On a sunny winter afternoon some twenty years ago, I was standing at the gates of the venerable main buildings of Sydney Boys High School, chatting with Tony Hannon, the knowledgeable and intense English teacher and long-time coach of the school’s First XV.
A tiny Vietnamese boy carrying a violin case eased his way past us.
“Look at that lad,” Hannon said in mock-outrage. “I’m expected to create First XVs from boys like that.”
He was joking, and we both had a good laugh because it was a good joke. And like all good jokes it was grounded in real life.
The fact was that, more and more, Asian kids were moving into Sydney Boys High, and rightly so as they had the academic qualifications and potential to make the most of their education at the selective high school.
Unfortunately, though, most of these boys were far too small for rugby, even if they were interested in playing the rough game, which they weren’t.
It was a logical ending of a sorts from the Vietnamese lad to the announcement on 24 August, 2007 by the SBHS Headmaster Dr K.A. Jaggar that he was withdrawing the SBHS First and Second XVs from the GPS competition, with the intention of seeking “more competitive’ fixtures.”
“Depending on the strength of our First XV,” the statement continued, “it may play more than one GPS fixture at first grade level next year.”
For all practical purposes, then, the sight of the High boys in the blue and brown stripes playing out their hearts at Mackay Oval and the other GPS venues, and generally losing more games than they won, is now relegated to the sepia-recesses of the collective memories of those who played over the years and those of us, parents, family members and old boys, who loved to watch the teams go round in one of the oldest schoolboys tournaments in world sport.
Wikipedia has a list (unfortunately one that needs updating) of sports stars who have come out of Sydney Boys High School.
In the rugby category, there are some recognisable names: John Brass, Phil Smith (his partner at SBHS and in the Wallabies, who is not on the list), Bob Dywer, Alan Gaffney, Peter Johnson, Jason Jones-Hughes (a centre for Australia and Wales), Duncan McRae, Marc Stcherbina, John Thornett (one of the greatest Wallabies), Chris Whitaker, Jamie Holbrook (not on the list) and Craig Wing.
Those players on the list who were at SBHS in the last twenty years were all products of Tony Hannon’s inspired and generous coaching.
And the mark of all of them? They were all backs, which was a consequence of clever coaching and the fact that they played behind beaten packs.
As a result, they were resilient and intent on doing something with the ball when they had it in their hand.
I remember being on the sideline with coach Hannon when High were playing The Kings School. Kings took an up-an-under penalty. The captain, before booting the ball high into the air and chasing after it enthusiastically, shouted out to his team mates: “Watch McRae’s side step!”
The steepling kick was safely caught by McRae.
The captain hurtled forward to knock him over. At the last moment, like a matador evading a charging bull, McRae deftly faked to move right and moved silkily to his left. And the captain charged on past him as McRae ran up the field to set up a strong counter-attack.
Then there was the time when High went to the fabled fields of St Joseph’s College Hunter’s Hill. The Joeys First XV put on an awesome display to defeat our boys (with Matt Burke leading the way) by 76-0.
After it was all over, and amid the small boys in their blue blazers running around excitedly, I said in awe to one of my sons, “We were lucky to get 0.”
One other memory is of a bitterly cold day with Sydney Grammar playing High. A wiry, good-looking player at first five-eights absolutely carved up the Grammar defence and virtually won the game on his own.
Time after time he burst through a strong defensive line to set up attacks and tries.
After the match Tony Hannon said to me about Craig Wing, with the pride of an old coach who has seen great talent come and go in his time: “He’s the best kid I’ve ever coached.”
So no more Craig Wings, no more John Thornett’s, no more the hundreds of Sydney kids who for over 100 years had that special thrill of pulling on the Sydney High School First XV jersey.
When the writer John O’Hara heard of the death of his friend George Gershwin, he wrote to another friend, “George Gershwin died yesterday. But I don’t have to believe it if I don’t want to.”
GPS rugby for Sydney Boys High School died this season but I don’t have to believe it if I don’t want to.
