempt to repeat the deeds of the 2014 team who won the State Title. Friday afternoon is the
Junior School Rugby Launch at Dangar followed on Saturday by a set of trial fixtures against St
Aloysius.
In the Senior School, the 1sts, 2nds, 3rds and 16As take on Shore on Hordern in what is always a
hard fought match. Please note the earlier kick off times with the 1st XV starting at 12.15pm.
In order to ensure your Saturday’s rugby viewing is not effected by the State Election, Carter Hall,
adjacent to Hordern Oval, is an official polling booth and may be used to place your vote!
Year 1 and 2 Rugby – Waratahs Visit & Match
Last Thursday afternoon saw over 30 eager Year 1 and 2 boys gather on Hordern to welcome a
Waratah to Cranbrook.
David Horwitz of the NSW Waratahs helped the boys as they went through a series of mini games
and drills. Each boy left with a signed David Horwitz poster and an introduction to the game they
play in heaven.
Sunday afternoon saw over 80 members of the Year 1, 2 and 3 rugby community at Cranbrook
attend a lunch at the Bavarian Café Moore Park followed by the Waratahs v Brumbies game at
Allianz Stadium.
The aim of the afternoon was to welcome new families to Cranbrook Rugby in anticipation of the
Year 1 and 2 program commencing in Term 2. Both the lunch and the Waratahs match provided a
memorable afternoon for some of our smallest rugby players and we look forward to them
beginning their rugby pathway next term.
Rugby Fixtures – Saturday 28 March
Team
1st XV
2nd XV
3rd XV
16A
12s
11s
10s
9s
Opposition
Shore
Shore
Shore
Shore
St Aloysius
St Aloysius
St Aloysius
St Aloysius
Rugby
Venue
Hordern
Hordern
Hordern
Hordern
Woollahra 3
Woollahra 3
Woollahra 2
Woollahra 2
Time
12.15
11.00
10.00
9.00
9.00
10.00
9.00
10.00
Rotunda and BBQ Roster
The Cranbrook Rugby Club would like to encourage you all to sign up for a shift or two on
the rotunda or BBQ during the season. It is easy to do; just click the link below and enter
your details. It is a great way to get to know other parents and some of the kids in the
Cranbrook rugby community. We usually find it works best if you sign up for an hour
before or after your son plays, as you usually have to be there then anyway as they warm up
or reserve for the next team.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ar5n7MHXveYbdDl2VTZRVUwyUnp4V0
lNY2NoZ2NBbXc&usp=sharing
Match Reports Saturday 21 March
1st XV 32:3 Win
The Cranbrook 1st XV began their season campaign against St Pius on Saturday afternoon
on what turned out to be a perfect day for rugby. The match was the first outing for the
Cranbrook squad whose preseason began way back in October last year. The team was
pumped to get back into their footy and hoped to continue the winning ways of last season.
Cranbrook received the ball off the opening kick-off and was immediately on the attack for
the opening minutes of the game. Cranbrook looked threatening - with the likes of Kemeny
and Rathie bursting over the advantage line on several occasions. However, a combination
of uncapitalised opportunities as well as poor ball retention saw the two teams go into the
half-time break locked at 3-3 with the pressure on the Cranbrook boys.
The second half was a different story. Despite the efforts of some hard-running Pius outside
backs, Cranbrook, through simple, well executed phase play gained momentum and was on
the front foot. A promising team try, finished off by Burston, as well as a slick line break
from replacement Wilson, finished by Coppola, had Cranbrook up 13-3.
Nevertheless the Cranbrook side was not out of the woods, and if not for some gritty
defence from McNiven, as well as a much needed injection from backrower Matters and
prop Hill (try-scorer) the finish may have been a lot tighter. A try each to debutant F.
Stenmark and Szangolies saw the final score finish at 32-3.
Although the opening half of the trial fixture was somewhat marked by dropped balls and
other errors, the final period showed areas of strong encouragement and confidence leading
into the New Zealand Tour and the CAS competition.
