2015 RugbyWA Annual Report by RugbyWA

ANNUAL REPORT

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RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

CONTENTS ANNUAL REPORT 2016

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President’s Report

Chairman & CEO Report

Dr Russel Perry

Awards

International

Team of the Decade

Office Bearers

Western Force

Future Force

Perth Spirit

Under 20’s

Womens

Senior Grades

Competitions

Schools

Refferee’s

Fan Engagement

Finances

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RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

PRESIDENT’S REPORT GOVERNANCE

Medallist, not only earn his place in the Wallabies’ Rugby World Cup squad, but make a significant contribution to this successful Australian campaign. Similarly, it was great to see Steve Mafi also recognised for a stellar year as part of the Tongan squad in his maiden Rugby World Cup.

This year was a milestone year for rugby in Western Australia, as we celebrated 10 seasons as part of the Super Rugby competition with the Western Force. Rugby has a long and proud history in the state and this occasion marked an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved across the board in our game since our inclusion in the top international provincial competition, and celebrate our achievements of the past decade. On the field, the Western Force was unable to back up its recordbreaking 2014 season, finishing the season with three wins. While our results in 2015 tended to negate my belief in a benevolent god at times, two of the wins were achieved over the reigning champion NSW Waratahs, while, in his 10th season with the club, Pek Cowan became the second player (behind captain Matt Hodgson) to reach 100 Super Rugby matches for the Force. At the end of the season it was extremely fitting to see Ben McCalman, our 2015 Nathan Sharpe

After a slow start to the tournament, the Perth Spirit finished just one win outside the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship finals. The Spirit again provided an important pathway opportunity for our Pindan Premier Grade and Force squad members alike, which was best exemplified with Joondalup centre Maalonga Konelio’s outstanding performances and subsequent selection in the Australian Barbarians side to tour New Zealand. Our junior state sides continued to represent Western Australia in the best possible way, with our Under 20 side again undefeated in claiming back-to-back Southern States Championship titles, while our Under 15 side claimed the national Junior Gold Cup – the second successive year in which ourWA women continue to shine, with five players selected in the Australian Wallaroos squad, while Shanice Parker has proven herself as a rising star within our ranks, with the Southern Lions representative winning a gold medal with the Australian Girls Sevens squad in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa to cap off an impressive season.

39-27 in the decider. Kalamunda utility back Daley Harper was deservingly recognised as the standout player in the 2015 competition in being awarded the PG Hampshire Award. The RugbyWA Council met on three occasions and amongst other things awarded Life Membership to Kim Short whose service to Rugby in WA through the Palmyra Club and Referees Association has been exemplary. In 2015, I completed my 25th year as a member of the RugbyWA Board including six years as President and it is time for me to make way for others to continue to build the future. It is an exciting time to be part of Rugby in Western Australia and I will continue to be part of that as a past President and supporter of Rugby and the Western Force. Rugby has come a long way in Western Australia and there is more to achieve. Rugby gave me more than it ever took away and I’d like to sincerely thank everyone who has contributed so much to Western Australian Rugby and to its future.

DAVID REDPATH PRESIDENT

The club season was again fiercely competitive across nine divisions, with Nedlands stealing the day come grand final time, claiming the Belt Up Under 19 and Pindan Reserve Grade premierships, before capping it off with another Pindan Premier Grade title, defeating Wests Scarborough

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

CHAIRMAN & CEO GOVERNANCE JOINT REPORT FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND CEO This year, 2015, as we celebrated the 10th anniversary of RugbyWA’s involvement in Super Rugby and the Western Force it provides us with an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved as well as an obligation to look forward to what can be done to grow our sport in both the local and professional spheres here in Western Australia. Our objective was to use the milestone to provide a launching pad upon which to springboard the organisation and rugby in the state into its next decade. This was achieved through the implementation of the Future Force Foundation – a full-time programme that allows us to fundamentally shift our recruitment strategy, allowing early identification of players and diverting away from the finite east coast-based player pool. To have Kane Koteka progress to Super Rugby in the foundation’s first year was a strong endorsement for the programme, and only reaffirms the need to increase the number of scholarship holders moving forward. From a commercial perspective, our objective was achieved through the compilation of a database that allowed us to engage with more supporters of rugby than ever before. Furthermore, focus on data will be assisted by the implementation of a tailor-made CRM system, SCRUM, which will provide a greater ability to communicate with and accurately attend to our supporters, stakeholders and customers’ needs.

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TONY HOWARTH AO CHAIRMAN Identifying and communicating with these individuals – as well as continuing to strive for new heights of customer service with our own membership base – is essential to the ongoing growth and development of our game.

involvement in the drafting of the ARU’s strategic plan which set a platform for us to explore a more coordinated approach to the management of the professional game in Western Australian given its unique challenges.

Despite these developments, the current financial challenges in rugby and in the state cannot be ignored.

The success of the Western Force both on and off the field is integral to the business of rugby in Western Australia and a significant driver of participation in the state. We know that boasting a strong flagship team is important in our mission to grow the game in Western Australia.

Disappointing on-field results by the Western Force compounded a tough economic marketplace with regard to sponsorship and corporate hospitality. While discretionary spend continues to tighten, our challenge is to continue to prove to our corporate partners that we can continue to play an important role in growing our businesses together through the association with rugby and showing value in the partnership. A review from the team following the 2015 Super Rugby season identified a number of key learnings, including the need to recruit experience into a young backline, and to play with increased speed and width. Stemming from our most successful season in 2014, the importance of success on the field plus the attractiveness of our style of play is paramount in order to accelerate our business operations. Our strong relationship with the Australian Rugby Union continues to be reinforced and their approach of ‘collaborative governance’ in overseeing the game must be commended. This led to our

While we had anticipated the 2015 year to be one of our toughest financially, there was some flow-on benefit from the uplift of the team’s successful season in 2014. However, team performance through the 2015 season and the current season, reduced ticket and corporate hospitality sales, and a number of external factors ensured that revenue streams did not reach their required marks. The challenges now facing us in the current climate in which we’re operating cannot be ignored. The downturn in the resource sector affects everyone and everything in Western Australia. Most particularly there has been a ‘tightening of belts’ from many businesses, which has impacted on sponsorship opportunities and corporate hospitality. Additionally, we operate within the most competitive sports market

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

REPORT GOVERNANCE MARK SINDERBERRY CEO where rugby has a limited presence on primetime media and an increasing reliance on digital channels. We operate in a global market where lucrative contracts in Japan and Europe provide their own challenges in retaining players and coaches. At a local level, everyone is becoming busier. Interests are more diverse with less time for organised sports impacting both on volunteering and participation.

climate in Western Australia, which have severely affected the club’s bottom line.

Since the end of the 2015 financial year RugbyWA has experienced a number of additional financial challenges including declining take up of memberships, reduced corporate hospitality sales and declined sponsorship. To that end the Directors believed it was necessary to seek further assistance from the ARU as without a competitive and financially viable team the future viability of the club could not be guaranteed.

Under the alliance Western Force players and professional Rugby staff will become ARU employees. The RugbyWA board will continue to be responsible for the community game in Western Australia and the pathway through to professional rugby through its ‘Future Force’ program.

Following RWA’s request the ARU undertook a full review of the financial position of all Super Rugby teams and despite the uplift in broadcast revenues for 2016 all clubs were facing challenges. Working with the ARU to develop a new model based, an Alliance agreement with RugbyWA was developed. The Alliance is designed to address the financial concerns resulting from competitive challenges of having a team based away from Rugby’s traditional heartland on the east coast and the changing economic

Under the agreement the ARU will integrate the professional Rugby program of the Western Force into the High Performance Unit of the ARU. The alliance will be managed effectively in order to maintain the Western Force’s unique identity and connection to the local community.

Significantly within the Alliance agreement is the option for RugbyWA to either buy back or collaboratively work with the ARU to develop a new structure to further develop the Western Force brand. Pleasingly the ARU’s work on the new broadcast rights has provided additional support to our grassroots levels and clubs, with the employment of three new Development Officers to support the game throughout Western Australia. With that in mind, we continue to work closely with our clubs to build capacity and to guarantee growth through increased playing opportunities. Seeing Joondalup climb into the Pindan Premier Grade and the

inclusion of three new teams in our women’s competition, is yet another sign of the determination to grow our game in the state and a testament to the hard work being done within our clubs – predominantly driven by volunteer roles. On the back of what has been a year not without its challenges, we would like to thank the Board and Advisory Committees for their guidance and support. We want to particularly acknowledge the significant contribution of David Redpath who will retire from the Board and the President role at this AGM. He has given 25 years of outstanding contribution to RugbyWA. We would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge former Chairman Russel Perry, who tragically passed away on 12 July 2015. Russel’s contribution to rugby in Western Australia spanned more than four decades and he had a tremendous impact on the game at all levels. We also want to thank all the leadership, staff and volunteers at RugbyWA and the Western Force, whose commitment and long hours continue to allow us to carry our game forward in spite of external factors; and to all the players, supporters, coaches and volunteers at all levels of our game in Western Australia, thank you for making your positive contribution to our game to allow us to continue to forge a strong name for rugby in the state.

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

DR RUSSEL PERRY VALE During the 2015 season, RugbyWA and Western Force joined the WA rugby community to recognise the enormous contribution of RugbyWA Chairman, Dr Russel Perry AM, who passed away on Sunday, 12 July at the age of 68 after battling Motor Neurone Disease. Dr Perry’s contribution to WA rugby spanned more than four decades, including a creditable playing career with UWA and representing Western Australia in the early 1970’s.

the community in urban design, and to the education and training sector. Dr Perry was highly regarded in Perth’s business sector, most recently holding the position of Chairman of Stirling Capital and was the senior executive responsible for two award-winning property developments – Ellenbrook and Capricorn at Yanchep. He is a former Station Manager of Channel Seven (Perth) and one-time senior executive with Bond Media.

He later held posts as President of the WA Rugby Union Referees’ Association, member of the National Referee Coaching Advisory Board (1995-2000), and Secretary/ Trustee for the WA Old Golds Rugby Foundation (1995-2000).

He was also a member of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal, and held the position of Chairman of the Governing Council for the West Coast Institute of Training.

His association with RugbyWA featured appointments as Chairman of the Judiciary Board (1988-1997), and sat on the RugbyWA Board as a member (2006-2009) and Deputy Chair (2010) before his appointment as Chairman in 2011.

Players and referees wore black armbands at all Pindan Senior Grade the week of his passing as a mark of respect, while a minute’s silence was held prior to the kick-off at each match.

He is a Life Member of RugbyWA, the University of WA Rugby Club and the WA Rugby Referees Association, and in 2012 received a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for his services to rugby in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, that also recognised his service to

Dr Perry’s funeral was held at the HBF Stadium on Wednesday, 22 July with the wake held at the Home of the Western Force with attendees wearing their rugby jerseys on request of Dr Perry’s family. Dr Perry is survived by his wife, Felicity, and two daughters, Elizabeth and Philippa.

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RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

AWARDS WESTERN FORCE

NATHAN SHARPE MEDAL Ben McCalman

GEOFFREY STOOKE AWARD

RISING STAR Kane Koteka & Ryan Louwrens

Ben McCalman

MEMBERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; MVP Steve Mafi

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

AWARDS 2015 RUGBYWA AWARD RECIPIENTS

PG HAMPSHIRE AWARD

BEST COLT PLAYER U20

Daley Harper

RILEY WINTER

COACH AWARD

WOMANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BEST & FAREST

Dwayne Grace

Shanice Parker

TOP TRY

REFEREE AWARD

Kalamunda

Wests Scarborough

Southern Lions

SCORER

Graham Cooper

Faamanatu Apineru Kalamunda

TOP POINT SCORER

LIFE MEMBERSHIP

AJ Alatimu

Kim Short

Wests Scarborough

Palmyra

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER Jermaine Ainsley Nedlands

PREMIERSHIP CLUB CHAMPIONS:

Nedlands

CHAMPIONSHIP CLUB CHAMPIONS:

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RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES WALLABIES Ben McCalman – Rugby World Cup Tetera Faulkner (squad) Nick Cummins (squad) Adam Coleman (train-on squad) Matt Hodgson (train-on squad)

TONGA Steve Mafi – Rugby World Cup

JAPAN Akihito Yamada – Rugby World Cup

AUSTRALIAN BARBARIANS Maalonga Konelio (Joondalup) Harry Scoble (UWA)

WALLAROOS Maddie Putz, Vesinia Taufa and Katherine Outred (all Palmyra), Rebecca Clough and Hayley Barclay (both Cottesloe)

AUSTRALIAN UNDER 20 Riley Winter (Wests Scarborough) Hayden Anderson (train-on) (Wests Scarborough)

AUSTRALIAN DEAF RUGBY TEAM Jonah Poppe (Palmyra)

COMMONWEALTH YOUTH GAMES (SEVENS) Shanice Parker (Southern Lions)

AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLBOYS Riley Winter (Wests Scarborough) Nick Jooste (Hale School)

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

TEAM OF THE DECADE AWARDS

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RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