This is part one of a two part essay by Spiro Zavos. Part two will look at what needs to happen with schoolboy rugby in NSW. Photo from the High Rugby Friends website
Kade Jones
Guest
I fondly remember the Grand final of 1986, when SBHS played in the Phillip zone rugby competition. The final was Cleveland Street High School Vs Sydney Boys High. The good old days of hard rugby as both schools hated each other. That day on Sydneys home ground, a game that the SBHS team, the coach and principal all expected to win. They lost that game to a very determined, powerful and extremely well coached Cleveland Street team. It was a tough game with both teams belting each other. Not one player finished that game without some sort of injury or blood. I know as I played. I was front row for Clevo. The loss affected the school that much, the then sports master withdrew Sydney Boys from the Philip zone competition. It was a huge win for Clevo as we had not won the Grand final for 73 years. The next year, Cleveland Street went on to win the 1987 Grand final thus Winning back to back titles. Fort Street was our opponents in the Grand final that year and a new rivalry had begun. It wasn't the same with Sydney Boys High gone, at that time the Philip Zone was the hardest and toughest 1st grade competition. Our 1st 15 were the force in the CHS team, which beat GPS in 1986 and again in 1987. We had a great team and fantastic competition which was hard enjoyable rugby, tough but fair. The thing I remember most about that day against SBHS, we may have beaten the crap out of each other on the field, if you tackled an opponent hard, you always made sure they were ok and got up and run again. We may have had that rivalry and hated each other but there was a high respect amongst all those who took the field that day. It was an honour to have survived that match and walk off the field.
amband
Guest
quote " The fact was that, more and more, Asian kids were moving into Sydney Boys High, and rightly so " Really? What about other lids that have the marks & under the old system would go to that school. Now the school is discriminating based on wealth after being encouraged by gov't to get overseas students
GeoffL
Guest
Hey DiploMatt, I've been interested about Sydney Boys High School for a long time and now have 2 students attending it. I'd like to expand on your point about "High's" junior years. I have attached a great games of that 13A's team you were referring to below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aBjd2YGuK4
DiploMatt
Guest
There's also François Trinh-Duc who plays for France. But he is quite a big lad.
DiploMatt
Guest
Sheek, I'm class of '97 from High. We used to play Waverly every year, as the first trial match. Don't recall ever beating them but we definitely played during the 90s. Doubt they still do. I know High plays Grammar twice (once in trials and once in the season proper). SBHS 13A's beat SGS 13A's this year (17-5 I think).
a sydney high student
Guest
No point making it a boarding school. The majority of the students wouldn't pay to board, because if they had that kind of money they would be at a private school. We are disadvantaged for being an academic school, and we are also disadvantaged for being a public school. But we can still beat Grammar
Highpride
Guest
Hi guys. It isn't a question about the willingness to try and do good in rugby, it is the amount of resources available. High has a tradition in academics and sport, and nowadays in the era of exams, ranks and study, high is forced to keep its academic ranking up. However putting rugby aside, High has done very well in cricket, soccer, tennis and especially debating, basketball and rifle shooting, where in the past decade has mon many gps premierships. High came third in cricket and soccer firsts last year and second in firsts debating, having been premiers three times before in the decade. High performed admirably in baskball where it came second two years in a row, also winning CHS and under 15's knockouts. High performed well in tennis, amassing quite a few wins. High were co premiers in Rifle shooting. It is not a question of high losing ground in sport or kids not playing. High continually fields more teams than other schools in soccer, cricket, and basketball. Lets not forget volleyball, in which high has won in CHS and all NSW schools. High continually does well in all sports and we shouldnt just write them off because they are lacking in rugby alone. And just becuase they dont win doesnt mean they dont give their best. High rugby players are extremely commited, weighing their academic duties with their training. High deserves its place in GPS, and is not gonna be written off in a while. YOU CANT BUY SPIRIT!!!!
rm
Guest
i'm currently in year 12 at sbhs. sydney high 1st XV beat armidale 24-22 this year. Who says we're dying? This year has been one of the best for sports in a long time. We placed 3rd in 1st XI cricket, 3rd in 1st grade basketball, 2nd in 2nd grade basketball, we won the GPS rifle shooting premiership, 2nd in 1st grade debating, 3rd in 1st grade football, we dominated the entire state in volleyball and we've won our last 55+ matches, including CHS and GPS titles... sorry for the mundaneness but for all you old boys thinking high spirit's dead etc, it's definitely not. it's still going strong and will keep doing so, we've got a lot of young teams out there.
