Brentwood College School - Brentonian Yearbook (Mill Bay, British Columbia Canada)

Page 32 text:

WILLIAMS, Robert - (Blindside Wing Forward) Robert ' s strength is undoubtedly his cov- ering ability and his lethal tackling. He has saved several tries by his do or die efforts, and when asked to cover the backs he has pos- itioned himself most intelligently. He is not as good in attack and must work on this fea- ture of his game, - a few runs in the three quar- ter line would certainly help. McCONNELL. Boyd • (Open Side Wing For- ward) Boyd was yet another forward who was small, but all heart. A good tackier and tire- less coverer. He was quick at picking the ball from the ground and driving forward - this brought him tries near the line where he was very difficult to stop, but did not result in the distribution of the ball that the best wing for- wards achieve. He should work at this. BR AM ALL. Terry • (Utility Forward) Terry substituted when the forwards were hit with injury, and always gave his utmost. He is an unlikely looking player, being rather gangly, but he certainly plays his weight. His tackling was devastating, and he ran well with the ball in his hands. MORRISON. Ross • (Scrum Half) In his first year of rugby, Ross showed a remarkable improvement. He has a fast long s ervice, and defends courageously round the base of the scrum. He, not surprisingly, makes mistakes because of his lack of experience, but is quick to learn. I regret he will not be witl; us next year, and hope he will continue to play rugby after he leaves the College. BR AM ALL. Steve - (Scrum Half and Outside Half) Undoubtedly one of the most talented and most infuriating players to have been at Brent- wood. He will show signs of brilliance and mat- urity one moment, only to follow them with lapses which would disgrace the most junior novice. One reason is that undoubtedly a lot was asked of Steve this year. As the only ex- perienced back he had to run the back line, hold it together in time of crisis, read the game, kick, and provide much of the attacking threat. The other teams realised this, and he was usually double mark ed. But even so Steve ' s great problem is lack of concentration, and an unwillingness to work on detail. He is elusive, kicks beautifully, can read the game and has a beautiful service. He could be one of the best players Brentwood has ever produced, but he must learn to concentrate. ALLESTER. Jeff - (Outside Half) Jeff was asked to do the most impossible and he made a good stab at pulling it off. With no experience and little natural aptitude for the position, he was asked to play fly half - probably the most difficult position on the field. He gave his utmost, and was very keen to learn so that by the end of the season he could kick adequately, pass reasonably, and tackle very well. Of course, after only 6 months he has a lot to learn, makes many mistakes and has not yet mastered basic skills. But we must always remember how far he has come in how short a time: - when we do this we cannot but ad- mire his achievement. FOOTE. Dean - (Inside Centre) Dean (a Colt) played a few times for the 1st XV and played very well. His defence was rocklike, particularly against Shawnigan ' s superb backs where his motto was surely lis ne passeront pas. In attack he tended to be slow to regain his position and got left behind. Considering his youth a most courageous per- former. HAWKSWORTH. Brian - (Centre) Brian was nagged by a series of injuries, and consequently sometimes lost his confid- ence. At his best, however, he was very good. He tackled hard and was an elusive runner. He passes well and has a good left foot. He should practise with his right foot, learn to grub kick, and get a little more devil when being tackled. The half- break thus gained will often send in a team-mate. LEVELL. Doug - (Outside Centre) Like Jeff Allester, Doug was an inexper- ienced player who performed most creditably, and learned a lot in a short time. He is endowed with a powerful physique, and is fast. He has now a good grasp of basic skills. With more work on his passing, kicking and positional play in attack and defence, he will be a very fine player indeed. PAUL, Eric - (Wing Threequarter) Eric has always been a good tackier, but this season saw him become a dangerous at- tacker also. He ran with determination, and developed a fake inside and burst outside. He should work on his kicking and passing, and go hunting for the ball - he is inclined to wait for the ball on the wing instead of getting involved in play at every opportunity. 30

Page 31 text:

