Homework pays off for Shirley BHS
The semifinals of the Crusaders region First XV rugby competition look set to be an all-Christchurch affair.
With just two rounds to go, defending champions Christchurch Boys’ High, St Andrew’s College, Shirley Boys’ High and St Bede’s College are on track to contest the top four.
Shirley Boys’ High enhanced their semifinal chances with an impressive 21-0 victory over previously unbeaten St Andrew’s on Saturday.
A week earlier, St Andrew’s had gained a giant scalp, knocking over Christchurch Boys’ 25-24, but they were unable to back up that memorable performance.
Shirley Boys’ High co-coach Allan Lindsay said it was a seasondefining victory for the team.
The players had watched St Andrew’s televised game against Christchurch Boys’ on the Rugby Channel the week before and pinpointed areas they could target.
‘‘The boys all became their own wee video analysers, I suppose. We knew who their strong boys were.
‘‘We’d done our homework and we played better in the conditions, to be fair.’’
Shirley Boys’ are on track to make the top four for the first time since 2008.
They have been one of the major improvers over the past few years, climbing from 14th in 2013 to eighth last year. This season, they sit third, having won 10 of their 12 games.
Former Canterbury halfback Lindsay, who is in his second year coaching the team, said they had a ‘‘good crew’’ back from last season, who were familiar with their systems.
He was delighted with his team’s defence on Saturday, keeping a St Andrew’s side, who have been scoring tries freely this season, scoreless.
Their commitment on defence was best summed up by captain and blindside flanker Tom Christie, who hauled down powerful St Andrew’s midfielder Raymond Nu’u, who made a clean break and was heading for the corner.
Christie has been among Shirley Boys’ best this season. He had formed an impressive loose forward trio with Year 11 student Glen Beardsley, who plays No 8, and openside flanker Isaac Robinson. Halfback Corey Taylor, who had a strong game on Saturday, has directed Shirley Boys’ around the park well.
Lindsay said Logan Bell, who moved into second-five from centre/wing last season has also taken his game to another level.
St Bede’s College, a former powerhouse of the competition, could also be set for a return to the semifinals.
They lost their opening two games of the season by just a point to Shirley Boys’ [21-20] and Christchurch Boys’ [12-11], but have been a much improved outfit since then.
St Bede’s have won nine of their past 10 games, with their only other loss coming against St Andrew’s [12-9].
Co-coach Dwayne Prendergast said they were relishing flying under the radar.
‘‘We’re trucking in behind the limelight.
‘‘We’re a pretty humble sort of group.
‘‘We were a bit young and naive in those first couple of games.’’
St Bede’s have had to overcame the loss of talented No 8 Moeaki Toma, to a season-ending knee injury.
Toma was tipped for a huge season, but injured himself during pre-season and got injured again when he came back.
Prendergast was full of praise for 2.01m lock Will Tucker, who should be a contender for the New Zealand secondary schools side.
Loosehead prop Braiden Broughan has excelled since switching from openside flanker last season and scored plenty of tries.
St Bede’s were well-served by their effective midfield combination of Dylan Lolohea and Gerry Evans, while wing Josh Telfer had also shone. Olivia Coughlan’s netball has taken off since switching to the defensive end 12 months ago.
After three seasons of being a wider training player, the 20-year-old will be a contracted member of the Mainland Tactix squad next year.
Coughlan played all her school and agegroup representative netball as a shooter.
Last July, she was moved to goal keep at the under-23 nationals for the Nic Kellycoached Mainland side.
At 1.90m tall, Coughlan proved competent against the wiry shooters and has spent most of the past year in the back end of the court.
She credits Kelly and former Tactix coach Leigh Gibbs, who is Netball Mainland’s high performance manager, as the ones with the foresight to turn her into a defender. ‘‘It’s a different mindset to a shooter,’’ Coughlan said.
‘‘Playing as a shooter, you always want to be calm, composed and focused. As a defender, it’s about being a bit more gritty.’’
Coughlan went away with the Tactix to the trans-Tasman netball league’s preseason tournament in Sydney in February and gained decent court-time.
She was not overawed matching up against the star names, holding her own against Queensland Firebirds’ Jamaican standout Romelda Aiken.
When midcourter Erikana Pedersen was out injured, Coughlan was called into the Tactix game-day squad and debuted in the last six minutes of their home mauling to the Southern Steel in April.
Tactix coach Sue Hawkins said Coughlan was a raw defensive talent, but was excited by her potential.
Shooters in the trans-Tasman league are only getting taller each year and Hawkins was intrigued by Coughlan’s ability to counter them.
‘‘Her height is a huge advantage, when you’re playing against six-foot-six, six-footfive players.
‘‘We need to combat the tall timber out on
Olivia Coughlan has gained a full contract with the Mainland Tactix for the first time next season. court. We wanted to support the region and look internally.’’
Christchurch-raised Coughlan spent the first four years of secondary school at Rangi Ruru, before moving to Marian College for Year 13. She grew up watching the Canter- bury Flames in the former domestic competition and despite the Tactix’s limited success has always aspired to wear the red and black dress.
‘‘It’s something I’ve always wanted to do being a Cantabrian. I’m really excited to be with the Tactix [fulltime] next year.’’
‘‘Coming through Canterbury netball from a young age, it felt right to play for Canterbury.’’
Transferring into the defensive end had been scary for Coughlan initially. She had enjoyed the challenge of learning a completely different area of the court.
Coughlan was focusing on the goal keep position, but hoped to eventually be able to play goal defence and interchange between the two bibs.
‘‘For me, the most difficult part was not necessarily knowing structures and all that kind of stuff that has been coached. I just played instinctively for a long time.’’
Coughlan is in her third year at the University of Canterbury, where she is completing a double degree in arts and law.
She will finish the club season with St Nicholas and then head to Aix-en-Provence in the south of France in August for a semester on a university exchange.
Coughlan, who studies French, will attend Sciences Po Aix, a leading institute in France.
Hawkins said Coughlan would be carrying out training while overseas and she was trying to get her to play korfball or basketball to improve her rebounding and awareness.
She conceded Coughlan was a work in progress defensively and it was important to be realistic with expectations.
‘‘It’s not a quick fix. It’s going to be a longterm plan with her.
‘‘She won’t go from zero to 100 per cent in 12 months.’’