BH
Guest
Here I am in Thailand and googling rugby results and just became aware of the demise of SHS rugby. I had the greatest memories playing rugby for high 1st 15 in 1970 and 71 and a lot of our team continued on in 73. We beat Joeys 3 years running quite a feat considering the 102 loss to them recently.I would never have imagined that High would not win another premiership again since that trifecta never know leaving rugby altogether. In those days Souths and Easts were strong in junior rugby league and a lot of our team played with these clubs, now these clubs have declined so like the game itself, it is just part of the changing times.The only part of school rugby I didn't miss was going to Armidale when it was 2 deg.
kev
Guest
I am currently a student at SBHS at this present time. Our rugby program is now constantly develping now, with the yr 7s every year be subject to a rugby 'gala' day thing. The students who choose rugby also has 3 days of extreme training every single week before and during the season. In a few years High will be back in the season and strong. We may not be strong in rugby however we perform strongly in many other activities eg: -Basketball, soccer and Volleyball. Volleyball 1sts were state champions few years in a row. Basketball teams came 2nd in the state and some soccer teams have remained undefeated for the entire season. -We are also weak in athletics but that will all change in our VIGOROUS athltics program! -Debating. Our teams have won many competitions including the prestigous hume barbour cup. Not to mention Chess! We may not be strong at rugby but it does not mean that we deserve to get kicked out of the GPS. Btw Tony Hannon still teaches history and still gives out money to students who win his quiz!
Holmsinator
Guest
A couple of things. My older brother played 1st XV at SHS in the early 80s under Bob Outterside, his first year in the same team as the abovementioned Peter Ulm, who was a freakish talent. They played attractive competitive rugby and won as many as they lost. It was a great dissapointment to not attend the same school as my brother and father and play schoolboy rugby there, I guess my primary school marks weren't high enough. My nephew wanted to go there as he lives in Kensington, but found all the coaching and pure academic aspect of enrolment a bit much. His primary school marks would have made him eligible for SHS but also made him eligible for a leadership scholarship to Newington College. Last year he made 1st XV in year 11 and will be playing again this year. He also made GPS chess and should get a good marks on his HSC. The fact is he could have attended SHS but prefered to go to a school that wasn't focused on pure academics or purely sports for that matter says something. He'd have felt cheated by SHS pulling out of the GPS 1st XV comp. In last years games when he played Grammer he found them, although undersized and less skilled than his team, they played with passion, teamwork and smart tactics that played to their strengths, up-tempo and well organised, with well thought out moves and structures that were outside of what most of the stronger schools were doing. Sure they lost the match but were competitive for most of it. In short they were well coached, I am led to believe and correct me if I'm wrong, by the former Wallaby excitement machine Rob Edgerton, who is who I think of when I remember Peter Ulm's adventurous play. So guidance and good coaching can at least bridge the difference between lesser schools and ones with a higher priority on sports. On the subject of Asian kids, when my nephew played at Bondi United a few years back his team was ravaged with injuries to the extent that by semis time a squad of 18 had withered down to 8. They lined up against South Eastern with the exact number needed to avoid a forfeit. On the bench a big Asian SHS boy was the only one of the injured kids who was willing to get on the feild and limp about to make up the numbers if one of his teammates got hurt so that the season would end the season with some degree of dignity. If him and his teammates had been healthy he would have been on the run on team, easy. That showed a whole lot of heart and deep understanding of the psychology of the game and goes to disprove the racial stereotypes about Asians/SHS and footy. All that being said, with the less academic scholarships being given at virtually all the other GPS schools and SHS basing enrolments purely on academics it seemed inevitable.