OFFICE BEARERS & STAFF WA RUGBY UNION (INC) Founded 1983, Re-formed 1928

PATRON IN CHIEF

Her Excellency the Honourable Kerry Sanderson AO Governor of Western Australia

PATRON

Mr Arthur Hill

VICE PATRONS

Senator The Honourable Chris Evans; R C Kucera APM; Hon. Alannah MacTiernan MP; The Right Honourable Lisa-M. Scaffidi, The Lord Mayor City of Perth, Hon. Terrence Waldron MLA, Minister for Sport and Recreation; Racing and Gaming; Simon Withers, Mayor Town of Cambridge

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER M Sinderberry

SECRETARY M Wilson

JUDICIARY BOARD

M Tudori, J Hancock, M Hunt, B Thomson, M Parker, P Ellis, R Mills, S Waddingham, C Gregson, N Evans, Appeals Committee Chairman M Cashman

AUSTRALIAN RUGBY UNION DELEGATE T Howarth AO

AUDITOR

Ernst & Young

LIFE MEMBERS

P Bailey, B Belfitt, Mrs V Bleakley, TJ Bradbury, Dr D Butcher, P Davies-Moore, Rev R Davis, C Fear, S Fink, B French, J Hancock, Dr B Hartley, Dr D Haultain, A Hill, G Hunt, M Hunt, Dr A Johnson, G Mickle, B Olney, AM, M Penhaligon, D Procopis, DG Redpath, B Reinecke, M Siddons, J Skiba, G M Stooke OAM, J Suckling, R Todman, R Trend, K Short

HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS

R Arndt, J Freemantle, C Green, J Green, R Vaughan, B Wright

PRESIDENT D G Redpath

CHAIRMAN

Dr R J Perry AM (deceased July 2015) Tony Howarth (appointed August 2015)

BOARD MEMBERS

D G Redpath (President), Dr R J Perry AM (Chairman deceased July 2015), T Howarth AO VCitWA (Appointed Chairman Aug 2015) C Fear, D Hely (Appointed Dec 2015) M Fulker (commenced 14/04/2014), K Gallagher (commenced 14/04/2014), H Sauer (elected 26/03/2014), S Staniforth (Player Representative), D Vaux.

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

ELITE

WESTERN FORCE

While the club celebrated its 10th season in 2015, on the field, the Western Force was unable to back up its recordbreaking 2014 season. The Force finished the season with three victories – with two wins over reigning champions, the NSW Waratahs, highlighting the year. The club’s third victory came against traditional rivals, the Melbourne Rebels, in the final round of the season to help provide a springboard for the team leading into an expanded competition in 2016. Ben McCalman was again superb at the back of the Western Force scrum, finishing in the top 10 carries across the competition with 173. (Dane Haylett-Petty also finished inside the top 10 with 160 carries.) McCalman’s early season form – in the absence of injured captain Matt Hodgson – helped lead the way for the Force, and saw him recognised at the end of the season with the Nathan Sharpe Medal and deserved selection in the Wallabies squad for the Rugby Championship and Rugby World Cup. Pek Cowan became just the second Western Force player to reach 100 Super Rugby caps for the club, while lock

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Adam Coleman and tighthead prop Tetera Faulkner both developed considerably following their first full season in their respective positions, earning places in wider Wallabies squads. During the season seven players made their Super Rugby debuts for the Western Force, including new recruit Steve Mafi, who was amongst the top lineout options in the competition (finishing with 46 catches) and was recognised with the Members MVP Award at the end of the season. Ten locally-produced players were part of match day squads for the Western Australian club during the season – breaking the previous record of nine that was set in 2014.

“It’s been a tough year on the back of what was a good year last year. Fighting to the end and coming up with the win [in the final round] was very important to us.” Head Coach Michael Foley

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

ELITE WESTERN FORCE MILESTONES Western Force & Super Rugby debut:

50 Super Rugby caps

Steve Mafi – Round 1 v NSW Waratahs

Ian Prior – Round 5 v Melbourne Rebels

Chris Heiberg – Round 2 v Queensland Reds

Chris Alcock – Round 10 v Stormers

Mitchell Scott – Round 2 v Queensland Reds Kane Koteka – Round 3 v Hurricanes

100 Western Force & Super Rugby caps:

Ross Haylett-Petty – Round 10 v Stormers

Pek Cowan – Round 11 v Chiefs

Ryan Louwrens – Round 11 v Chiefs Guy Millar – Round 12 v Blues

SUPER RUGBY DEBUTANTS & LOCAL PLAYERS OVER 10 YEARS OF THE WESTERN FORCE

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

ELITE

WESTERN FORCE

TEAM

Pts

Hurricanes

458

288

170

Waratahs

409

313

Stormers

373

323

Highlanders

450

333

117

Chiefs

372

299

Brumbies

369

261

108

Crusaders

481

338

143

Lions

342

364

-22

Bulls

397

388

Rebels

319

354

-35

Sharks

338

401

-63

Cheetahs

357

531

-174

Reds

247

434

-187

Blues

282

428

-146

Force

245

384

-139

ROUND 1: WESTERN FORCE 25 DEFEATED NSW WARATAHS 13

The Western Force opened its 10th season of Asteron Life Super Rugby with a bonus-point 25-13 victory over reigning champions, the NSW Waratahs, in Sydney. The Force held an 8-3 advantage at the break before laying on three tries in the second half, with Angus Cottrell, Luke Morahan and Francois van Wyk all crossing. The four-tries-to-two victory marked the first time in the club’s history that the Force has won the opening match of its season, with the 12-point victory marking the team’s biggest away win in Australia. It is also the first time the Force has recorded back-to-back victories over the Waratahs.

ROUND 2: QUEENSLAND REDS 18 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 6

The Western Force has fallen to the Queensland Reds, 18-6, at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium tonight. With the match threatened by Tropical Cyclone Marcia, the Force was unable to cross the try line, with its six points coming from two penalty goals to flyhalf Sias Ebersohn. The Queenslanders held an 11-6 lead at the break, adding a penalty try in the second term to seal the 12-point victory.

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RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

ELITE

WESTERN FORCE

ROUND 3: HURRICANES 42 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 13

In the club’s first match at the ‘Force Field’ for 2015, the Western Force went down to the Wellington Hurricanes, 42-13. The Hurricanes, who held a 15-6 half-time lead, dominated the contact zone allowing them to run in five-triesto-one in the 29-point victory. Force No.8 Ben McCalman continued his outstanding start to the season with another strong performance at the back of the scrum, while Zack Holmes claimed the Haigh & Hastings Man of the Match after threatening the line and finding space with his kicking game. Replacement flanker Kane Koteka was also impressive in his Asteron Life Super Rugby debut, challenging hard against his bigger and more experienced Hurricanes opponents. The Force’s lone try came in the second half through replacement winger Mitchell Scott, who tore away from the Hurricanes chasers in his 60-metre dash to the try line.

ROUND 6: BULLS 25 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 24

The Western Force suffered a heartbreaking 25-24 loss to the Bulls at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld. The Force wrestled back a 24-22 lead with three minutes remaining through a booming Sias Ebersohn penalty attempt from inside his own half, before Handre Pollard responded with a long-range attempt of his own to steal the one-point win. Despite outscoring the home side three-tries-to-one, the Force’s lack of discipline at key times proved costly with the side reduced to 13 men during the second half following yellow cards to Adam Coleman and Tetera Faulkner, while Pollard capitalised through six penalty goals for the match in a personal tally of 20 points.

ROUND 3: HURRICANES 42 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 13

ROUND 4: BRUMBIES 27 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 15

The Western Force went down fighting against the ACT Brumbies, 27-15, at Canberra’s GIO Stadium. The home side held a 19-8 lead at the break, with the Force’s firsthalf try coming through club favourite, Nick ‘Honey Badger’ Cummins, in his first match for the club since returning from Japan. The Force held the majority of ball throughout the match – rampaging lock Steve Mafi capitalising on the weight of possession with his side’s second try – but were unable to breach the Brumbies defence for a third time, with the ACT side running out four-tries-to-two-victors.

ROUND 5: MELBOURNE REBELS 21 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 17

The Western Force was edged out 21-17 by the Melbourne Rebels at the ‘Force Field’ (nib Stadium). The Rebels got off to the better start, scoring two first-half tries for a 15-0 lead, before an Alby Mathewson quick tap on half-time led to his opening try for the home side and reduced the deficit to eight points. While the Force fought their way back into the match in the second half through a try to Tetera Faulkner and a perfect goal-kicking display from Luke Burton, Mike Harris’ ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over with two second half penalty goals was enough to give his side the four-point victory.

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

ELITE WESTERN FORCE ROUND 9: CHEETAHS 24 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 15

In the club’s 10th season anniversary match, the Western Force was defeated by the Cheetahs, 24-15, at the ‘Force Field’. The Force held a 10-8 lead at the half-time break before the visitors responded with 16 points in the final halfan-hour of the match to claim the nine-point victory. Despite scoring two tries apiece, it was ultimately the boot of Joe Pietersen that proved the difference with the Cheetahs flyhalf kicking 14 points for the night.

ROUND 10: STORMERS 13 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 6

A brave display from the Western Force was not enough to topple the high-flying Stormers, with the Cape Town-based side taking a 13-6 win at the ‘Force Field’. In an 80-minute arm wrestle, neither side’s try line could be breached with the only try coming through a first-half penalty try to the visitors from a five-metre scrum.

ROUND 1: WESTERN FORCE 25 DEFEATED NSW WARATAHS 13

While the Stormers held a narrow 10-6 lead at the break, the Force held the majority of running in the second stanza but was unable to breakthrough for the decisive score.

ROUND 11: CHIEFS 35 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 27

RROUND 7: SHARKS 15 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 9

Chasing the club’s first win at ‘The Shark Tank’, the Western Force was edged out by the Sharks, 15-9, at Durban’s Kings Park Stadium. The Force held a 6-0 lead at half-time but was unable to kick on in the second term, with the Sharks running in two second-half tries to claim the six-point victory. The Force created several try-scoring opportunities, but was twice denied by TMO Marius Jonker. The Force secured a consolation bonus point with a Luke Burton penalty goal on full-time.

ROUND 8: BYE | 2015

The Western Force fought back from a 22-point deficit to get to within striking distance of the Chiefs at Waikato Stadium, before eventually succumbing 35-27 in a high-scoring encounter. After being reduced to 14 men in the 29th-minute following a red card to scrumhalf Ian Prior, the Force courageously worked their way back from 30-8 down to get within eight points of the home side at the final whistle. In a match that marked Pek Cowan’s 100th Asteron Life Super Rugby match for the Western Force, both sides crossed for four tries apiece, with the boot of Chiefs flyhalf Marty McKenzie proving the difference with 15 points from the kicking tee.

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

ELITE WESTERN FORCE ROUND 12: BLUES 41 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 24

The Western Force completed its two-match New Zealand tour with a 41-24 loss to the Blues at Auckland’s Eden Park. After leading 10-0 towards the end of the first half, the Blues scored three tries in 10 minutes either side of half-time – with Force reduced to 14 men following a yellow card to Dane Haylett-Petty – to open up what would be a matchwinning lead. The Force rallied to put on four tries of their own in the second term and record their second four-try bonus point in as many weeks, however, it was not enough to cover the eventual 17-point margin.

ROUND 13: WESTERN FORCE 18 DEFEATED NSW WARATAHS 11

The Western Force recorded its third successive win over reigning champions, the NSW Waratahs, following its 18-11 victory at the ‘Force Field’. After claiming the opening round encounter in Sydney, the Force scored two tries to one tonight in Perth, to convert a 13-6 half-time lead into the seven-point victory. The Waratahs got within two points with 23 minutes remaining, before a storming Force rolling maul from a lineout 20 metres out, allowed captain Matt Hodgson to score his third try in as many matches and round out the final 18-11 score line.

ROUND 14: BYE

ROUND 15: HIGHLANDERS 23 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 3

The Western Force fell to eventual Asteron Life Super Rugby champions, the Highlanders, 23-3, at the ‘Force Field’. While creating numerous opportunities throughout the match, the home side was unable to complete them, with the Otago side scoring the only two tries of the match to run out 20-point victors. While the Force held the dangerous Highlanders outfit try-less through the first half, a Lima Sopoaga drop goal and Aaron Smith try within the final 10 minutes of the match extended the final margin. The Western Force was defeated by the Queensland Reds,

ROUND 16: QUEENSLAND REDS 32 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 10

32-10, at the ‘Force Field’ (nib Stadium) tonight. Fullback Dane Haylett-Petty crossed for the Force’s only try just before half-time to bring the scores to 17-10 at the break, however, two tries each to Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper and winger Lachlan Turner was enough to secure the win for the visitors. Wearing pink socks in support of the McGrath Foundation’s ‘Pull On Your Socks’ campaign, the Force was beaten to the breakdown by the Queenslanders during the match, providing them with the momentum to run out 22-point victors..

