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

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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

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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

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holes and in attack movements failed because of poor positioning or dropped passes. If I appear to be hard on the 2nd XV I must say a few things in their defence. Most of them were very young, and inexperienced. With one hard forward to hold the pack together, and one experienced back to run the line they would have looked a different side. Besides being young and particularly because of their youth, they were small. Some have still not grown, but others, a year older, will make a real impact next season. Finally I must commend the team on their desire to learn, and their remaining cheerful throughout the season in spite of their lack of success. I.R.F. mil 3rd XV RECORD P W L D For Against 6 3 3 - 49 53 The 3rd XV enjoyed a pleasant season of rugby last term. From the outset, it was obvious that we would have a multitude of experienced forwards but very few backs. It was thus nec- essary to train completely ' green ' boys for key positions such as scrum-half, full-back, and cen- tre. Thanks largely to the leadership and drive of our Captain, Ian Harvie, who led the team from either stand-off or first centre, we were able to give creditable performances in the backs in all of our matches. The 3rd XV scrum was never beaten: it was the mainstay of the team and always won more than its share of the ball. Many of our players were ' drafted ' into ' A ' group including the scrum-half, Ross Mor- rison, who moved directly up to the 1st XV. We thus fulfilled that part of our function by add- ing considerably to the rugby strength of the school. I would like to thank all of the players for their efforts; if enjoyment df the game is important then we had a successful season in- deed. C.M.R. 32