Excelling at the Ballymore Cup has given Ipswich Grammar a flying start to 2025 in a bigger way than simply winning.
Ipswich Grammar swept through the peak tournament undefeated at the Under-18 level with five successes at the home ground of the Albany Creek Brumbies.
Beating St Laurence’s College 26-5 in last Sunday’s final was a fine climax after earlier wins over Rockhampton Grammar (17-0), Iona College (27-12), King’s Christian College (18-10) and New Zealand’s Matamata College (21-0).
The three days of competition and team building always meant more than “Ws” for Ipswich Grammar’s Head of Rugby Russell Todd.
“For our boys, the diversity of experiences is a big thing,” Todd said of IGS joining the Ballymore Cup for the second straight year.
“In GPS rugby, you play the same eight schools year after year so we got to expand our horizons with matches against regional schools, two AIC schools and a team from NZ.
“Our boys got to face the haka (from Matamata College) which was a great experience.
“For me, I love carnival rugby which is very different to how a normal season rolls out.
“The Ballymore Cup was a bit of a grading process for us with Year 12 boys plus eight Under-16s involved. It gave us a positive show of our improved depth and very pleasing signs with our defence to concede just one try per game on average.”
Hooker Caleb West stood tall as a leader and with his productive work in the tight. He was a worthy winner of Player of the Tournament in that division.
In the backs, Brock Coombes showed his adaptability shifting from wing to outside centre where his strong chat and guidance was a real asset to the backline.
Young flyhalf Angus McPhail stepped up as a composed figure while tall, athletic lock Ranel Filipine suggested bigger things are to come.
In the Under-16s, Rocky Grammar produced a superb tournament. The 20-10 victory over St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe in the final meant they finished on top of three AIC schools plus Brisbane Grammar.
Thomas Baillie was influential throughout for Rocky Grammar as Player of the Tournament for the U16s.
In the Under-14s, Lauries won 30-7 over King’s Christian College in the final. Ralph Larson was named Player of the Tournament in the U14s.
St Brendan’s made the trip down from Yeppoon worthwhile by finishing atop the teams in the Under-18s Boys’ Division Two. Scott Gibson was a standout for the school and earned the Player of the Tournament gong in this division.
Credit for the success of the three-day event, across four fields, must also go to the Moreton Bay Regional Council which gave the go-ahead to play last Friday when days of rain had left the grounds sodden.
The Sunday finals were played under blue skies which were a perfect reflection of the mood after an upbeat tournament.