ROUND 17: ACT BRUMBIES 33 DEFEATED WESTERN FORCE 20

Two late tries to the Western Force were not enough to overcome the ACT Brumbies in the Western Australian side’s final home match of the season at the ‘Force Field’, succumbing 33-20. The Brumbies built momentum in the game through the strength of their rolling maul, with David Pocock scoring a hat-trick – carrying the ball to the line each time at the back of a maul. Trailing 21-6 at the break, the Force crossed for two tries to Tetera Faulkner and Luke Morahan to get within striking distance at 33-20 with five minutes remaining.

ROUND 18: WESTERN FORCE 13 DEFEATED MELBOURNE REBELS 11

The Western Force has finished its 2015 Asteron Life Super Rugby season with a 13-11 victory over the Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park. In a farewell to club stalwarts Sam Wykes and Patrick Dellit, the Force built the victory on the back of a tough and tenacious defensive effort, and held a slim 6-3 half-time lead following a try-less first half. While the two sides swapped five-pointers in the second term – to wingers Luke Morahan and Telusa Veainu – it was Zack Holmes’ conversion from out wide, in an unblemished goal-kicking display that ultimately proved the difference.

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

WEEK

ROUND 1 Waratahs V Western Force

ROUND 2 Reds V Western Force

ROUND 3 Western Force V Hurricanes

ROUND 4 Brumbies V Western Force

Date

Sunday 15 February

Saturday 21 February

Friday 27 February

Friday 6 March

City / Venue

Allianz Stadium, Sydney

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

nib Stadium, Perth

GIO Stadium, Canberra

Full Time Score

Waratahs 13 - 25 Force

Reds 18 - 6 Force

Force 13 - 42 Hurricanes

Brumbies 27 - 15 Force

Referee

Steve Walsh

Nick Briant

Marius van der Westhuizen

Crowd

20271

14199

14670

10799

Man of the match

Ben McCalman

PLAYER

Marcel Brache

Luke Burton

Nathan Charles Adam Coleman Angus Cottrell

Pek Cowan

Adam Thomson C

Zack Holmes

Ben Alexander C

Robbie Abel Chris Alcock

Nick Cummins

Patrick Dellit Sias Ebersohn

Tetera Faulkner

Kyle Godwin

Dane Haylett-Petty

1 17

Ross Haylett-Petty Chris Heiberg Matt Hodgson Zack Holmes

Oliver Hoskins

Kane Koteka Brad Lacey Ryan Louwrens Steve Mafi

Alby Mathewson Ben McCalman

Ian Prior

DNP

Solomoni Rasolea

Guy Millar Luke Morahan

Albert Nikoro

Mitch Scott Brynard Stander Wilhelm Steenkamp Heath Tessmann

Justin Turner Francois van Wyk

Rory Walton Sam Wykes

Akihito Yamada Penalty Tries

| 2015

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

WEEK

ROUND 5 Western Force V Rebels

ROUND 6 Bulls V Western Force

ROUND 7 Sharks V Western Force

ROUND 9 Western Force V Cheetahs

Date

Friday 13 March

Saturday 30 May

Saturday 28 March

Saturday 11 April

City / Venue

nib Stadium, Perth

Saturday 21 March

Durban, Kings Park

nib Stadium, Perth

Full Time Score

Western 17 - 21 Rebels

Bulls 25 - 24 Force

Sharks 15 -9 Force

Force 15 - 24 Cheetahs

Referee

Rohan Hoffmann

Nick Briant

Rohan Hoffmann

Crowd

9972

14282

16023

9710

Man of the match

Steve Mafi

PLAYER

Chris Alcock

Marcel Brache

Luke Burton

Nathan Charles

Adam Coleman

Pek Cowan

Nick Cummins

Kyle Godwin T

Renaldo Bothma C

Dane Haylett-Petty PG

DNP

Robbie Abel 14

20 1

Tetera Faulkner

Kyle Godwin

Angus Cottrell

2 1

Patrick Dellit Sias Ebersohn

1 1

Dane Haylett-Petty

Ross Haylett-Petty Chris Heiberg

DNP

Oliver Hoskins

Kane Koteka

Steve Mafi

Alby Mathewson

Ben McCalman

Matt Hodgson Zack Holmes

Brad Lacey Ryan Louwrens 1

Guy Millar Luke Morahan

Albert Nikoro Ian Prior

Solomoni Rasolea

DNP

Mitch Scott

Brynard Stander

Wilhelm Steenkamp Heath Tessmann

DNP

Justin Turner Francois van Wyk Rory Walton Sam Wykes

Akihito Yamada Penalty Tries

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

WEEK

ROUND 10 Western Force V Stormers

ROUND 11 Chiefs V Western Force

ROUND 12 Blues V Western Force

ROUND 13 Western Force V Waratahs

Date

Saturday 18 April

Friday 24 April

Saturday 2 May

Saturday 9 May

City / Venue

nib Stadium, Perth

Waikato Stadium, Hamilton

Eden Park, Auckland

nib Stadium, Perth

Full Time Score

Force 6 - 13 Stormers

Chiefs 35 - 27 Force

Blues 41 - 24 Force

Force 18 - 11 Waratahs

Referee

Mike Fraser

Angus Gardner

Ben Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Keeffe

Rohan Hoffmann

Crowd

10823

13948

Not announced

10115

Man of the match

Steve Mafi

PLAYER

Not announced T

Not announced C

Steve Mafi C

Robbie Abel Chris Alcock Marcel Brache

Luke Burton

Nathan Charles

Adam Coleman

Angus Cottrell

Pek Cowan

Nick Cummins

Patrick Dellit Sias Ebersohn

Tetera Faulkner

Kyle Godwin

Dane Haylett-Petty

Ross Haylett-Petty

Chris Heiberg

DNP

Matt Hodgson

Zack Holmes Oliver Hoskins

Kane Koteka

DNP

Brad Lacey Ryan Louwrens Steve Mafi

Alby Mathewson

Ben McCalman

Guy Millar Luke Morahan

DNP

Albert Nikoro Ian Prior

Solomoni Rasolea

DNP

Mitch Scott Brynard Stander Wilhelm Steenkamp Heath Tessmann

Justin Turner Francois van Wyk Rory Walton Sam Wykes

Akihito Yamada Penalty Tries

| 2015

5 1

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

WEEK

ROUND 15 Western Force V Reds

ROUND 16 Western Force V Reds

ROUND 17 Western Force V Brumbies

ROUND 18 Rebels V Western Force

Date

Saturday 23 May

Saturday 30 May

Friday 5 June

Friday 12 June

City / Venue

nib Stadium, Perth

AAMI Park, Melbourne

Full Time Score

Force 3 - 23 Highlanders

Force 10 - 32 Reds

Force 20 - 33 Brumbies

Rebels 11 - 13 Force

Referee

Andrew Lees

Matt Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien

Angus Gardner

Andrew Lees

Crowd

13554

9,259

9,054

9,653

Man of the match

Dane Haylett-Petty

PLAYER

Steve Mafi PG

Angus Cottrell T

Not Announced C

Robbie Abel Chris Alcock Marcel Brache

Luke Burton

Nathan Charles

Adam Coleman

1 8

1 1

Angus Cottrell

Pek Cowan

Nick Cummins

Patrick Dellit

Sias Ebersohn

Tetera Faulkner

Kyle Godwin

Dane Haylett-Petty

Chris Heiberg

Matt Hodgson

1 1

Ross Haylett-Petty

Zack Holmes

Oliver Hoskins Kane Koteka

Brad Lacey Ryan Louwrens

Steve Mafi

Alby Mathewson

Ben McCalman

Guy Millar

Luke Morahan

18 1

Brynard Stander

Wilhelm Steenkamp

Albert Nikoro Ian Prior Solomoni Rasolea Mitch Scott

Heath Tessmann

Justin Turner Francois van Wyk Rory Walton Sam Wykes Akihito Yamada Penalty Tries

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

ELITE WESTERN FORCE STATS 2015 Caps

2015 Tries

2015 Cons

2015 Pens

2015 DGs

2015 Points

Super Rugby Caps

Super Rugby Tries

Super Rugby Points

Force Caps

Force Tries

Force Points

105

432

212

120

123

122

100

| 2015

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

FUTURE FORCE PATHWAY The Future Force is a leading full-time rugby academy that identifies leading local, national and internationallybased young players – between the ages of 18 and 21 – and weaves them into the fabric of rugby in Western Australia. The Future Force places players into a full-time programme that develops player’s rugby skills, physical development, as well as progressing an educational and/ or vocational plan for life off the field.

with the planning of ‘Force Week’ – week-long, testing and assessment week will allow the program to recruit more intimately with future recruits whilst exposing them to everything WA has to offer.

In its inaugural year, the Future Force programme showed its value through exposing four players to an accelerated pathway to a full time, professional Super Rugby schedule. The benefits were almost immediate with Kane Koteka promoted to the Western Force match squad within the first half of the season. The players trained within a full-time Super Rugby program, and were also given weekly assignments and educated on the personal review processes and analysing future opponents. Players also partook in a range of career and education activities, including tertiary education, external courses, real estate license, work experience and junior rugby coaching. Onehunga (‘Hunga’) Havilli was inducted into the programme during the season, and tested remarkably well in his speed, vertical jump and power testing, prompting a shift from his familiar No.8 to the wing. Having played a handful of games on the wing, Hunga’s raw power and explosiveness are set to hold him in excellent stead in the outside backs. After a disappointing start to the season, Richard Hardwick’s changed approach to his preparation enabled him to become one of the leading flankers within the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship, while Harry Scoble returned from numerous injury hurdles throughout the year to regain his place with the group.

FORCE

The Future Force is in the process of recruiting a number of other potential Super Rugby players into the programme for next year. Current Future Force players will continue training with the Western Force throughout the pre-season, while new recruits will commence, via an induction week, in early January. Next year, the program will have an increased focus on rugby/post rugby balance by designating more time to educational / vocational activities. The program will also have a greater ‘future’ recruitment focus

KANE KOTEKA:

From Future Force to Western Force In 2015, Wests Scarborough flanker Kane Koteka became the first Future Force scholarship holder to progress through to play Super Rugby for the Western Force. After making his debut against the Hurricanes in Perth, he went on to play 10 matches during the season. Having been a member of the Force Academy since he was 14, Koteka was one of the foundation scholarship holders of the programme and has been promoted into the senior Western Force squad for the 2016 season.

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

FUTURE FORCE PATHWAY

Name: Richard Hardwick Born: 31/05/1994, Windhook (Namibia) Position: Flanker Club: UWA Height: 183cm Weight: 102kg Representative Rugby: 2014-2015 Perth Spirit, 2014 WA Under 20, 2012-2014 Force ‘A’, 2011-2012 Perth Gold, 2011 Australia ‘A’ Schoolboys, 2011 WA Schoolboys Name: Onehunga Havili Born: 16/02/1996, Tofoa (Tonga) Position: No.8/Wing Club: Palmyra Height: 188cm Weight: 113kg Representative Rugby: 2015 Perth Spirit, 2014 Auckland Schoolboys, 2013-2014 Auckland East Under 18, 2011-2012 Auckland East Under 16, 2010 Tonga Under 14

Name: Kane Koteka Born: 08/01/1994, Perth Position: Flanker Club: Wests Scarborough Height: 182cm Weight: 94kg Representative Rugby: 2015 Western Force, 2014-2015 Perth Spirit, 2014 Combined States Under 20, 2014 WA Under 20, 2013-2014 Force ‘A’, 2012 Perth Gold, 2011 WA Schoolboys Name: Harry Scoble Born: 12/11/1994, Perth Position: Hooker Club: UWA Height: 180cm Weight: 101kg Representative Rugby: 2014-2015 Perth Spirit, 2014 Force ‘A’, 2014 Australian Under 20, 2014 Combined States Under 20, 2014 WA Under 20, 2012 Perth Gold, 2011 Australian Schoolboys, 2011 WA Schoolboys

| 2015

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

PERTH SPIRIT PATHWAY

WWWWWWWWW

The Perth Spirit returned for the second season of the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship, looking to back-up last season’s grand final appearance. Despite a slow start to the season, the Spirit finished just one win outside the top four, with three wins, including one over finalists, the Melbourne Rising. The Perth side also recorded two big victories over Queensland Country and the Greater Sydney Rams. The competition again provided a valuable platform in exposing aspiring local players and Western Force representations alike to Australia’s ‘third tier’. In all, 36 players took to the field for the Spirit during the season, including 20 exclusively from the Pindan Premier Grade. In all, the Perth Spirit enabled 17 players to make their Buildcorp National Rugby Championship debut in 2015.

Joondalup’s Maalonga Konelio made the most of the opportunity provided, playing in all eight matches for the Spirit, finishing the season to take on a Heartland XV in a twomatch series. Co-captains Heath Tessmann, Angus Cottrell and Ian Prior revelled in the added leadership responsibility and excelled on field – along with the likes of Richard Hardwick and Kyle Godwin. Prior finished the season with 77 points – the fifth most in the competition – built on a goal kicking percentage of more than 90% throughout the tournament.

