With weather conditions more akin to the equator, the instructions of University coaches to slip, slop & slap were understandable. The rugby was anything but shambolic in the afternoon heat as University held out a fast finishing Randwick 14-14 at St Johns Oval.
Shade was at a premium as families wedged under a tree beneath the St Johns chapel. It was great to see our retired President David Mortimer AO down behind the goal posts supporting the team.
Both sides had a few Waratah players mixed amongst their ranks. Former NRL speedster Reece Robinson was on the Randwick wing and once he settled down was particularly dangerous in attack. But shadowing him all day was University’s pocket rocket Matt Narracott.
University were the better of the first half commencing with a slashing early try down the flank to the versatile winger Christian Kagiassis. The University scrum was rock solid in the first half with the big country organic meat eaters Matt Sandell & Tom Robertson propping up and coming hooker Folau Faingaa. Big Jim Stewart was proving a handful in the centres and scored a neat try for University to lead 14-0 at the half time break.
The second half was tight and probably due to some form of heat exhaustion tries were hard to come by. Randwick scored two tries to even scores at fulltime. Not a great spectacle but a solid final hit out before the start of the season. Next week our new Sydney University Football Ground makes its debut against our nemesis Eastwood.
An open invite is made to families and club old boys to come down next week to see our teams in action at our new homeground to herald the 2016 season.