2nd XV 57-0 Win
After a long preseason, the 2nd XV were eager to prove that they deserved a white jersey
come Round 1, so they approached this game with a lot of anticipation and excitement. The
boys went out determined to win and, through hard running from James Clifton-Bligh and
Mack Matters, the platform was set for a very physical game.
After only a few minutes some well worked attack found Reuben Antico diving into the
corner for a try. Thanks to a brilliant pairing of Searle and Busteed, with the support of
Renton and Stewart outside them, the backs had some serious strike power which the Pius
defence couldn't match.
As for the forwards, with uncontested scrums they had to prove themselves with hard
running and tenacious defence, which they did. The boys kept applying pressure and
sticking to their processes which shut St Pius out, with tries going to Reynolds, Quin,
Stewart, Busteed (2), Renton, Suriano and Tierney, the end score was 57-0.
16A 0:24 Loss
The 16A’s had a tough start to their season going down to a well-structured and confident
Pius side. Cranbrook struggled to keep possession of the ball and when we did, we
struggled to find space and get over the advantage line.
Issues regarding the tackle contest in the early stages of the game meant we did a lot of
defending which brought about numerous errors and fatigue with the ball. While tackling
was a priority at training, most one on one tackles were made but the 16A’s found out just
how quickly a string of missed tackles can contribute to a try.
There was however plenty of positives that the side can reflect on and improve going into a
full week of tough training before their next trial game against Shore. With competition for
positions tight, boys were still enthusiastic and held their heads high which shows they are
ready to learn and improve.
16B 0:27 Loss
The 16Bs had a frustrating start to the trial season with multiple errors making life difficult
to gain any momentum. Credit must also go to St Pius who played like a well prepared unit
that had been training for some time. There were some positives to take from the game with
many players putting their bodies on the line in defence. We look forward to our next
opportunity.
15A 5:12 Loss
It was a great game between St Pius and Cranbrook to start the season. In the early stages,
we struggled to keep possession of the ball which meant we had to do plenty of tackling.
We had many drop balls although it was a wet and windy morning.
When we maintain possessions we looked good in attack when we shifted the ball wide and
this lead to Will Crowley’s try. Our defence was solid for the first hit out of the season
although our line speed around the rucks could have been better and tackling lower so they
gained less metres.
When St Pius scored the opening try by just simply pick and driving, Cranbrook rallied and
came back with their own try by some lovely hands in the backline. Unfortunately the
conversion was unsuccessful. It was a messy game until St Pius cracked our defence and
went in to score another try. Our boys played well considering the amount of possession the
opposition had. It was a solid start to the year for the 15As.
15B 10:24 Loss
The 15Bs started off their season against St Pius in determined fashion with some strong
runs early in the game leading to an advantage in possession and territory. Unfortunately as
the game wore on, Cranbrook made some handling errors which led to opposition tries.
There were plenty of positives to take out of this performance with the team looking
forward to Term 2 and the opportunity for further improvement.
14A 63:0 Win
The boys played a strong game with most of the possession in St Pius’s half. Our Lineouts
were strong with Oliver Carroll stealing the opposition’s throws. Tries came from Perry
Tasker, Peter North, Gabe Meyer, Luca Polese, Oliver Carroll, Leo Christopher, Remy
Livingston, Patrick Tagg and two tries from Jake Taylor who also made four conversions.
13A 29:34 Loss
The 13A game against St Pius was a heavily anticipated one being the first game of the
season. Cranbrook did not start well going down 4 tries to nil early on, however some good
spirit brought the score line to Cranbrook 17, Pius 24 at half time.
We believed that we could do it. But a slow start almost put the game out of reach. We
fought back and a scored a try on the bell but didn't get the win. The end score was
Cranbrook 29 to St Pius 34.
Next time we need to get in front early and stay there until the final whistle goes.
13B 5:17 Loss
The 7 B’s rugby team kicked there season off with a booming start against the incredibly
fast St Pius. The boys started with hard physical rugby but the Pius boys pulled out one try
to gasp the lead but the boys did not drop their heads. The boys kept working and we came
up with a try to make it 5-5 at half time. The boys ran off and after a great prep talk, the
boys went out and played great rugby but the Pius boys got the better of us as we fatigued.