TEAM

PDf

Pts

Brisbane City

400

174

226

University of Canberra Vikings

375

176

199

Melbourne Rising

220

251

−31

Sydney Stars

241

314

−73

NSW Country Eagles

225

260

−35

Perth Spirit

276

271

North Harbour Rays

275

339

−64

Queensland Country

230

336

–106

Greater Sydney Rams

242

363

−121

PLAYERS EXPOSED TO BUILDCORP NATION RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

PERTH SPIRIT PATHWAY

WWWWWWWWW

ROUND 1:

ROUND 6:

The Perth Spirit opened its 2015 Buildcorp National Rugby Championship season with a 29-16 loss to Brisbane City in their grand final replay at Ballymore in Brisbane. The visitors trailed the reigning champions 13-8 at half time, with Brisbane City running in two tries to one in the second stanza to claim the 13-point victory.

A two-try performance by Brad Lacey helped lift the Perth Spirit to a 31-21 victory over the Melbourne Rising and secured back-to-back victories at McGillivray Oval. Despite crossing for five tries, the Spirit was denied a bonus point when Rising fullback Jonah Placid crossed in the closing minutes, but was unable to breakthrough for the decisive score.

BRISBANE CITY 29 DEFEATED PERTH SPIRIT 16

ROUND 2:

NTH HARBOUR RAYS 45 DEFEATED PERTH SPIRIT 26 The Perth Spirit fell to the North Harbour Rays 45-26 in their opening home match of the 2015 season at McGillivray Oval. Two tries to flanker Richard Hardwick were not enough to get his side home, with the visitors capitalising on a 21-13 half-time lead to run out five-tries-to-four victors

ROUND 3:

SYDNEY STARS 45 DEFEATED PERTH SPIRIT 24 The Perth Spirit went down to the Sydney Stars 45-24 at Leichhardt Oval. Despite glimpses of brilliance and a 16-13 half-time lead, the Spirit was out scored four tries to one in the second term, to go down by 21 points.

ROUND 4:

UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA VIKINGS 26 DEFEATED PERTH SPIRIT 23 The Perth Spirit were defeated by a star-studded University of Canberra Vikings outfit, 26-23 at McGillivray Oval. A lastditch effort by the Spirit almost saw the match end in a draw, with Maalonga Konelio crossing the line, however, Luke Burton’s final conversion attempt sailed wide, with the Vikings maintaining their unbeaten start to the season with a three-point victory.

ROUND 5:

PERTH SPIRIT 64 DEFEATED QLD COUNTRY 34 Scrumhalf Ian Prior collected a personal haul of 29 points in the Perth Spirit’s 64-34 rout of Queensland Country at Rockhampton’s Victoria Park. The Spirit, who led by 56 points at one stage, were also boosted by Maalonga Konelio’s two tries.

| 2015

PERTH SPIRIT 31 DEFEATED MELB RISING 21

ROUND 7:

NSW COUNTRY 32 DEFEATED PERTH SPIRIT 29

The Perth Spirit’s finals hopes took a massive blow following their 32-29 loss to the NSW Country Eagles at McGillivray Oval. Reduced to 14 men following Junior Rasolea’s sendoff, the Spirit rallied to lead 29-24 before conceding the match-winning try to Eagles centre Ed Stubbs with 18 minutes remaining.

ROUND 8:

PERTH SPIRIT 63 DEFEATED GREATER SYD 39 The Perth Spirit kept their finals aspirations alive with a 63-39 bonus point win over the Greater Sydney Rams at Concord Oval in Sydney. The Spirit continued on from their 53-13 half-time advantage, with Albert Nikoro, Faamanatu Apineru and Ryan Louwrens each crossing twice during the match.

ROUND 9: BYE

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

WEEK

ROUND 1 Brisbane City V Spirit

ROUND 2 Spirit V North Harbour Rays

ROUND 3 Sydney Stars V Spirit

ROUND 4 Spirit V UC Vikings

Date

Thursday, 20 August

Saturday, 29 August

Saturday, 5 September

Saturday, 12 September

City / Venue

Ballymore, Brisbane

McGillivray Oval, Perth

Leichhardt Oval, Sydney

McGillivray Oval, Perth

Full Time Score

Brisbane City 29 - Spirit 16

Spirit 26 - NH Rays 45

Sydney Stars 45 - Spirit 24

Spirit 23 - UC Vikings 26

Referee

Will Houston

Mike Lash

Ed Martin

Crowd

2698

1500

400

1200

Man of the match

Junior Laloifi

PLAYER

Jermaine Ainsley

Chris Alcock

Jermaine Ainsley C

Jake Gordon C

Hayden Anderson

Faamanatu Apineru

Luke Burton

Angus Cottrell

Tetera Faulkner

Kyle Godwin

12 14

Adrian Hall Richard Hardwick

Daley Harper

Onehunga Havilli

Ross Haylett-Petty

Chris Heiberg Oliver Hoskins

Conan Houkamau

Byron Hutchinson

Nick Jooste

Maalonga Konelio

Kane Koteka

Brad Lacey

Ryan Louwrens

Ammon Matuauto

Sevuloni Mocenacagi

Albert Nikoro

Ian Prior

1 1

Solomoni Jnr Rasolea

Michael Ruru

Joe Savage Harry Scoble

Alex Rovira

Auega Seumanatafa Davis Tavita

Heath Tessmann

Francois van Wyk

Rory Walton

Riley Winter

| 2015

Toro Reedy

Anaru Rangi

Pierre Roberts

Angus Cottrell

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

WEEK

ROUND 5 QLD Country V Spirit

ROUND 6 Spirit V Melbourne Rising

ROUND 7 Spirit V NSW Country Eagles

ROUND 8 Greater SYD Rams V Spirit

Date

Saturday, 19 September

Saturday, 5 April

Saturday, 4 October

Saturday, 18 October

City / Venue

Rockhampton, Queensland

McGillivray Oval, Perth

Concorde oval, Sydney

Full Time Score

Qld Country 34 - Spirit 64

Spirit 31 - 21 Rising

Spirit 8 - 24 Eagles

GS Rams 39 - 63 Spirit

Referee

Rohan Hoffmann

Graham Cooper

Damien Mitchelmore

Nic Berry

Crowd

2000

750

650

Not announced

Man of the match

Not announced

PLAYER

Jermaine Ainsley

Richard Hardwick C

Heath Tessmann PG

Kyle Godwin PG

Chris Alcock Hayden Anderson Faamanatu Apineru Luke Burton

Angus Cottrell Tetera Faulkner Kyle Godwin

Adrian Hall

Richard Hardwick

Daley Harper Onehunga Havilli

1 1

1 1 1 19

Ross Haylett-Petty Chris Heiberg

3 12

Oliver Hoskins

Conan Houkamau Byron Hutchinson

Nick Jooste

Maalonga Konelio

Kane Koteka

Brad Lacey Ryan Louwrens

Albert Nikoro

Ian Prior

Ammon Matuauto

Sevuloni Mocenacagi

Anaru Rangi

Solomoni Jnr Rasolea

Toro Reedy

Pierre Roberts

Michael Ruru

Joe Savage

3 1

DNP

Alex Rovira

Harry Scoble

Auega Seumanatafa

Francois van Wyk

Rory Walton

Riley Winter

Davis Tavita Heath Tessmann

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

PERTH SPIRIT PATHWAY 2015 Caps

2015 Tries

2015 Cons

2015 Pens

2015 DGs

2015 Points

Super Rugby Caps

Super Rugby Tries

Super Rugby Points

Force Caps

Force Tries

Force Points

112

| 2015

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

UNDER 20 PATHWAY

UNDER 20

Western Australia continued its undefeated run at the Southern States Championships, claiming back-to-back titles in Adelaide in February 2015. Tough wins over Victoria (32-27) and the ACT (28-24) ultimately decided the tournament, with Jerome Lenard Te Kanawa topping the try-scoring with three tries, and Nick Jooste finishing the tournament with 32 points. Riley Winter, Nili Fielea, Angus Taylor, Kauri Cudd and Hayden Anderson were all selected in the Australian Barbarians team that finished third in the National Under 20 Championships.

NEW COMPETITION

2016 is set to echo in a new Super Rugby Under 20 competition, featuring representatives sides from the five Australian clubs (with the NSW Waratahs hosting two sides). The competition is a welcomed addition for the Under 20 programme and will provide greater structure and increased exposure, including the prospect of matches being staged as curtain-raiser fixtures prior to Super Rugby games. The competition will run on a home-and-away basis through the first half of the 2016 Super Rugby tournament.

AUSTRALIAN UNDER 20

Wests Scarborough lock Riley Winter was selected for the Australian Under 20 squad that contested the 2015 Junior World Championships in Italy. Winter played in each of the Australian side’s five matches, starting in three, including the 28-23 fifth-placed play-off win against Wales. Winter’s Boars teammate Hayden Anderson was selected in the extended Australian Under 20 squad but missed the final cut for the World Championships.

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

UNDER 20 PATHWAY NAME

CLUB

Jermaine Ainsley

Nedlands

Hayden Anderson

Wests Scarborough

Ruban Birch

Kalamunda

Conall Boomer

Cottesloe

Kauri Cudd

Nedlands

Tevin Ferris

Nedlands

Nili Fielea

Cottesloe

Carl Fitzpatrick

Wests Scarborough

Liam Husband

University

Nicholas Jooste

Cottesloe

Tim Koiatu

Wanneroo

Tasmania LaaLaai

Palmyra

Jerome Lenard Te Kanawa

Wests Scarborough

Lorenzo Mario

Joondalup

Adam Marshall

Palmyra

Sam Offer

Nedlands

Torongare Reedy

Joondalup

Auega Seumanutafa

Kalamunda

Terrell Shortland-Berryman

Wanneroo

Jean-Charl Smith

University

Angus Taylor

Wests Scarborough

John Van der Wielen

Palmyra

Nicholas Ward

Palmyra

Riley Winter

Wests Scarborough

Ivan Wright

Cottesloe

STAFF

GAME

2015 SOUTHERN STATE UNDER 20 - RESULTS ADELAIDE AIRPORT STADIUM

GAME 1 SAT 21 FEB 2015

WA 39 defeated NSW COUNTRY 7 (Nili Fielea, Hayden Anderson, Jean-Charl Smith, Riley Winter, Carl Fitzpatrick tries; Nick Jooste 3 conversions, 2 penalty goals; Tim Koiatu conversion)

GAME 2 MON 23 FEB 2015

WA 28 defeated ACT 24 (Gus Taylor, Jerome Lenard Te Kanawa, Terrell Berryman tries; Nick Jooste 2 conversions, 3 penalty goals)

GAME 3 WED 25 FEB 2015

WA 32 defeated VICTORIA 27 (Jerome Lenard Te Kanawa 2; Hayden Anderson, Gus Taylor, Tim Koiatu tries; Nick Jooste 2 conversions, penalty goal)

AUSTRALIAN UNDER 20 REPRESENTATIVES (WA), 2008-2015 YEAR

PLAYER (CLUB)

2008

Dane Haylett-Petty (Cottesloe), Tom Murday (UWA), David Pocock (UWA), Sam Wykes (UWA)

2009

Dane Haylett-Petty (Cottesloe), James Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor (Cottesloe), Mark Swanepoel (Cottesloe), Ben Whittaker (Cottesloe)

2010

Paul Alo-Emille (Associates), Cruze Ah-Nau (Kalamunda), Justin Turner (Associates), Luke Jones (Cottesloe), Siliva Siliva (Associates),

2011

Paul Alo-Emile (Associates), Siliva Siliva (Associates)

2012

Kyle Godwin (Associates), Oliver Hoskins (Cottesloe)

2013

Luke Burton (UWA), Oliver Hoskins (Cottesloe), Brad Lacey (Wests Scarborough)

2014

Luke Burton (UWA), Ross Haylett-Petty (Cottesloe), Brad Lacy (Wests Scarborough), Harry Scoble (UWA)

2015

Riley Winter (Wests Scarborough)

2014

Nick Jooste (Perth Spirit), Torongare Reedy (Perth

Head Coach: Dwayne Nestor Assistant Coaches: Elwee Prinsloo, Tai McIsaac Manager: Kathal Spence Strength & Conditioning: Louis Dallimore Physiotherapist: Stacey Stockman

| 2015

Spirit) 2015

Nick Jooste (Perth Spirit)

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SEVENS PATHWAY

2016 OLYMPIC GAMES

YOUTH COMMOMWEALTH GAMES

AUSTRALIAN SEVENS DEVELOPMENT

Shanice Parker was a key member of the gold medal winning team, while Cheyelle Robins (Wanneroo) was selected in the extended training squad for the tournament.

In the lead up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero and Rugby Sevens’ Olympic debut, a greater emphasis continues to be placed on the abridged form of the game. Shanice Parker (Southern Lions) established herself as one of the rising stars of the code, after securing one of Qantas Australian Women’s Sevens development contracts. The contract followed her selection in the Australian squad for the Youth Commonwealth Games in Samoa, naming in the Alcohol.Think Again Women and Youth Girls squads for the National Sevens Championships. The contract will provide opportunities for Parker to train at Sevens HQ at the Sydney Academy of Sport on Sydney’s Northern Beaches on an ad hoc basis under the watchful eye of national Women’s Head Coach Tim Walsh in the lead up to the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The Australia Youth Girls team won the gold medal at the Youth Commonwealth Games in Apia, Samoa in September.

