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Celebrating the proud rugby history of Sydney Boys High

4th September, 2018
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4th September, 2018
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This Friday, Sydney Boys High will be celebrating 135 years rugby union being played at the school by a picking an all-time ‘dream team’ of ex-students.

With notable alumni such as John Brass, Chris Whitaker and Craig Wing present, it will no doubt be a cordial celebration of the somewhat underappreciated contribution the government school has made to the Australian professional rugby landscape.

While it is true current Prime Minister Scott Morrison once pulled on the jumper for High, he faces stiff competition to be selected at five-eighth.

Over the illustrious history of the Wallabies, 27 players from Sydney Boys have been called up to tour or play with the national team – with 24 of them having the honour of wearing the gold jumper onto the field in a Test match.

The most recent Wallaby to come through the system was arguably one of the most notable in 31-Test veteran Chris Whitaker. While he was often forced to play second fiddle to George Gregan, the handy scrumhalf was a regular fixture in the side between 1998 and 2005 – appearing as skipper once.

Whitaker is actually one of five Sydney Boys alumni to captain the Wallabies in a Test.

Chris Whitaker of the Wallabies passes the ball out from a scrum during a Test match.

(Photo: Stu Forster/Allsport)

Frank Leonard Row led the side into battle on three occasions in the late 19th century, while four of Stanley Wickham’s five Tests in the early 1900s came with him as the on-field leader.

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Later on, Peter Johnson was tasked with the captaincy on five occasions in a 42-Test career that spanned from the late 1950s to the early 1970s.

However, the most notable ex-High Wallabies skipper was undoubtedly John Thornett.

The former school captain – who rowed in the first VIII while also captaining the firsts in rugby – is second amongst all Sydney Boys alumni with 37 appearances in the green and gold between 1955 and 1967.

He appeared as skipper for a school-record 16 matches and toured with the Wallabies eight times – captaining four of them.

While his team endured some tough times in tours of New Zealand and South Africa, their lengthy tour of Europe and North America – Thornett’s final matches – were largely a success.

A 23-11 victory over England at a sold-out Twickenham Stadium in the January of 1967 was an unprecedently heavy loss for the English in those days – and was celebrated heavily in Australia.

It would be remiss to discuss Sydney High’s contributions to Australian rugby without mentioning the exploits of two-time Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer who, of course, orchestrated the nation’s maiden world cup triumph in 1991.

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One man especially crucial to the school’s ability to produce a star of string players was former first XV coach Tony Hannon. Spiro Zavos, founding writer of The Roar, remembers the man fondly and spoke of his influence with reverence.

“He was a meticulous preparer of the team. His sides were drilled with a combination of plays to select from that were often effective. He selected well, and he had a gift for enthusing his players – especially the backs – to express themselves on the rugby field with dynamic running and clever play.

“His tenure at Sydney Boys produced a number of Wallabies, starting with Adam Magro and ending with Chris Whitaker. His best player, Duncan McRae, never played for the Wallabies – and should have – but had a fine career for the Waratahs and later professionally overseas.

“It was sitting on the bench with Tony that I experienced one of the best moments a supporter could have. The opposition, I think it was The King’s School, won a penalty and kicked a high ball directly at McRae. The King’s captain yelled out to his players as they charged through; ‘watch out for his sidestep!’

“He raced up to Duncan, then launched himself into a terrific tackle. As he was flying through the air, Duncan neatly sidestepped him. The captain was left smacking the ground with his fist as Duncan launched another attack.

“One year Hannan’s team did the unforgettable (in those days) and defeated Joey’s at McKay Oval. I went out to the St Joseph’s College home ground the next year to see what the reaction from the then perennial champions was going to be.

“We arrived to see the Joey’s boys (Matt Burke was one of them) going through a rigorous set of drills. They looked about as focused as an All Blacks side coming off an unexpected loss.

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“Our boys were obliterated – I think the scoreline was 76-0. I told my sons afterwards that Joey’s were so impressively ruthless, ‘we were lucky to get zero.’

“All in all though, Tony was a terrific coach. He was enthusiastic and encouraging, but realised rugby is a hard game with collisions as its centrepiece. His players were taught to be tough and hard and smart. But never dirty.

“Australian rugby could do with some Tony Hannons at all levels of the game, from the schoolboys to the Test level, right now.”

Wallabies (and other internationals) from Sydney Boys High

Name Alumni Played Tests
Frank Leonard Row 1891-92 1899 3 – All as captain
Alonzo Stephen Spragg 1893-95 1899 4
Stanley Wickham 1889 1903-05 5 – 4 as captain
Charles Roy Cooney 1912-13 1922 1
Ken Tarleton 1914 1925 2
Syd King 1924 1926-32 14
Tom Pauling 1930 1936-37 2
Jack Edward Turnbull Unknown Selected for abandoned Tests
Russell L.F. Kelly Unknown 1936-38 7
Charles “Gordon” Stone 1933 1938 1
Walter Laird Dawson 1939-40 1946 2
John Michael Cremin 1939 1946-47 3
Roy Cawsey 1939 1949 3
Keith Gordon 1943 1950 2
Keith Cross 1945 1949-57 19
Saxon White 1946 1956-68 7
John Bosler 1950 1953 1
John Thornett 1951 1955-67 37 – 16 as captain
Peter Johnson 1954 1959-71 42 – 5 as captain
Peter Crittle 1955 1962-67 14
Alan Skinner 1959 1969-70 3
John Brass 1963 1966-68 12
Phil Smith 1964 1967-79 8
Adam Magro 1988 1996-97 0 – Toured
James Holbeck 1992 1997 6
Chris Whitaker 1992 1998-2005 31 – 1 as captain
Jason Jones-Hughes 1994 1997 0 – Toured, played for Wales
Coaches
Bob Dwyer 1957 1982-83, 1988-91 Coached World Cup victory in 1991
Alan Gaffney 1963 2013-17 Assistant coach
Other Representatives
Dick Byres 1959 1976-82 8 (as referee)
Bob Outterside 1977-92 (Headmaster) 1959 2
Marc Stcherbina 1994 Rugby 7s
Craig Wing 1997 2013-15 11 (for Japan)

The High Rugby Sports Lunch is at 12pm on Friday, September 7 at the Randwick Race Course. Tickets are $185pp. Anyone wishing to attend this event can book tickets here.

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