Hindson had allowed us to develop. In the set scrums we got our own ball by dint of much practice of the concerted shove and Derek Arnoldi achieved a quick strike which got the ball out fast. When the opposing packs got the ball, how- ever, we were in trouble, for they held the ball and tired us out. It was in the loose that we were in most trouble. We had the desire to get there, and drove fearlessly, but we just did not have the strength possessed by older players. Often we saw players doing the right thing, technically, but manhandled by maturer opposition. It was not necessarily a question of size, but of age and strength. We must remember Robert Wil- liams, Murray Bayles, Reggie Stewart and Der- ek Arnoldi were barely sixteen and the rest of the pack not much older. If the problem with the pack was youth and size, the problem with the backs was youth and inexperience. On several occasions we took the field with three Colts in the backline, and they acquitted themselves well. Whereas sev- eral of the forwards were young Grade XI ' s, Jock Olser, Dean Foote and Pat Durban were young Grade X ' s. All showed coolness under pressure - again auguring well for the future. We had dangerous runners in the backs, but we rarely achieved the smoothness to score tries consistently. What good ball we got was often frittered away, again inexperience and youth causing a vital mistake. Stevie Bramall was a constant threat to the opposition, and our wings, John Bradford and Eric Paul looked very dangerous. It was a pity that our most dangerous threequarter, Brian Hawksworth, had a series of injuries accompanied by a loss of confidence and form. Two other backs, Doug Levell and Jeff Allester, were really quite re- markable in how quickly they learned. Neither had played much rugby, yet in a matter of weeks they were playing for the 1st XV - no mean achievement. Not surprisingly, they were inexperienced and made mistakes. So the 1st XV were a very young, inexper- ienced side. They tried to play attractive rug- by, and their attitude was admirable. They play in a tough league, and a lot, probably too much, was asked of them. They were always cheerful, and they learned some invaluable lessons. The experience gained this year will stand them in good stead next season. I.R.F. RUBGY CRITIQUES 1970-71 1st XV DUNFEE. Ted - (Captain and No. 8) Ted played some fine games at No. 8 and proved a good leader by example giving his ut- most at all times. His strength is undoubtedly defense; he covers tirelessly and is a lethal tackier. He does not, however, show the same flair in attack although he runs strongly. I fear he will prove too small for a No. 8 in the senior game and would suggest a move to the front row. THORNE, Brian - (Prop and Second Row) Brian, although nagged by injury, again proved invaluable in many features of forward play. Time after time he set up good ball in the loose, and his work in the set scrums and line- outs is admirable. He is, of course, too small for 2nd row, but he could make a good senior prop. He needs to work on his handling. HOOD. Greg - (Prop) Greg ' s improvement this year was incred- ible; from 4th team scrum half to 1st XV prop is a remarkable jump. He is very strong and soon learned the technique of making life un- comfortable for the opposition. A tireless work- er, he also showed speed with the ball in his hands, and a run he made in Victoria against University School sticks in the memory. ARNOLDI. Derek - (Hooker) Derek has a fast strike, and it was unfor- tunate that our pack was invariably outweighed He nevertheless gained a good supply of the ball. He is still rather small for this level of rugby, but gets through an incredible amount of work, particularly in defense. He should have a good season next year. STEWART. REG - (Prop) Reg was I think the smallest prop ever to play for Brentwood, and he certainly had a hard time of it against older and harder props. He has, I am sure, learned a great deal from this experience, and if he continues to grow, as he has recently, this plus his mobility and de- termination will make him a real force next year. BAYLES, Murray - (2nd Row) There is no greater tribute to Murray ' s play than his selection for the Island under 19 team. Though still under 17, he made his mark in a position requiring strength and maturity. He is not yet particularly big, but can take on the biggest of opponents because of his tremen- dous desire. He is absolutely tireless, loves con- tact, and by sheer application has turned him- self into a more than useful lineout forward, a feature of the game for which he is not really equipped. 29

Page 33 text:

BRADFORD. John ■ (Wing Threequarter) A most powerful runner who in full flight is very difficult to bring down. He has a good left-footed cross-kick which often gets him out of trouble. Like Paul, he tends to be uninvolved when the ball it not in his immediate vicinity. He should be thinking all the time: - in attack where can I best appear? In defence, when should I cross over and help my full back? OSLER. Jock • (Full Back) Jock was another Colt called on to play for the 1st XV, and he showed remarkable poise for one so young. He has an admirable cool- ness under pressure, a good kick and an inborn positional sense. With experience, he will be a fine player. I.R.F. WILLIAMS. Harry - (Wing Threequarter) Harry was another inexperienced back who was thrown in at the deep end. He tack- led hard and ran well, but naturally still has a lot to learn. He must acquire more variation in attack, and master the basic skills. Again though we must remember how far he has come in a short time. 2nd XV RECORD P W L D For Against 7 3 4 0 88 101 When the 1st XV are having problems, it is inevitable that the 2nd XV will have little op- portunity to settle down, and the situation was made even worse by the abundance of injuries. As with the 1st XV, the 2nd XV were very small up front, and only Scott Sites consistently seemed to show the right desire for all the game. Most of the other forwards played in spurts. They got reasonable possession from the set scrums and lineouts, but were sadly lacking in the loose play. The backrow for- wards, when they did get there, were so small they could never set up good second phase Rug- by, and I have several memories of our for- wards being whirled about by the opposition. It is not surprising that, with such for- wards, the backs, particularly the halves, had problems. David Stanley showed tremendous guts in falling and tackling, but always seemed to be under pressure. Not surprisingly then the whole backline suffered. Individually they looked dangerous runners, particularly Peter Hempsall, but they never achieved any cohe- sion so that in defence they frequently left 31