NATIONAL SEVENS CHAMPIONSHIP

The National Sevens Championships were held at Narrabeen’s Sydney Academy of Sport over consecutive weekends from Friday, 27 February to Sunday, 1 March (Youth Boys and Girls), and Friday, 6 March to Sunday, 8 March (Men and Women). The Alcohol.Think Again Women and Youth Girls won their respective Plate finals, while the Alcohol.Think Again Men won the Bowl final. The Alcohol.Think Again Boys finished eighth in their division. The selection process involved trials for the first time, which ensured that a greater number of players were considered with the Women (35 trialists), Men (20), Youth Girls (25) and Boys (20) all well attended.

AUSTRALIAN SEVENS DEVELOPMENT TOURNAMENT

Western Australia has again been well represented on the national Sevens front with the Alcohol.Think Again Women and Youth Boys winning their respective Plate finals at the Australian Sevens Development Tournament in Wagga Wagga in December. The Alcohol.Think Again Youth Girls, whose tournament did not have finals, finished fourth overall. Southern Lions representative Shanice Parker was named Youth Girls Player of the Tournament.

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SEVENS 2015 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS ALCOHOL. THINK AGAIN WOMAN

ALCOHOL. THINK AGAIN YOUTH BOYS

NAME

CLUB

NAME

CLUB

Stacey Avery

Cottesloe

Tristan Broadbridge

Wanneroo

Katie Barnes

Cottesloe

Brody Eastwood

Wests Scarborough

Caitlyn Edwards

Cottesloe

Adrian Folkard

Wests Scarborough

Brooke Hongell

Cottesloe

Jacob Foster-Hall

Wests Scarborough

Naomi Kara

Wanneroo

Eli Greaves (c)

Southern Lions

Danielle Parker

Southern Lions

Kennedy Merito

Shanice Parker

Southern Lions

Cullen Ngamanu

Wanneroo

Te Mahia Parker

Kalamunda

Chad Ross

Palmyra

Trilleen Pomare

Wanneroo

Solomon Stone

Wests Scarborough

Amelie Rousset

Manaia TeRahui-Stockman

Wanneroo

Anneka Stephens

Wanneroo

Keegan Tuhega

Southern Lions

Ashleigh Timoko

Kalamunda

Clay Uyen

UWA

ALCOHOL. THINK AGAIN YOUTH GIRLS NAME

CLUB

Tay-a Antonievic

Wanneroo

Kali Blair

Aranmore Catholic College

Nina Buonvecchi

Kolbe Catholic College

Jesika Bussey

Kolbe Catholic College

Kennedy Cherrington

Aranmore Catholic College

Ilaisaane Finau

Port Hedland

Ariana Hetherington

Kolbe Catholic College

Leniana Masibaka

Aranmore Catholic College

Shanice Parker

Southern Lions

Cheyelle Robins-reti

Wanneroo

Jade Vorenberg

Kolbe Catholic College

Coach: Dwayne Grace - Manager Koiatu Koiatu

ALCOHOL. THINK AGAIN MEN NAME

CLUB

Sean Flatman

Perth Bayswater

Andrew Knight

Wests Scarborough

Walter Koteka

Wests Scarborough

Michael Marshall

Wests Scarborough

Chris McLean

Wests Scarborough

John Monk

Cottesloe

Mathew Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien

Wests Scarborough

Pierre Roberts (c)

Wests Scarborough

Ben Stimson

Wanneroo

Simione Vuetiverata

Cottesloe

Tutere Waenga

Palmyra

Cody Walker

Southern Lions

Coach: Koiatu Koiatu - Manager Nicola Ogden

| 2015

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SEVENS 2015 NATIONAL SEVENS CHAMPIONSHIPS CHAMPIONSHIPS - RESULTS - RESULTS Sydney Academy of Sports, Narrabeen NSW Friday, 27 February - Sunday 1 March, 2015 and Friday, 6 March – Sunday, 8 March 2015

ALCOHOL.THINK AGAIN WOMEN Australian Services 17 def Alcohol. Think Again WA Women 0

ALCOHOL.THINK AGAIN YOUTH BOYS NSW Blue 27 def Alcohol Think Again WA Boys 7 Alcohol Think Again WA Boys 17 drew Queensland White 17 Victoria 29 def Alcohol Think Again WA Boys 12 Alcohol Think Again WA Boys 24 def National Indigenous Side 20

Alcohol. Think Again WA Women 26 def Victoria 7 ACT 24 def Alcohol. Think Again WA Women 7

Plate Semi Final: NSW White 24 def Alcohol Think Again WA Boys 14

Quarter Final: ACT 12 def Alcohol. Think Again WA Women 7

Seventh-Eighth Playoff: Queensland White 27 def Alcohol Think Again WA Boys 12

Plate Semi-Final: Alcohol. Think Again WA Women 12 def National Indigenous 0

Connolly Park, Wagga Wagga NSW Saturday, 5 December Sunday, 6 December 2015

Plate Final: Alcohol. Think Again WA Women 12 def Australian University

ALCOHOL.THINK AGAIN MEN Alcohol.Think Again WA Men 12 def QLD White 7 Northern Territory 33 def Alcohol. Think Again WA Men 12 NSW Blue 50 def Alcohol. Think Again WA Men 0 Bowl Semi-Final: Alcohol. Think Again WA Men 19 def South Australia 12 Bowl Final: Alcohol. Think Again WA Men 5 def Northern Territory 0

ALCOHOL.THINK AGAIN YOUTH GIRLS NSW Blue 24 def Alcohol Think Again WA Girls 5 Queensland White 33 def Alcohol Think Again WA Girls 14 Alcohol Think Again WA Girls 54 def Victoria 5 Alcohol Think Again WA Girls 34 def National Indigenous Side 10 Plate Semi Final: Alcohol Think Again WA Girls 24 def South Australia 0 Plate Final: Alcohol Think Again WA Girls 14 def NSW White 12

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SEVENS 2015 AUSTRALIAN SEVENS DEVELOPMENT - RESULTS ALCOHOL.THINK AGAIN WOMEN Alcohol.Think Again Women 31 def Victoria 12

Plate Semi Final: Alcohol.Think Again Youth Boys 52 def NSW Country 7

NSW Development 19 def Alcohol.Think Again Women 0 Alcohol.Think Again Women 38 def SIRU 5

Plate Final: Alcohol.Think Again Youth Boys XX def Sydney Barbarians XX

Plate Semi Final: Alcohol.Think Again Women 31 def Queensland Pink 19

ALCOHOL.THINK AGAIN YOUTH GIRLS

Plate Final: Alcohol.Think Again Women 30 def South Austr

alia 7

ALCOHOL.THINK AGAIN YOUTH BOYS

Alcohol.Think Again Youth Girls 28 def NSW Blue 0 Queensland 22 def Alcohol.Think Again Youth Girls 0 NSW White 20 def Alcohol.Think Again Youth Girls 7

Alcohol.Think Again Youth Boys 29 def NSW C Gold 5

Alcohol.Think Again Youth Girls 47 def Tasmania 0

Alcohol.Think Again Youth Boys 29 def Sydney Barbarians Queensland 33 def Alcohol.Think Again Youth Boys 10

Alcohol.Think Again Youth Girls 10 drew with NSW Blue 10 Alcohol.Think Again Youth Girls 31 def Victoria 0.

| 2015

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SCHOOLBOYS W

PATHWAY The Western Australia Schoolboys finished eighth at the National Schoolboy Championships (Division One) held at St Ignatius College, Riverview, Sydney.

NAME

SCHOOL

Ethan Aitken

Wanneroo Secondary College

Zachary Branca

Chisholm

Despite fielding a relatively experienced side, results went against the team as they let a couple of games slip that they felt they should have won, including the final playoff against Combined States where they were edged out 31-28.

Jack Bromly

Hale School

Harrison Carlton

Yanchep District HS

Isaac Cavu

Prendiville Catholic College

Jona Chase

Aranmore College

Curtis Dansey-Smaller

Rockingham SHS

Jack Daynes

Aranmore College

Eli Greaves

Aranmore College

Matthew Griffiths

Rockingham SHS

Victor John Harris

Irene McCormack Catholic College

Ford Hemi

Aranmore College

Anthony Hondros

Christ Church Grammar School

Nicholas Jooste

Hale School

Sosifa Likio

Warnbro HS

Brody Macaskill

Aranmore College

Lorenzo Mario

Aranmore College

Thomas Masibaka

Aranmore College

Asti Miller

Kelmscott SHS

Kitione Nairube

Darling Range Sports college

Taine Oakley

Trinity College

Rory O'Sullivan

Scotch College

Anton Paul

Halls Head Community College

Kade Pearce

Aranmore College

Torongare Reedy

Clarkson Community High

Chad Ross

Aranmore College

Aaron Ruru

Foundation Christian College

Roy Al Shelton Terepai

Warnbro Community High School

Leighton Short

CBC Fremantle

Evan Stafford

Wesley College

Taine Timoko

Ocean Reef SHS

Bitner Junior Tumanuvao

Warnbro SHS

Hendricus Van Der Heyden

Kolbe Catholic College

Sy Waiti

Halls Head Community College

Lewis Weston

Hale School

Blake Woodward

Trinity College

AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLBOYS

After initially being overlooked for the Australian Schoolboys, Nick Jooste was called into the national side following injury. The call-up followed a strong representative season for the Hale Schoolboy, who already represented Force â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; against Singapore, and the Perth Spirit during the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship. The flyhalf was a member of the Australian side that defeated Samo32-8.9-18 before going down to New Zealand Schools, 32-8.

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SCHOOLBOYS PATHWAY

NATIONAL SCHOOLBOY RESULTS DAY

ST IGNATIUS COLLEGE REVIEW - SYDNEY

YEAR

HIGHER HONOURS

DAY 1 MON 29 JUN 2015

QLD II 30 defeated WA 13 (Kade Pearce try; Nick Jooste conversion, 2 penalties)

2006

Dane Haylett-Petty (Western Force)

2007

DAY 3 WED 1 JUL 2015

NSW I 76 defeated WA 0

Cruze Ah Nau (Melbourne Rebels), Dane HaylettPetty (Western Force), Justin Turner (Western Force), Zack Holmes (Brumbies & Western Force)

2008

Kyle Godwin (Western Force & Wallabies), Ryan Louwrens (Western Force), Alex Rovira (Perth Spirit), Justin Turner (Western Force)

DAY 4 THUR 2 JUL 2015

VIC 36 defeated WA 24 (Eli Greaves, Evan Stafford Leighton Short, Nick Jooste tries; Nick Jooste 2 conversions)

2009

Kyle Godwin (Western Force & Wallabies), Oliver Hoskins (Western Force), Corey Thomas (Perth Spirit),

DAY 5 SAT 4 JUL 2015

Combined States 31 defeated WA 28 (Sosifa Likio, Isaac Cavu, Nick Jooste, Sy Waiti tries; Nick Jooste 4 conversions)

2010

Luke Burton (Western Force), Kane Koteka (Western Force), Ross Haylett-Petty (Western Force), Oliver Hoskins (Western Force),

2011

Kane Koteka (Western Force), Ross Haylett-Petty (Western Force), Waqa Blake (Penrith Panthers – NRL), Luke Burton (Western Force), Brad Lacey (Western Force), Richard Hardwick/Harry Scoble

2012

Hayden Anderson (Perth Spirit), Riley Winter (Perth Spirit)

2013

Hayden Anderson (Perth Spirit)

2014

Nick Jooste (Perth Spirit), Torongare Reedy (Perth Spirit)

2015

| 2015

Nick Jooste (Perth Spirit)

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SCHOOLBOYS JUNIOR GOLD CUP PATHWAY

GOLD CUP

After winning the inaugural Junior Gold Cup (Under 17) in 2014, the Western Australian squads were again amongst the front-runners in the national under-age tournament, with the Under 15 team lifting the Combined States where they were edged out 31-28.

WA UNDER 15 NAME

NAME/SCHOOL

Christian Bavadra

Kalamunda

Dylan Beniston

Busselton Jets

Luke Bolton

Joondalup

Michael Brown

Kalamunda

Elijah Elia

Wanneroo

Maea Fonua

Rockingham

Claudio Gouveia

Southern Lions

Jaylen Grey

Wanneroo

Tupuorongo Haeane

Wanneroo

Tyron Kambouris

University

TeAroa Koiatu

Wanneroo

Giovanni Leituala

Southern Lions

The WA Under 17 squad was unable to back up last year’s success, finishing national runners-up after narrowly losing a close final match to the ACT, 17-15, in Perth.

Atu Likio

Rockingham

Tapiha Mason

Joondalup

Tevita Ngaruhe Lavulo

Southern Lions

The squad featured four players that were members of the 2014 Under 15 Junior Gold Cup squad, while three players returned from last year’s victorious campaign.