St Pius closed the game with a converted try. Overall the boys played a great game and this
game gave us a great platform for success.
13C 22:30 Loss
The Cs lost 22 – 30 in a highly entertaining game but showed lots of promise. Leading 17-5
at half –time, eight replacements in this trial led to a disjointed second half. Igor
Koropachinskiy was an absolute standout with his powerful running and cover defence,
Archie O’Connell had a busy game in attack and defence and Archie Hyles led the tackle
count easily. In addition, Sam Taranto showed terrific footwork and speed and should be a
real danger at fullback this season
Rugby Handbook
The 2015 Rugby Handbook is now available for viewing on Cranbrook Connect. This
document is the first port of call for any questions regarding Cranbrook Rugby. It outlines
things such as training and playing uniforms, protective equipment, 1st XV support as well as
highlighting all Cranbrook 1st XV Captains and those Cranbrookians that have gone on to
represent the country at Schoolboy and Wallaby level. The second half of the handbook is a
High Performance Manual which is a must read for all players as they prepare for the season
ahead.
Junior School Rugby Camp
A flyer has been added to the Holiday Camp section of Cranbrook Connect outlining details
of the upcoming Junior School camp. Dates are from Tuesday 7 April to Friday 10 April.
Weights Centre Opening Times
The weights centre will be open during the holidays at the following times:





Wednesday 8th April 11am-1pm
Friday 10th April 11am-1pm
Monday 13th April 11am-1pm
Wednesday 15th April 11am-1pm
Friday 17th April 11am-1pm
Fantastic supporters and suppliers to Cranbrook Rugby
1st XV
CRANBROOK v SHORE
2nd XV
3rd XV
16A
Tom Chirnside
Jack Suriano
Lewis Barakat
Mischa Tanne
Michael Nolan
Ed Schiller
Oliver Burston
Peter Doohan
Oskar Harrington
Harrison Burcher
Jack Fagan
Ed Negus
George Gibson
Alex Sprague
Matt Tierney
Jackson Senes
Matt Reynolds
Andrew Spira
Jack Anderson
James Coppola
Matt Peppas
Max Mahony
C Morris-Mikardo
Harrison Read
Albert Bain
Gideon Kelly
Henry Poole
Angus Crawford
Isaac Elias
Max Winton
Brett Treisman
George Stewart
Oliver Crowe
Ben Wright
Arden Yeung
Marcus Corah
Oskar Poole
Fred McClure
Kiko Nunn Cooper
Charlie Hayward
Alex Floyd
Joff Pilton
Connor Sprague
Richard Goodman
Charlie Crammond
Henry Smith
Andrew Glastras
Jake Broekhuizen
Aaron Giesser
Finnbar Stenmark
Alby Greaves
Mitch Dickins
Spencer O’Connor
Alex Antonelli
Tom Tilley
Tex Smouha-Ho
Richard Chalik
Peter Milios
George Weston
Bertie Sanger
Mr J Boyd
Mr M Giacheri
Mr R Messiter
Mr M Ramsay
Mr J Allen
Mr S Pardey
Mr N Sievert
Mr S Kepu
Mr R Farraway
Mr R Farraway
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
RES
RES
RES
RES
RES
RES
CCH
CCH
Alexander Rathie
Reuben Antico
Tom Hill
Will Stenmark
James Clifton-Bligh
Josh Kemeny
Oskar Szangolies
Mack Matters
Harry Doyle
Darcy Searle
Harry Stewart
Angus McNiven
Ed Renton
Declan Quin
Tom Wilson
MGR
Ms G Whiteley
Unavailable
Beau Mayer
Andrew Spira
Harry Twomey
Felix Studdy
Tom Burston
Oscar Lim-Strachan
Robert Sleight
Archie Gordon
Finn Weir
Liam Baildon
Joe Pardey
James Walker
Tom Lamens
Aaron Meyer
Noah Busteed
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
RES
RES
RES
CCH
CCH
CCH