SBHS
Guest
Due to changing demographics and merging into mainstream Australian culture, it must be pointed out that, Asian kids are getting bigger. Much bigger. Pretty soon, many of the kids at high will be not only be academically well off, but much much bigger. Give High a few years. And then watch them rip up Rugby and Academics.
Scrum Importance
Guest
I was part of the Shore 93 Team and was watching our game against Scots only last week - finally worked out how to put it on a DVD and they were a massive team for a bunch of 17 YO's, in saying that High were the best team that year and were unlucky not to win. Being a collector and a tragic, I do still have the programs as printed for every game we played that year, inc CAS, CHS and GPS Teams. Makes interesting reading, some notable rep players were in 3rd grade sides of the respective school systems.
Me
Guest
Benn O, I think you mention the '93 highlights tape, highlights for every GPS game that year. It probably stars you Mick H, as well!! I remember watching the game against Scots and the 15 man push-over try by them, bloody good game it was, even though we lost. Will never forget the game against Joeys though, when all the boys ran on to the field to swamp the firsts at the end. From memory, I think High were also GPS runners up in '94???? But hats off to the Super Coach, Tony Hannon. A true gentleman!
gavin
Guest
yes MF that sounds fair enough think the juniors should be looked after better.
Midfielder
Guest
Gavin In Sheeks article "Australian rugby rotten from the ground up " I posted where I saw rugby unions problem and I think it is in the model RU runs .......... its 30 maybe 40 years past its use by date. I also think RU has already lost the selective schools, has already lost some private schools, and RU's influence in private schools is in slow decline ......... meaning a new model is needed. Have a look at what I said in Sheeks article refered to above and see if it makes any sense to you ......... but the schools are very much part of a failing model I refer too.
gavin
Guest
Hi MF Could be a blessing too. The greedy bastards who run the game now, will be forced, at some time into the future to tap the large pool of middle and working class lads out there. Many will not play league if union becomes everyman's game. The talent pool will be so much larger So those that run the game will not allow their "little earner" called rugby to fail, their egos and the cost of high maintainance wives won't allow it. Two things against football ( association football ) is the ethnic "thing", and many soccer playing kids after puberty change and are no longer built for football. So they will head to rugby I can see Oz rugby benefiting from this, so long as the administrators get it into the State school to a greater degree and support sub district and junior rugby. I can see a Wallaby front row now, made up of hard lads who take no prisoners rather than some blokes who have a game before going up to Oxford, or to take up a position in a merchant bank
Midfielder
Guest
Gavin Just read you post must have missed it 'you said "But midfielder. 100 years of tradition gone for a few Asian students. Seems too bad". Rugby going from Sydney Boys represents a medium term problem for rugby. But its happening in all selective schools and nothing can be done about it. Rugby has always been able to argue for every TV viewer more should be paid in rugby as people who watch rugby come from the higher income earners ........... the line has worked for some time.......... But with the change in student makeup this will be a harder claim to make as the selective schools move into football and thus the many selective school old boys networks and business influence will in future go to football not to union. Further as change is taking place in the private schools as well the claim in 15 years or so will be hard to justify and in 25 years maybe will have gone all together.
gavin
Guest
High The problem, as has been stated publicly by senior school staff is the large amount of Asian kids not interested in rugby. There are exeptions to the rule of course as told in your story. Any scholl has only so many places to fill, and the more people entering a school that have no interest in ruby narrows the talent pool for the game at that school Well done for ruby and a good story!
High
Guest
After 6 great years at High, i am sitting my HSC this year, having been a part of the Opens rugby program this year. The problem lies not in the racial mix of boys at the school, but in the levels of commitment shown by the boys in the rugby, or for that matter any, sport program. The final game of the opens rugby team's season was played against the Sydney Grammar 1st XV, and we got to pull on the 1st XV jersey for High. This was one of my proudest moments at high school. On another note, out captain of the 1st XV this year was of Asian descent, and he was one of the toughest people i have ever played with, yet at the same time was a top bloke. All i took away from my years of playing rugby for High were good memories and great mates.