Connor O'Sullivan

Associates

Campbell Parata

Wanneroo

Caleb Parker

Rockingham

Jackson Pugh

Palmyra

Lee Soa

Palmyra

Jaydon Solomon

Southern Lions

John-Martin Stewart

Wanneroo

Carlo Tizzano

University

Jaylen Tuapola

Wanneroo

Tamaiti Williams

Kalamunda

UNDER 15

The WA Under 15 team was National Champions in 2015 with a 29-24 victory over the ACT in the final held in Perth. Flyhalf Campbell Parata was the star of the match, scoring 24 of the sides 29 points for the match. The Under 15’s squad featured just one player from the 2014 squad (Atu Likio).

UNDER 17

JUNIOR GOLD CUP

The Junior Gold Cup is a national long-term talent development and competition program at Under 15 and Under 17 age levels. The national nature of the JGC competition provides players, coaches, administrators and match officials with the opportunity to be involved in high levels of representative rugby programming and development at a National level on an annual basis whilst maintaining local/ regional representation. It is an evolution of the Junior Gold Program and is a key part of Australian Rugby’s “Pathway to Gold” that will provide talented players an opportunity to compete against the best in their age group across Australia.

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

JUNIOR GOLD CUP PATHWAY

WA UNDER 15 - RESULTS DATE

LOCATION

MON 9 MAR 2015

Logan City WA 42 defeated Central Queensland 27. Tavita Lavulo, John-Martin Stewart, Dylan Beniston, Tamaiti Williams, Jaylen Tuapola, Carlo Tizzano tries; Campbell Parata 6 conversionsw

WED 11 MAR 2015

Bond University WA 19 defeated Gold Coast 5. John Martin try; Campbell Parata conversion, 4 penalty goals

SAT 12 MAR 2015

Logan City WA 21 defeated Logan 7. Tamaiti Williams, Jaylen Tuapola tries; Campbell Parata conversion, 3 penalty goals

SAT 14 MAR 2015

North Coast WA 41 defeated North Coast 8. Tearoa Kioatu 2, Tevita Lavulo, Jackson Pugh, Giovanni Leituala, Lee Soa tries; Campbell Parata 4 conversions, penalty goal

SUN 15 MAR 2015

Ballymore WA 30 defeated Brisbane Orange 14. Carlo Tizzano 2, Jack Pugh tries; Campbell Parata 3 conversions, 3 penalty goals

TUE 17 MAR 2015

Northern Conference Final - Ballymore WA 18 defeated Brisbane Pink 14. Jackson Pugh, Michael Brown tries; Campbell Parata conversion, 2 penalty goals

THUR 26 MAR 2015

National Final - UWA Sports Park, Perth WA 29 defeated ACT 24. Campbell Parata, Jaylen Tuapola try; Campbell Parata 2 conversions, 5 penalty goals

STAFF Head Coach: Alex Stajka Assistant Coach: Arno Visser Manager: Dane Lazarus Physiotherapist: Bryony McCrudden Strength & Conditioning: Tomy Hicks

| 2015

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

JUNIOR GOLD CUP PATHWAY WA UNDER 17

WA UNDER 17 RESULTS

NAME

NAME/SCHOOL

DATE

LOCATION

Neli Auvea

Palmyra

Zachary Branca

Perth Bayswater

MON 9 MAR 2015

Jack Daynes

Joondalup

Nicholas Gillespie

Nedlands

Logan City WA 38 defeated Central Queensland 8. Kade Pearce 2, Tomasi Masibaka, Evan Stafford tries; Anthony Honros 3 conversions, 2 penalty goals

Jack Hardy

University

Victor John Harris

Joondalup

WED 11 MAR 2015

Anthony Hondros

Associates

Bond University WA 10 drew Gold Coast 10. Junior Tumanuvoo try; Anthony Hondros conversion, penalty goal

Sosifa Likio

Rockingham

Brody Macaskill

Wanneroo

SAT 12 MAR 2015

Thomas Masibaka

Associates

Logan City WA 19 defeated Logan 12. Kade Pearce, Junior Tumanuvao; Anthony Hondros 3 penalty goals

Kitione Nadaro Nairube

Kalamunda

Shan O'Hara

Palmyra

SAT 14 MAR 2015

Rory O'Sullivan

Associates

Kade Pearce

Joondalup

North Coast WA 48 defeated North Coast 10. Zac Branca, Ricaldo Steyn, Anthony Hondros, Keegan Rowley, Jack Daynes, Tomasi Masibaka tries; Anthony Hondros 6 conversions, 2 penalty goals

Ethan Poi

Palmyra

Tigris Polata

Southern Lions

SUN 15 MAR 2015

Keegan Rowley

Southern Lions

Evan Stafford

Palmyra

Ricardo Steyn

Nedlands

Ballymore WA 62 defeated Brisbane Orange 0. Tigris Polata 3, Sy Waiti, Tomasi Masibaka, Rory O’Sullivan, Neli Auvea, Shan O’Hara, Sioeli Vaituulala tries; Anthony Hondros 3 conversions, 2 penalty goals; Keegan Rowley conversion, penalty goal; Jack Hardy conversion

Corry Tearoa

Wanneroo

Junior Tumanuvao

Wanneroo

TUE 17 MAR 2015

Sioeli Vaituulala

Southern Lions

Hendricus Van Der Heyden

Rockingham

Northern Conference Final - Ballymore WA 33 defeated Brisbane Pink 0. Tomasi Masibaka, Evan Stafford, Anthony Hondros, Kade Pearce tries; Anthony Hondros 2 conversions, 3 penalty goals

Liam Van Der Heyden

Rockingham

Sy Waiti

Mandurah

THUR 26 MAR 2015

National Final - UWA Sports Park, Perth ACT 17 defeated WA 15. Jordan Nicholls, Sam Dobb tries; Mack Hansen 2 conversions, penalty goal) defeat WA 15 (Neli Auvea, Tomasi Masabaka tries; Anthony Hondros conversion, penalty goal

Cameron Knox (Standby) Aiden Shortall (Standby)

STAFF Head Coach: Grant Oakley Assistant Coach: Dave Wells Manager: Graham Jones Physiotherapist: Stacey Stockman Strength & Conditioning: Stefan Grove

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

WOMEN’S PATHWAY THE ALCOHOL. THINK AGAIN The Alcohol.Think Again WA State Women’s Team finished fourth at the 2015 National Women’s XV Championships in Sydney – consolidating the team’s fourth-placed finish in 2014.

2015 WOMEN’S STATE TEAM NAME

NAME/SCHOOL

Kate Alexander

Cottesloe

Hayley Barclay

Cottesloe

Katie Barnes

Cottesloe

Bec Clough (c)

Cottesloe

Renae Coleman

Perth Bayswater

Caitlyn Edwards

Palmyra

Kendra Fell

Palmyra

Gillian Forde (c)

Cottesloe

Grace Gayton

Perth Bayswater

Alexander Grant

Cottesloe

Louise Gray

Cottesloe

Ana Hohaia

Kalamunda

Antoinette Jago

Cottesloe

In 2015, the RugbyWA established a women’s rugby academy that included 53 athletes in the inaugural year.

Hannah Miles

Cottesloe

Eve Morton

Cottesloe

The three-tier academy featured:

Katherine Outred

Palmyra

Mercedes Putz

Palmyra

Ebony Tata

ARKS

Vesinia Taufa- Gray

Palmyra

Ashley Timoko

Palmyra

Tyla Togariro

Perth Bayswater

Maleka Wheoki

Palmyra

The team was beaten 32-7 by Queensland in their third/ fourth play-off, after pushing eventual champions, Sydney, in their 13-3 loss in WA’s final round match. The WA side started their campaign strongly with wins over Victoria and South Australia. While the team finished fourth, it is anticipated that a higher finish could be possible with the inclusion of up to 10 WA players that were unable to travel due to injury or unavailability. Athlete support is being put into place to allow selected athletes to be able to take part in the tournament.

WOMEN’S ACADEMY

•

• •

Level One – 33 players – open to all levels. An eight-week programme of one session per week introducing players to the basics of rugby skills and strength & conditioning. Level Two – 14 players – WA Under 17 players Three sessions per week, featuring rugby skills, strength & conditioning, and nutrition. Level Three – five players – Australian representatives and potential representatives Three sessions per week, featuring rugby skills, strength & conditioning, and nutrition. Additional strength & conditioning sessions to that of Level Two, with players also assisted to meet their Australian Rugby Union and Western Australian Institute of Sport requirements.

| 2015

STAFF Head Coach: Brett Fell Assistant Coach: Willie Lio Manager: Dawn Campbell

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

WOMEN’S PATHWAY 2015 NATIONAL WOMEN’S XV CHAMPIONSHIPS - RESULTS DATE

ST IGNATIUS COLLEGE REVIEW - SYDNEY

WED 24 JUN 2015

GAME 1 WA 8 defeated Victoria 0. Janice Farrell try; Hayley Barclay penalty

WED 24 JUN 2015

GAME 2 WA 14 defeated South Australia 5. Janice Farrell try; Hayley Barclay penalty

THUR 25 JUN 2015

GAME 3 Sydney 13 defeated WA 3. Hayley Barclay, Louise Gray tries; Hayley Barclay 2 conversions

FRI 26 JUN 2015

3RD/4TH PLAY-OFF Queensland 32 defeated WA 7. Vesinia Taufa try; Hayley Barclay conversion

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SENIOR GRADES COMPETITIONS The 2015 season featured 113 teams competing across nine grades of competition – an increase from 80 teams competing over sevens grades in 2014. While 11 clubs featured across the two days of grand finals at McGillivray Oval, it was Nedlands who stole the show after claiming the Pindan Premier Grade, Pindan Reserve Grade and Belt-Up Under 19’s grand finals

COMPETITION STRUCTURE

This year the Joondalup Brothers RUFC were introduced into the Pindan Premier Grade competition, re-establishing the number of clubs competing in this competition to 10. The Brothers were more than competitive in their inaugural season in the top grade, finishing the season in seventh position with six wins.

half the number of teams competing in the first week of the finals, the concept of Division One through to Division Five Premiers was not well understood and will be reviewed ahead of the 2016 season.

GROWTH OF WOMEN’S RUGBY

Women’s rugby continues to grow and 2015 saw the number of women’s teams competing in the senior competition increase. The increase of three teams, from five to eight with new teams established at Palmyra and Curtin University Rugby Clubs, while Southern Lions re-entered a team after not fielding one in 2014.

The 2015 season saw six clubs compete in the Championship A and B Grade competition. These teams each played five games against five of the 10 clubs from the Pindan Premiership Third and Fourth Grade. (In 2014 a total of 18 clubs competed in combined Third and Fourth Grade competitions.) The reduced number of crossover games saw a change in the finals series for these lower grade competitions for the 2015 season. Although this resulted in exactly

PINDAN PREMIER GRADE POSITION 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Nedlands

Kalamunda

Palmyra

Nedlands

Cottesloe

Nedlands

Palmyra

Nedlands

Cottesloe

UWA

Associates

Nedlands

Associates

Kalamunda

Wanneroo

Cottesloe

Associates

Cottesloe

Palmyra

UWA

Kalamunda

Wests Scarborough

Perth Bayswater

Wanneroo

Palmyra

Associates

UWA

Wests Scarborough

Cottesloe

Associates

Rockingham

Associates

Kalamunda

Wests Scarborough

Palmyra

UWA

Associates

Perth Bayswater

Wests Scarborough

Associates

Kalamunda

Wanneroo

Palmyra

Wests Scarborough

Associates

Kalamunda

UWA

Rockingham

Cottesloe

Perth Bayswater

Wests Scarborough

Wanneroo

Kalamunda

Palmyra

Kalamunda

UWA

Wests Scarborough

Rockingham

UWA

Rockingham

Perth Bayswater

Rockingham

Perth Bayswater

Joondalup

Rockingham

Cottesloe

UWA

Rockingham

Perth Bayswater

Kalamunda

Wanneroo

Palmyra

Wests Scarborough

Perth Bayswater

Kalamunda

Rockingham

Perth Bayswater

| 2015

Wests Wests Scarborough Scarborough

Perth Bayswater

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SENIOR GRADES COMPETITIONS

RUGBYWA CUP

The RugbyWA Cup was established and contested for the first time in 2015. Similar to New Zealand’s Ranfurly Shield, the RugbyWA Cup is contested on a challenge system with the holder to defend it at all home fixtures during the regular season (excludes finals matches). Once a team has successfully defended it on three occasions, all of the holder’s subsequent matches will be mandatory defences – irrespective of home or away. The annual winner of the Cup is the team in possession after Round 18.

INTRODUCTION OF RUGBYLINK

RugbyLink was introduced as the Australian Rugby Union’s new national registration & competition system, replacing the existing My Rugby Admin. Overall the new system was well received with the new system placing a greater emphasis on players to look after their own registration to play and understanding the costs involved in participating and playing rugby at all levels of the game. This, in turn, relieves much of the financial burden on the clubs around outlaying for player registration and insurance.

