GPS First XV rugby: Rd 4 thrillers see TSS and Churchie win by 1, Terrace topple BGS and Nudgee aim up to beat BBC

Seconds after lock Liam Gordon resembled an NRL winger when scoring in the corner, Underwood stepped up to the plate with a conversion attempt that kissed up against the sideline.

His remarkable goal kick washed away his heartbreaking finale to a round 1 clash when he failed to convert the conversion of a Sam Williams try which would have handed Churchie victory over TSS.

It was cold, it was wet, it was windy and the pitch was the colour of an Irish meadow.

It could have been Dunedin, New Zealand, but it was Churchie’s No.1 and it was where Churchie rose from the dead with two late tries after the Toowoomba Grammar School forwards had seemingly rescued their side from peril.

That loss was TGS’s first of the season and not the only thriller in round 4 of GPS First XV rugby.

The Southport School beat Brisbane State High 31-30, Nudgee College dealt with Brisbane Boys’ College 49-10 and Gregory Terrace are the kings of the hill after their 31-24 win over Brisbane Grammar.

But at Churchie, the hosts won 25-24 after rallying from a 24-11 deficit with two late tries to winger Marty Hatcher and then Gordon.

In the helter, skelter finish, TGS No.8 trump card Rhymen Tusi received a yellow card for a lifting tackle on Treyvon Pritchard.

It was from that blemish that Churchie received its one final chance, an opportunity the group grasped.

All this after the Downs’ boys rolling maul, and pick and drive attack had heaved their side into the box seat.

With TGS No.8 Tusi and hooker Ruben Kruger noted spearheads, TGS’s close quarter forward sorties were able to splinter the blue and grey wall constructed by the home side.

Having lost the opening quarter of the game and trailing 11-nil, the trusty old TGS rolling maul huffed and puffed and blew down the castle walls on several key occasions.

Having tried once, twice and three times, TGS hit the jackpot on the fourth attempt when flanker Thomas Hiscock assumed the arrow head position before crossing with the help of his hooker Ruben Kruger.

That was try No.1 for TGS.

Soon after TGS won a kicking dual, it was rolling maul time again, with hulking No.8 Tusi picking and driving his way over after the Churchie pack had been fatigued by a Kruger-led attack off another attacking line out.

And then early in the second half, TGS crossed for its third successive try when that man Tusi again borrowed his way over from close range. From an 11-nil deficit, TGS had poked ahead 17-11, and then built their lead to 24-11 when another line out, rolling maul and pick and drive cut a canyon through the Churchie defence for Tusi to score — yet again.

But there was still plenty of work to be done.

Almost out of the match, Churchie dug deep, and for the second time in the game they found joy on the extremity of the field when outstanding centre Bailen Noy put winger Marty Hatcher over.

Angus Underwood’s stunning sideline conversion in the wind and rain then got his side within touching distance, down 18-24.

Then came the equalising try from a rapid fire left side wide shift.

It was some finish from second rower Gordon and an even better conversion from Underwood.

Earlier, Churchie’s sensational start to lead 11-nil was helped along by elite inside centre Treyvon Pritchard.

Right from the kick-off Pritchard impacted the match with a splendid grab on the run, and minutes later his second tilt at the TGS line helped generate momentum which enabled a quick release to No.10 Fletcher Austin.

Austin’s super pass then gifted Churchie the first try.

Although fullback Angus Underwood missed that sideline conversion, he did beat a gail force wind to nail two penalty goals and elevate his side to 11-nil.

On the Village Green, Queensland Reds contracted prop Kingsley Uys enjoyed his finest hour in the First XV with four tries to drag The Southport School back from the brink and stun Brisbane State High School on the final play.

The Southport School twice trailed by 13 points and twice rallied behind their valiant captain Uys, whose second half hattrick delivered TSS to its maiden win of the GPS campaign, 31-30.

The school’s premiership candle is burning at its faintest ember after two losses and a draw to open the season but this courageous win means history can still be rewritten.

No school has ever recovered from this position to win the trophy but mathematically this win has kept Southport alive.

At the centre of it all was Uys, the South African-born Australian Schoolboys star whose goal this year was to cement himself as the finest under-18 player in the nation.

When TSS centre Siolei Vea was red-carded for a shoulder charge his school trailed 30-17 with 10 minutes to play and all hope appeared lost.

That was where Uys roared to life, adding his third and fourth tries of the day to secure an unthinkable comeback with a man disadvantage.

How fitting that the captain of his side piloted a rolling maul some 20m in sudden death to roll over the top of State High and slam down the ball over the line.

The 72nd minute effort invited winger Dylan Terblanche to nail the biggest kick of his First XV career some 15m from the left sideline.

His kick flew true to send a roar around the Village Green that rattled the Nathan Sharpe Leadership grandstand.

State High players dropped to the ground as one as a line was officially struck through their school’s premiership dream.

After coming within a game of the school’s 17th premiership last season, State High’s title race is over within a month of kick-off.

It is the reality of life in the ruthless GPS First XV competition where only eight matches of perfection are enough to secure the schoolboy crown.

The South Brisbane school did nearly everything right with 20 unanswered points after Uys and TSS’ rolling maul crossed first to lead 7-0 after seven minutes.

At 20-7 State High looked poised to blow the Gold Coasters out of the water in a demoralising home defeat.

A yellow card to double try-scoring State High winger Jack Phinney invited TSS back into the match, where good fortune and sheer class cut the lead to within a whisker.

Openside flanker Ky Morris pounced on a loose pass to score after fullback Angus Tagicakibau failed to reel in a wild halfback pass on own his goal line.

