The Armidale School’s First XV remains at the top of the AAGPS Third Grade competition, after a narrow win over The Scots College Thirds at TAS on Saturday.
Played in blustery conditions, the match was a close call for the hosts, who managed a 13-12 win over a tight Scots outfit.
TAS put the first points on the board when Edward Pitt scored in the left corner from a set piece 10 minutes into the game, but was unable to convert his try. Shortly after a high tackle was ruled on TAS’ Oliver Mayhew-Sanders as he crossed the try line; for the penalty TAS elected to kick for a lineout, won the ball, and Mayhew-Sanders surged over the line for a second time, adding another five points. Pitt failed to convert, with the score 10-0 to TAS at oranges.
Repeated errors and some ill discipline saw the hosts concede some advantage in the second half.
“We were down to 12 men at one point which was pretty tough, allowing them to score two quick tries so we had to dig deep to show some sort of come back. We were lucky enough to apply pressure in good field position and were awarded a penalty, which Edward Pitt converted to put us ahead by a point with only less than a minute remaining,” coach Alex Smith said.
“Scots beat Joeys’ last week so this was a huge win for us. We’re at the top of the table but it means every team that comes here, and that we play in Sydney, will be looking to knock us off. It’s always a bit tougher travelling and we didn’t play so well away from home last week against King’s so it will still be a tough game against Riverview this Saturday, but we will look ahead with confidence.”
In other games, TAS Seconds had a strong win over Scots Fifths 34-0, the TAS Thirds lost to Scots Sevenths 19-10, and the spoils were divided in lower age groups.
Oliver Mayhew-Sanders on his way to putting points on the board for TAS against The Scots College on 28 May.
Eddie Pitt scored a try and kicked a penalty for TAS against The Scots College on 28 May