Joondalup Brothers were the initial holders of the RugbyWA Cup defeating Kalamunda Bulls in the first round of the season, 22-17. The Cup was also held by Palmyra, UWA and Nedlands throughout the season before UWA secured the RugbyWA Cup again when they defeated Nedlands in Round 15, 20-19 to be the inaugural winners of the Cup.

LIVE STREAMING

Local Media Services Company (LMSC) commenced live streaming of the Pindan Premier Grade Match of the Round for the first time during the 2015 season. While still room for improvement, the live stream was well received by clubs and provided clubs with a viable resource to review game footage and create highlight reels. Highlights packages (‘Tries of the Round’) continued to be made available after each round of the Pindan Premier Grade, with a peak of 3,007 views for the Round One highlights.

2015 RugbyWA Cup holders, UWA

JUDICIARY

A pleasing aspect to the 2015 season was the number of matters that ultimately dealt with by RugbyWA’s Judiciary Committee. In all there were 37 matters that went before the senior judiciary committee with sanctions ranging from ‘no case to answer’ to a 42-week suspension There are currently two matters still outstanding from the 2015 season where the offending player has been unable to appear before the judiciary. (Players that do not appear before the judiciary are suspended from participating in any rugby match until their matter has been heard.) The new Rugby Link system allows these details to be noted against the offending player’s records and can be accessed elsewhere in Australia and/or overseas until they have had their matter dealt with.

2015 Pindan Premier Grade champions, Nedlands

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SENIOR GRADES COMPETITIONS PINDAN PREMIER GRADE

BP4T

BP7P

Pts

Nedlands

642

244

398

Wests Scarborough

599

306

293

Kalamunda

545

400

145

Cottesloe

561

371

190

Associates

501

399

102

UWA

429

358

Palmyra

378

362

Joondalup

394

528

-134

Wanneroo

269

611

-342

Perth Bayswater

186

925

-739

PINDAN RESERVE GRADE

BP4T

BP7P

Pts

Associates

527

234

293

Palmyra

467

260

207

Nedlands

474

247

227

Wests Scarborough

581

316

265

UWA

460

383

Kalamunda

390

440

-50

Cottesloe

384

492

-108

Wanneroo

328

542

-214

Joondalup

288

625

-337

Perth Bayswater

230

590

-360

UNDER 19

BP4T

BP7P

Pts

Joondalup

456

186

270

Nedlands

386

253

133

Palmyra

388

220

168

Wests Scarborough

431

267

164

Perth Bayswater

352

281

UWA

337

310

Mandurah

277

370

-93

Associates

265

281

-16

Kalamunda

109

483

-374

Bye

175

-175

Bunbury

175

-175

| 2015

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SENIOR GRADES COMPETITIONS PINDAN PREMIERSHIP 3rd GRADE

BP4T

BP7P

Pts

Kalamunda

519

130

389

Nedlands

457

221

236

Cottesloe

448

225

223

Wests Scarborough

397

306

Palmyra

404

279

125

Associates

447

353

UWA

337

443

-106

Curtin Uni

254

240

Rockingham

227

201

Swan Suburbs

183

117

Mandurah

146

Perth Bayswater

246

609

-363

Arks

143

Southern Lions

-15

Wanneroo

173

772

-599

Joondalup

103

882

-779

PINDAN PREMIERSHIP 4th GRADE

BP4T

BP7P

Pts

Palmyra

700

269

431

Wanneroo

485

374

111

Cottesloe

452

209

243

Kalamunda

431

363

Nedlands

349

298

Associates

390

319

UWA

445

322

123

Curtin Uni

170

143

Arks

162

Perth Bayswater

247

567

-320

Mandurah

103

Wests Scarborough

242

499

-257

Southern Lions

100

Swan Suburbs

Rockingham

114

-18

Joondalup

136

919

-783

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SENIOR GRADES COMPETITIONS PINDAN CHAMPIONSHIP A GRADE

BP4T

BP7P

Pts

Rockingham

711

208

503

Curtin Uni

596

122

474

Arks

375

423

-48

Mandurah

403

310

Southern Lions

324

356

-32

Swan Suburbs

345

596

-251

Palmyra

Kalamunda

Wests Scarborough

-44

Nedlands

-42

Cottesloe

-73

Associates

109

-71

UWA

-77

Perth Bayswater

159

-118

Bye

-50

Wanneroo

172

-153

Joondalup

177

-155

PINDAN CHAMPIONSHIP B GRADE

BP4T

BP7P

Pts

Curtin Uni

470

153

317

Arks

485

203

282

Mandurah

330

313

Southern Lions

284

285

-1

Rockingham

268

378

-110

Swan Suburbs

136

329

-193

Palmyra

Cottesloe

Wanneroo

-13

Associates

-44

Wests Scarborough

-4

Kalamunda

-13

Perth Bayswater

-48

Nedlands

-68

Bye

-50

UWA

-57

Joondalup

101

-84

| 2015

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SENIOR GRADES COMPETITIONS PINDAN CHAMPIONSHIP 5th GRADE/CHAMPIONSHIP C GRADE

BP4T

BP7P

Pts

Associates

642

546

Kwinana

356

139

217

Cott All Stars

439

262

177

Cott Wrecking Crew

325

226

Wanneroo

344

295

UWA

240

308

-68

Bunbury Barbarians

285

403

-118

Curtin Uni

205

378

-173

Palmyra

134

463

-329

ALCOHOL. THINK AGAIN WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

BP4T

BP7P

Pts

Wanneroo

614

549

Cottesloe

456

145

311

Palmyra

427

119

308

Kalamunda

325

247

Southern Lions

240

400

-160

ARKS

228

371

-143

Perth Bayswater

229

357

-128

Curtin Uni

847

-815

| 2015

RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

GRAND FINAL RESULTS

PINDAN PREMIER GRADE

Nedlands 39 (Michael Ruru, Kauri Cudd, Richard Naylor, Michael Egan, Dylan Loversidge tries; Kauri Cudd 4 conversion, 2 penalties) def Wests Scarborough 27 (Jordan Luke, Jarome Leonard-TeKanawa, Keith Andrews, Marty Campbell tries; AJ Alatimu conversion, penalty, Marty Campbell conversion). Etixx Player of the Match: Richard Naylor.

PINDAN RESERVE GRADE

Nedlands 20 (Neihana Christian try; Michael Botes 5 penalties) def Associates 19 (Matt Dreyer try; Matt Dreyer conversion, 4 penalties). Etixx Player of the Match: Michael Botes.

BELT UP UNDER 19

Nedlands 17 (Bryce Hendricks, Ben Manifold tries; Herschelle Classen 2 conversions, penalty) def Joondalup 12 (Taine Timoko, Isaac Cavu tries; Stuart Davey conversion). Etixx Player of the Match: Herschelle Classen.

PINDAN OPEN DIVISION 1

Curtin Uni 27 (Erik Lagesse 2; Guy Archibald, Usaia Ralulu tries; Robert Fulton 2 conversions, penalty) def Rockingham 23 (Josh Hanson 2, Adam Brick tries; Dudley Courtland conversion, 2 penalties). Etixx Player of the Match: Robert Fulton.

PINDAN OPEN DIVISION 2

ARKS 46 (Kayne Cassidy 2; Storm Takuta, Oshay Jensen, Beau Cassidy, Roughan Kiel, Reon Wynyard tries; Reon Wynyard 3 conversions, penalty, Joe Kapua conversion) def Palmyra 15 (Brett Limpus, Peter Firth tries; Peter Firth conversion, penalty). Etixx Player of the Match: Kayne Cassidy.

PINDAN OPEN DIVISION 3

Palmyra 44 (Nicholas Short 3; Jarrad Menary, Fraley Hopa, Jarrod Degonkolbe, Darren Rudling tries; Junior Greig 2 conversions) def Curtin Uni 0. Etixx Player of the Match: Fraley Hopa.

| 2015

PINDAN OPEN DIVISION 4

Cottesloe 11 (John Cameron tries; Connor Brenan 2 penalties) def Mandurah 5 (Bryn Pou try). Etixx Player of the Match: Will Hopi Gerard.

PINDAN OPEN DIVISION 5

Associates 13 (Ben Lee try; Damien Elton conversion, 2 penalties) def Cottesloe All Stars 10 (Matt Aitken try; Eruera Haimona conversion, penalty). Etixx Player of the Match: Damien Elton.

ALCOHOL. THINK AGAIN WOMEN’S

Wanneroo Divas 12 (Anneka Stephens, Cheyelle RobinsReti tries; Naomi Kara conversion) def Cottesloe 6 (Tui Cope penalties). Etixx Player of the Match: Anneka Stephens.

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

COMPETITIONS COUNTRY It was a good year for Country Rugby, the season ran smoothly and had another successful year with numbers increasing steadily throughout the regions and age groups.

EASTERN GOLDFIELDS

Eastern Goldfields have fielded four teams this year with the Bushwackers, Boulder-WASM, Stormers and Islanders. It’s an evenly matched competition with no one dominant team and any team can win on their day. Junior Rugby numbers are being maintained and we had an Under 17’s team down to play against the Western Australian State Team, which was a major highlight for them. Goldfields juniors have also been solid in Kalgoorlie with hundreds of juniors taking to the field to play rugby each weekend.

SOUTH-WEST

South West numbers dropped slightly with Katanning not having adequate numbers to field a team leaving Margaret River, Dunsborough and Bunbury City Bulls as the only clubs in the region. Bitter rivals Margaret River and Dunsborough contested the final with the Gropers getting over the line in a hard fought contest. The Dunsborough Dungbeetles put up an impressive fight, considering the previous dominance exhibited by the Gropers, but were ultimately outmatched by a powerful ‘Margies’ outfit as the men from the river ran out 13-0 winner in wet conditions.

GERALDTON

Geraldton are starting to build momentum with new volunteers becoming involved and now also have their own rugby field. The development of the new ground has facilitated such significant growth that Geraldton will be fielding a three-side competition in the near future. Geraldton has been predominately a touring team and normally have teams also travelling to Geraldton for their end of year tours. Geraldton Rugby have started an Invitational 10’s competition that they are trying to promote to Perth Clubs as a pre-season hit out.

COUNTRY CARNIVAL

Country Carnival was again held at the grounds of Perth-Bayswater and a big thank you goes out to the club for a great weekend. Unfortunately, the number of teams were down with no team from the South West attending which was disappointing. The WA Police were also present this year after missing last year with the Police Games. The Carnival was held over the one day and it was a game of attrition with the WA Police finishing on top to win their inaugural championship over Boulder-WASM.

I would personally like to thank Justin Shakeshaft for his tireless effort that he puts in to Country Carnival. Even though he works for RugbyWA, I felt that he goes above and beyond what he’s required to do in order to continue to grow Country Rugby. RugbyWA President, David Redpath has also been a key figure in Country Rugby and his assistance over the last two decades has been invaluable. He has been to many Carnivals over its 30-year history and Country Rugby is certainly indebted to David. Finally, Country Rugby wishes to acknowledge Russel Perry and his contribution to WA Rugby which also includes regional areas, he will be sadly missed. A big thank you to all the players, coaches, volunteers of Country Rugby. Regards,

RAY MILLS - PRESIDENT

After 10 years as President of Country Rugby, I have decided to step down and allow a new generation of willing volunteers dictate the path of country rugby. Although I volunteered to stay on as Vice President in order to assist the new President with their transition into the role.

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SEVENS COMPETITIONS With the inclusion and renewed interest in Rugby Sevens following its inclusion in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games for the first time next year, the abridged form of the game remains an excellent introductory form of the game with interest from athletes outside of rugby.

2014/2015 Alcohol.Think Again Summer Sevens Series The local Sevens tournaments remain a key to this introduction, and in Season 2014/2015, local Sevens events were combined into the Alcohol.Think Again Summer Sevens Series, rather than a series of one off events. As part of their sponsorship of Women’s rugby and Rugby Sevens, Healthway – through the Alcohol.Think Again message – were the prime supporters of this series. This partnership was launched in December 2014. FRESH, a church-based, specialist Sevens team made up of local players, again asserted their dominance over the local Sevens scene, claiming five of the 10 titles on offer, including all of the leading Men’s titles throughout the season. Given the ongoing demand for Rugby Sevens, new opportunities and events will be made available during the 2015/2016 season, including the introduction of VIVA7’s – non-contact Rugby Sevens – at the Palmyra and Rockingham rugby clubs.

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BEACH FIVES

Saturday, 16 November & Saturday, 22 November 2014 at Scarborough Beach The 2014 Beach Fives were again staged at Scarborough Beach in the second year of the event. This year we staged the event over two weekends, with the first featuring the Under 18 age groups – Boys and Girls – with the Open divisions held the following week. Team numbers in the Open age group were down on the inaugural year, with the split format reallocating some of these players into the Under 18 division. In the Under 18 divisions, the Teddy Bears, made up of students from Kolbe Catholic College, defeated FRESH, 7-0, in the Under 18 Girls final, while FRESH stole one back in the Boys, defeating Wesley College, 7-3. In the Open, FRESH made it back-to-back titles in the Men’s division, running out 5-4 winners over Wests Scarborough, while the Cott Girls claimed the Women’s decider over Uprising, 4-3.

