St. Augustine’s once again showed their strength in rugby with a resounding victory in the 15B game; however, we have significantly improved our results against them overall over the past two seasons. As our Second Term at Riverview concludes, and we rest up for the big push in Term 3, with loads of rugby but also a final term for our outstanding Year 12 cohort, our 1st XV are sitting on top of the GPS ladder (equal with The King’s School), having won their past 5 games in a row and only losing the first GPS Comp match against Newington, something they atoned for last Saturday in an thrilling see-sawing affair down at First Field. The 2nd XV are solidly in second place, while our 3rd XV leads their official ladder after a stunning come from behind win up at Armidale versus TAS 1st XV. In the unofficial standings, our 16A team remains undefeated and in first place, with the 15A team also topping their division. The 14A team continues to work hard against faster and bigger opponents and the parents have been really supportive of their boys and the coaches, which is heartening to see – we’ll get there! Our 13s are third behind Joeys and King’s. Many other teams have shown promising performances throughout the term.

Top 5 Rugby Highlights of the Week

5. A remarkable effort from our 3rd XV , who endured a seven-hour coach trip to Armidale before rallying from a sluggish start to claim victory on the final whistle, thanks to a brilliant try from Alex Forlico. A gutsy away win that capped off a long day of travel and competition. Was nice to see it was a ‘Home Game’ for a few of our Boarding parents!

4. A stunning turnaround from our 15D team , who overcame a significant first-half deficit to record a thrilling 29–25 victory. Without doubt, this was their finest performance of the term. It’s a great testament to these boys who are enjoying their footy and training hard. It’s another strong age-group to watch in the next few years.

3. Our 14B team delivered a clinical and exciting display against Newington 14B, combining structure with flair to produce a comprehensive and well-deserved win. Their style of play was a joy to watch and reflected the development within this group.

2. Both of our GPS representative teams (1st XV and 2nd XV) secured impressive wins in what is traditionally a challenging weekend following the Joeys fixture. Known historically as a week where performances dip, these teams bucked the trend and powered through a short and energy-sapping week to finish the term with strong victories. The wins were gratifying for the excited crowds down at First, who are going to see a key match-up straight after the holidays on 26 July between GPS Competition leaders Riverview and Kings. This will be a Saturday afternoon not to be missed so plan your day in advance as we’re expecting a big crowd at First Field.

1. By a significant margin , the standout highlight of the week - and arguably the term, is the selection of 27 players across our 1st XV and 16A teams in the AAGPS representative squads . With 13 players named across the GPS 1st XV and 2nd XVs , we have the highest representation of any school. Joeys being the next closest with 10 reps. Notably, 13 players from our hard-working 1st XV were selected. This number of our 1st XV representing Combined GPS is an incredible achievement and I can’t find anything that’s matched that representation over the years. We had a very strong cohort just two years back in 2023, which had 7 players spread across four Combined GPS rugby teams. This year the GPS have dropped it back to only 3 teams. While comparisons between years are arguably imperfect, this moment of recognition for our program, players, and staff absolutely deserves to be celebrated as the highlight of the week.

The second half saw the Riverview boys more competitive in the exchanges and 12 minutes in Jed Driscoll found the ball at his feet on the edge of the penalty area. Despite the close attention of the defence, he was able to get a shot away that clipped the inside of the left-hand goal post on its way into the net. This revived the Riverview hopes. Four minutes later, Riverview received a free kick outside the penalty area on the right side of the field. Nick Codemo served the ball in and Marcus Hughes, advancing towards the goal, was in position to direct the deflection off the wall into the left side of the goal. There was still some time to go in the match, and both teams strove hard to make a decisive blow, but time ran out with the score at 2-2. This would give each team a point for the Premiership but there was still the unfinished business of the GPS 2nd XI Plate.

A penalty shoot-out was commenced to decide the issue. Newington had the first shot. Goalkeeper and captain Antony Nobilo dived the right way and saved the goal. Nick Codemo stepped up for Riverview and shot past the keeper’s right into the goal. The next Newington Shot was successful. Then Jed Driscoll successfully converted his shot. Antony saved the next Newington attempt, giving Riverview the advantage. The next Riverview shot was saved and the subsequent Newington shot flew high over the crossbar. Louis Portale stepped up to the spot and beat the ‘keeper on his left, giving victory and the Plate trophy to Riverview and sparking delirious rejoicing among the team.

Photo of team to the right – following penalty shoot out victory in the 2nd XI GPS Plate Final with Newington College.

1st XI v NC June 21 at Riverview 1B (Round 3)

Riverview 0 defeated by NC 2.

This match between the GPS Football heavyweights was off to a late start due to the 2nd XI’s heroics in taking their GPS Plate Final to a penalty shoot-out. It was a high stakes game for the Riverview team, with only 1 point after two matches and a loss today would make challenging for the Premiership a pretty tall order. The match proceeded at high pace and quality as would be expected of a match between these teams. While the Riverview team made some chances, none could be converted into goals, and it was the visitors who scored the first and only goal of the first half. The second half continued as a spirited contest, but again only the visitors were able to trouble the scorer, and the match concluded 2-0 with Newington maintaining their unbeaten record through 3 matches and the Riverview boys hoping for better in the new term.

The post-match function in the Therry building featured the GPS Football Convenor, Dr Chris Kitching, well-known to both Riverview and Newington staff and families presenting both trophies that were on offer on the day. The 2nd XI GPS Plate, presented to Antony Nobilo representing Riverview and the Riverview/Newington 1st XI trophy presented to Newington College’s captain. Hostilities will recommence in late July following the winter holidays.

View the full Football Report from all teams HERE .

Barker Relay Results

Our Opens A team (pictured to the right) walked away with silver medals around their necks. Not too far off Kings who came in 1st. All 4 runners ran terrific legs, but I would like to shout out Lachlan Maiers (Dalton) for his performance on the opening leg, pulling out one of his best performances of the season to set the team up for their overall result.

Team members:

Our Opens B team finished in 20th while our intermediate team finished in 7th place.

I would also like to make special mention to Hugo Manion (Cheshire) who came out to ensure our juniors had a team to run with before heading off to his rugby match.

CIS Championships Results

I’ve been spruiking the O’Dea family powerhouse with Xavier and Tobias , well the Lukas household has risen to the challenge. A big congratulations to:

Both have been selected to represent CIS at the NSW All Schools Championships on the 22nd of July out at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre.

There’s not much rest for our boys who will continue to train throughout the holidays as they prepare for their next representative runs.

With many of our athletes focused on the upcoming GPS track season they are putting in the hard yards to ensure they give themselves a solid foundation for what is a shaping up to be a competitive season for our middle-distance team.

NSW State Championships Results

These Championships see the best of the best from across the State come to Nowra to run it out on one of the toughest courses in NSW. The Lukas boys performed tremendously with:

Congratulations to both on their achievements!