Uys then spotted a distracted defence preparing its rolling maul defence and instead quick-tapped to dive over untouched by the corner post to close the gap to 20-19.

Upon Phinney’s return State High struck twice through Taoso Taoso and Robbie Piutau to extend their lead back out to 11 points.

When Vea was shown red for a careless, dangerous challenge on his opposite centre Flynn Corbett the match appeared over.

But at the moment when most schoolboy props are being hauled off for a breather captain Uys stood the tallest.

His two-try barrage took his tally to four tries on the day.

The Queensland Reds will be the happiest of all, counting down the days until this prodigious prop can join their squad at Ballymore to complete his rugby education.

On a rain-soaked Miskin Oval turf, Nudgee College resembled a mini Super Rugby team the way they scored seven converted tries to topple BBC 49-10.

Nudgee College inside centre Bond Bradley nailed all six of his shots at goal as Aiden Luke (hooker) and Curtis Lambert (wing) each scored tries in their starting debuts.

BBC’s Oscar Donovan scored a 58th minute try to get one back but the damage had been done 35 minutes in.

BBC trailed 35-5 at half time and would’ve been a bit shell shocked at what was just thrown at them.

Nudgee threw the kitchen sink at them.

It came in the form of:

+Lightning counter attacking by Noah Fien, Barry Taukolo and Oliver Patterson.

+ Stifling lineout work by second rowers Bennett Armistead and Declan McGuire.

+ Set piece power from front rowers Tito Hamala, Aiden Luke and Levi Slater.

Nudgee had all bases covered and it was only fitting the visitors scored their first try in the most mesmerising fashion.

A 60m special started in the hands of No.10 Archie Mesritz, who jinked past one defender and drew in another to put Patterson on a path to the tryline.

Next to score was Lambert who had both Bradley and Fien to thank for creating an overlap with great hands.

The closest BBC came was when they trailed14-5 after fullback Jonah Wilde skilfully released a ball to winger Cooper Murray who scored in the 20th minute.

However the middle stages of games is where this Nudgee team seem to step it up and scorch their opposition.

They did it against Ipswich Grammar and they were slick again with prop Levi Slater spearing off the back of a rolling maul and scoring to set the wheels further in motion, ahead 21-5.

Hooker Luke scored shortly after for a 28-5 buffer.

What would have been Nudgee’s best try of the match was disallowed when the visitors showed no one is ever safe and capitalised on an errant BBC lineout throw.

Mesritz, the brilliant Ben Di Donna and halfback Will Reardon combined in a 75m burst up field but Di Donna’s foot was ruled out of play.

Gutsy No.9 Reardon was justly rewarded for his superb support running moments later.

He steamed through to receive a pearler of a pass from barnstorming No.8 Teina Graham who had surged 25m down field and released an offload.

Reardon’s ripper made it 35-5 at half time.

BBC muscled up very well in the second half and only lost the final 35 minutes by two tries to one.

One of Nudgee’s tries was a penalty try, although flanker Di Donna scored for good measure. The other was a try to his breakaway buddy Harry Bate and together, the Nudgee flankers were a class above.

Bate’s belting defence lasted late in the piece when he blasted rival openside Christian Alexander with a great hit.

Alexander got to his feet quickly and dug in deep for the next phase in typical Alexander fashion.

Nudgee outside back Eli Rauluni, in typical Rauluni fashion, had a nice moment to finish the match when the supersub stole the ball at the breakdown.

On a day where Nudgee thrived on the back of BBC’s errors, there was plenty of heart in the performance of the home side.

Ryder Koia had one of his best games in the First XV. Hurty defence, fast-paced running and even a breakdown penalty were gold features of his outing.

At Northgate, Gregory Terrace dealt with Brisbane Grammar 31-24 to maintain Spring Hill bragging rights for another 12 months.

Every time the two clash the stakes are high because both schools are stationed on Gregory Terrace and have been entertaining a bitter rivalry for more than 150 years in GPS sport.

Terrace The Brave got the job done, five tries to three, to spark jubilation on an overcast afternoon on the Northside.

It marks Terrace’s second successive win after they were edged out in round 2 by BBC and it couldn’t have been done without the dynamic duo of Charlie Hollyman and Ollie Nasser.

Hooker Hollyman and winger Frank Illot scored within the opening 20 minutes to lead 12-nil and No.8 Ollie Nasser scored a trademark try from the scrum that made it 19-14.

BGS had tightened the screws and taken a 14-12 lead thanks to the tryscoring deeds of ferocious flanker Jevahnissi Vevesi and alert scrumhalf Ralph Labor.

Ahead 24-14 at half time, Terrace were halfway there but needed a big second half to get them home.

Defence was a theme in their superb closing to Saturday’s skirmish, as was the great territorial kicking of haflback George Hales and Tom Weir, as well as the potent footwork of Will Dennis which was apparent from start to finish.

But nothing could stop the power of New Zealand newcomer Vevesi who scored the home side’s third try to make it 24-21 with 30 minutes left.

Then came Hollyman’s second try, the knock-out blow, which sealed the deal in the 57th minute.

It was an emphatic rolling maul try from the Terrace tone setter which was converted by Hales to make it 31-21 and it went a long way in deciding the fate of BGS.

A penalty goal from BGS sniper Labor set up an exciting final six minutes with Terrace in the lead 31-24 but the visitors held tough with dogged defence to sneak home and enter a round 5 Internationals Field clash against Churchie with winning form.

Originally published as GPS First XV rugby: Rd 4 thrillers see TSS and Churchie win by 1, Terrace topple BGS and Nudgee aim up to beat BBC