Victorian Schoolboy Rugby’s Diamond Anniversary
Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar celebrate 75 years of rugby competition.
Words: Neville Taylor • Sport Media Liaison Officer Photography: Andrew Murdoch
On Saturday 11th August Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the first-ever schoolboy rugby match to be played in Victoria. Scotch hosted and won the inaugural match in 1932 played on the Lower Oval with a score of 19-0, so it was fitting that the diamond anniversary was also played at Scotch – but this time on the Main Oval with crowd of approximately 1,500 rugby devotees brimming with pride.
The Victorian Schools’ Rugby Union now is 15 member schools who play regular competition in 71 teams across 7 age/grades. A specially convened pair of teams – the Chairman’s XV and the Victorian Schools’ Rugby Union XV (comprised of players from all 15 schools) played an exhibition match. This match was played in the style of the time-honoured Barbarian teams where players play the game in full passion while passing wide and with spectacular open play. There were also preliminary games between the Under 13 and Under 16 players of Scotch, St. Kevins and Melbourne Grammar.
Before the main match at 2:00 pm, a lunch was hosted for old players of both schools. Melbourne Grammar had a very special guest present: Dr. Andy Fraser, a very sprightly 93-year old who had played in that very first game! Scotch’s veteran rugby player was Dr. Alan Gilchrist who played in the 1936 squad. The guest speaker at the lunch was Mr. Ewen McKenzie (‘83), the most capped Wallaby forward of all time and coach of the Waratahs. He reminisced about his time at Scotch and memorable games against Grammar, but also gave the lunch guests an insight into the future of Victorian Rugby Union.
The two teams looked resplendent in specially-designed ‘heritage’ jerseys played for the Bell Cup in fine spirit and endeavour, encapsulating all that is good about rugby: fierce competition and good sportsmanship extolling all the virtues of this sport created in a school in the town of Rugby (UK). Scotch skipped to an early lead with a score line reading 15–0 fifteen minutes into the match, but Grammar fought back to 18-12 at half time. Rock-solid defence by both teams in the second half saw no addition to the score. The final score was Scotch College18 and Melbourne Grammar 12 - a much narrower margin than 75 years previously. The Colin Bell Cup was presented to the Scotch Captain, Paul McConnochie, by the MGS captain Tim Ridgeway.
Scotch College 18
Tries Pat Swan, Paul McConnochie,
Jack North
Penalty Kicks Paul McConnochie
Melbourne Grammar 12
Tries Morne Spies (2)
Conversions Harry Galbraith