Sydney University
vs
Easts
By Bruce ‘China’ Lin
03 August 2024
The weather and conditions were brilliant last Saturday at Woollahra Oval for University’s clash with Eastern Suburbs. Unfortunately the result was not in favour of the Students as the competition heavyweights were victorious 42-17.
Eastern Suburbs were big and experienced allround with a plethora of representative players. Their Waratah five eighth Bowen was dictating play and soon he was the first try scorer following a rapid shift to the blind side. The game was less than a minute old and Easts were up 7-0.
From then on there was a prolonged period where Easts monopolised possession denying University of any decent ball. The tries came thick and fast and by halftime Easts were leading 21-0.
Although hit with a flurry of tries University did not give up. Ten minutes into the second half University were rucking furiously inside the Easts five metre zone. Some fast recycling saw inside centre Eddie Poolman slip through a fracture in the Easts defence to score a converted try. Then it was the Easts road show again with more tries.
At the seventieth minute a moment of ingenuity transcended into play. University set a scrum inside their half. A set move was applied with five eighth Joey Fowler the Narrabri polymath * running the ball but applying an ever so delicate kick over the top. The ball was regathered by winger George Poolman who then passed onto halfback Theo Strang. The veteran halfback applied the overdrive to outsprint the covering defence for a try in the golf course corner. The try was so brilliant that even the throng of Easts ladies under the marquees were raising their glasses of Dom Perignon’s in awe of this try.
The match ended on the bell with a Jack McCalman try down a narrow blind side after a knocked back ball was allowed to continue.
University were down today but for a young side the future looks optimistic. Undoubtedly the rest of the competition has raised the bar albeit at a considerable level. But never the one to shirk a challenge the Student’s will be sagacious* and rise like a phoenix.
Next week will be the last home game for the season when the Students take on old foes Eastwood.
*Sagacious- Showing wisdom in one’s understanding and judgement of things.
*Polymath- Genius