DIVISION

No OF TEAMS

WINNERS

Women

Hong Kong

Men’s – B Grade

Mandurah

Men’s – Cup

FRESH

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SEVENS COMPETITIONS

ALCOHOL.THINK AGAIN MR7S

Saturday, 7 February and Sunday, 8 February at Gloucester Park, Margaret River. A record number of teams – 24 – took part in the 2015 Alcohol.Think Again Margaret River Sevens – an increase of four teams on 2014. In what is the premier Rugby Sevens event in Western Australia, it was pleasing to host the first international side to the event, with the Hon Kong Women’s team going through the tournament undefeated, overcoming the Cottesloe Chicks, 29-5, in the final. In the Men’s divisions, FRESH held the trophy aloft after defeating Cottesloe, 33-21, in the final, while Mandurah took home the Men’s B division final, with a 29-0 win over the Bunbury Barbarians. To cater for the growing interest, the 2015 event will be relocated to Busselton’s Barnard Park to allow for two fields to run concurrently, with the event to be rebranded the Alcohol.Think Again Jetty Sevens DIVISION

No OF TEAMS

WINNERS

Women

Hong Kong

Men’s – B Grade

Mandurah

Men’s – Cup

FRESH

CITY OF COCKBURN SEVENS

Saturday, 14 February at Success Sports Complex, Success The City of Cockburn Sevens, run by the Southern Lions club, again at a full capacity of teams in its third year of competition. FRESH taking out both the Men’s and Women’s competition while home side, the Southern Lions, were the Under 19 title winners. In the Men’s, FRESH Nation proved too strong for Nedlands winning 28-7 while FRESH eclipsed the Palmyra Phoenix, 14-7, in the Women’s decider. Southern Lions Pride defeated the Mandurah Marauders, 21-14, in the Under 19s. DIVISION

No OF TEAMS

WINNERS

Women

FRESH

Men

FRESH Nation

Under 19

Southern Lions

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

JUNIORS COMPETITIONS BANK WEST AND JUNIOR RUGBY

As another successful Junior Rugby Season draws to a close the Executive would like to acknowledge and thank major sponsor, Bankwest, and to extend that thanks to all the sponsors of Junior Rugby in Western Australia.ll conversion). Etixx Player of the Match: Richard Naylor.

PARTICIPATION

Our numbers dropped slightly on our 2014 participation rate (down 6.25%), a result of the new Rugby Link system acknowledging full-season registrations, and downturn in resource sector and subsequent employment instability.

COMPETITION INITIATIVES

Several new initiatives were successfully implemented this season, including the move of the Under 6’s to Under 10’s from Britannia Reserve and back to clubs, and increased fixturing of junior matches at club venues to coincide with Pindan Senior Grade games. ‘Friday Night Under Lights’ games were again held in 2015, providing an opportunity for under 8 and Under 9 players to experience playing under lights at the Home of the Western Force, as well as receiving coaching and a tour through the training facility by Western Force players.

EXECUTIVE CHANGES

A number of the RugbyWA Juniors Executive Committee will not be returning next year. Thanks go to Martin Becker and Graham Jones for many years of service on the Executive Committee in many different roles; and Linda Barr for her contribution over the past two years. Martin will remain involved as the Chair of the RugbyWA Junior Judiciary and his experience in this area is very much valued and appreciated. Thanks to our Committee members for all their hard work throughout the year. It is not always an easy job to do but all our Executive members work tirelessly in their various roles to support the growth of all Junior Rugby in WA. President: Vacant Vice President Operations: Frances Hall Vice President Development: Graham Jones Honorary Treasurer: Robin Parsons Honorary Secretary: Paola Ferrari Committee: Linda Barr Sharon Phillis Richard Keyte Bill Leonard WARURA Representative: Darrell Stops

All of these initiatives – including the opportunity for junior teams to play on nib Stadium prior to and half-time during Western Force matches – are designed to give back to the clubs, provide a positive rugby experience and ensure there is a clear pathway from junior through to senior grades.

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RugbyWA Board: David Redpath

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

JUNIORS COMPETITIONS SOCIAL MEDIA

Our social media campaign has been one of the highlights of the year with incredible growth across Facebook (1,081), Twitter (4,798) and Instagram (121), and exposure for our Juniors and the competition.

FUNDRAISING

On the back of the drive and determination of the Junior Executive Committee, the Junior Raffle saw over $45,000 returned to clubs this year.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

The extension of Junior Rugby into Sevens and other short forms of the game emerged as a feature of the 2015 season. There are tremendous growth opportunities for Junior Rugby in these areas going forward, including the performance of our Junior Gold Cup teams in 2015.

THANKS

On behalf of the Executive, thanks to all those involved with our clubs – including coaches, managers, registrars, administrators, canteen workers and of course parents – that have generously contributed to ensuring our continued success; to the staff at RugbyWA, Mark Sinderberry, Andrew Hill, Adam Crane and his team, and in particular Richard Thelan, who has worked tirelessly week in week out to make this competition successful; thanks to the RugbyWA Board for your continued support and collaboration during 2015; thanks to Dwayne Nestor and his development team for the great work in our representative and development programs; and thanks to the West Australian. Junior Rugby Referees Association, namely Peter Hilgendorf, Julie Skiba, Bruce Dunn, Brent Mews, Darrell Stops and all referees who support our game.

BANKWEST JUNIOR RUGBY GRAND FINAL - RESULTS UNDER 17 GOLD Wests Scarborough 37 d Palmyra 23 Referee: Kieren Biddick - Man of the Match: Nika Morehu UNDER 17 SWAN Mandurah 19 d Southwest Counties 3 Referee: Sion Christie - Man of the Match: Frank Madigan UNDER 15 GOLD Wanneroo 17 d Associates 7 Referee: Declan Kettle - Man of the Match: Jaylen Tuapola UNDER 15 SWAN UWA/Perth Bayswater 34 d Wests Scarborough 17 Referee: Asti Miller - Man of the Match: Santana Payne UNDER 14 GOLD Joondalup 17 d Southern Lions Referee: Petrus Van Aswegen - Man of the Match: Tyrone Sulusulumaivasa UNDER 14 SWAN Wests Scarborough 21 d Palmyra 5 Referee: Marcell Blackie - Man of the Match: Rhys Allan UNDER 13 GOLD Wanneroo 17 d Rockingham 8 Referee: Kaleb Barr - Man of the Match: Jonah Mayberry UNDER 13 SWAN University 41 d Associates 22 Referee: Jono Authers - Man of the Match: Riley Sparks UNDER 12 GOLD Joondalup 26 d Perth Bayswater 12 Referee: Darcy Donovan - Man of the Match: Aidan McDonagh UNDER 12 SWAN Associates 22 d Mandurah 5 Referee: Jack Hardy Man of the Match: Justin Landman Champion Club: Wanneroo Districts Referee: Marcell Blackie - Man of the Match: Rhys Allan UNDER 13 GOLD Wanneroo 17 d Rockingham 8 Referee: Kaleb Barr - Man of the Match: Jonah Mayberry

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SCHOOLS COMPETITIONS After five years without an Executive Committee, a new WA Schools Rugby Union Executive Committee was formed in August to oversee and guide the progress of schools rugby in the state. The new committee, facilitated by Graham Cooper, is tasked with:

•

Providing players and coaches with the best opportunity to progress through the RugbyWA Pathway

•

improving communication and the promotion of the opportunities available, including state trials, coaching and manager positions

•

improving and growing schools rugby competitions, including the CSC, PSA and schoolgirls competitions

•

Being responsible for revenue and fundraising for the WA Schools Rugby Union

The new WA Schools Rugby Union Executive Committee is made up of: President: Bill Allen (ECU) Secretary: Alex Pasitoa (Trinity College Supporters Group) Treasurer: Paul Buttler Committee Members: Deon Moss (Guildford Grammar) Leon Felton (Wesley College) Rod Chapman (Thornlie Senior High School) Chris Miles (Christ Church Grammar)

COMBINED SCHOOLS COMPETITION

The Combined Schools Competition (CSC) continued to grow in 2015 with an increase in the number of teams competing, growing from 39 teams (780 players) in 2014 to 43 teams (860 players). While there remains some reluctance from some teams to oppose the strong rugby schools, several initiatives were introduced in 2015 that contributed to the overall growth of the CSC. The Year 8 & 10 competition structure was reshuffled to enable all teams to play on a Wednesday which allowed school teams to travel together. Previously Year 10’s played on a Tuesday and Year 8’s on a Wednesday. The final three rounds of fixtures were played at the

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Southern Lions Rugby Club (South Pool) and Palmyra Rugby Club (North/Central Pool) creating additional atmosphere at matches and enabling schools the opportunity for increased interaction. The final round of matches was played at Palmyra Rugby Club and utilised all three of their fields. This was to provide an opportunity for teams that ordinarily would not make a grand final to still experience the day and play matches to showcase their skills. A new Open (Division 2) grade was hosted to allow schools to nominate and play in the one division they believed their players were capable of competing in. This also encouraged participation from a large number of non-rugby athletes, including players from Australian Rules and soccer. Division 2 saw Kennedy Baptist and Mandurah Catholic College reach the final. Both teams had a large number of new players to the game and was great to see footy and soccer players show casing their unique skills in our game. Speed, kicking ability and general toughness all on display in the final. Aranmore Catholic College continued their strong rugby presence in the CSC, claiming the Year 8 and Year 10 grand finals, and finishing on top of the Open (Division 1) competition.

GRAND FINAL RESULTS

Year 8: Aranmore Catholic College 27 def Thornlie Senior High School 25 Year 10: Aranmore Catholic College 50 def Thornlie Senior High School 15 Open (Division 2): Kennedy Baptist College 21 def Mandurah Catholic College 19

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SCHOOLS COMPETITIONS YEAR 8 - SCHOOL

Pts

Thornlie Senior High School

141

Aranmore Catholic College

131

Churchlands Senior High School

127

Newman College

Baldivas Secondary College

John XXIII College

La Salle College

Mandurah Catholic College

Kennedy Baptist College

115

CBC Fremantle

118

YEAR 10 - SCHOOL

Pts

Thornlie Senior High School

128

John XXIII College

105

Aranmore Catholic College

137

Churchlands Senior High School

Baldivas Secondary College

113

CBC Fremantle

Mandurah Catholic College

104

La Salle College

116

Kennedy Baptist College

107

Newman College

163

OPEN DIVISION 1 - SCHOOL

Pts

Thornlie Senior High School

N/A

John XXIII College

N/A

Aranmore Catholic College

N/A

OPEN DIVISION 2 - SCHOOL

Pts

Kennedy Baptist College

126

Mandurah Catholic College

145

Lumen Christi College

CBC Fremantle

Mazenod College

Newman College

La Salle College

Halls Head College

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

SCHOOLS COMPETITIONS PUBLIC SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION

2015 marked the closest competition in recent years with Hale School and Scotch College eventually sharing the Brother Redmond Cup after finishing level on 49 points. The shared result extended Haleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outstanding run that has seen them top (or equal top) of the table for the past 13 years. In addition to this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tied result, Scotch and Hale shared the cup in 1977 and more recently in a three-way tie with Christ Church in 2001. In a season full of upsets and tight encounters, the most notable results this season included Christ Church Grammar School and Scotch College both toppling Hale, causing the powerhouse school to drop two games in a season for the first time since 2011. Across the age groups, team numbers remained stable throughout the PSA competitions. FIRST X - SCHOOL

Pts

Hale School

391

172

Scotch College

349

155

Wesley College

342

236

Christ Church Grammar School

254

242

Trinity College

320

245

Guildford Grammar School

149

388

Aquinas College

119

486

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RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

REFEREES RUGBYWA “Respect the game - Respect the call” In 2015, the WA Rugby Union Referees Association continued to focus and build on the strategic plan developed from our Season Review process over the last couple of years. The strategic focus includes: In reviewing the 2015 season, we will focus on: 1

Retention and development of existing referees of all grades

The Association continues to cover Schools mid-week, PSA, RugbyWA Junior and Senior games during the traditional season. More than 90 games are officiated on a Saturday with 100+ active referees across the Association available. Fly-in fly-out (FIFO) rosters, illness, injury and other nonavailability sometimes require referees to officiate multiple games.

a. Regular fitness sessions b. Regular education meetings

Apart from the “regular” games and local opportunities provided around tournaments, Super Rugby and the National Rugby Championship, WARURA referees have also been involved with the following interstate tournaments and games:

Supporting referees in the match day experience

•

National Schools Championships

Recruitment of new referees

•

National Under 16s

Recruitment and development of female referees

•

National Women’s Championships

Alignment with ARU referee coaching profile

•

Central Coast Sevens

Club 19 creation

•

Darwin Sevens

Deeper engagement with clubs

In reviewing the 2015 season, we will focus on:

•

Effective communication with our membership is a continuing challenge although our use of Facebook and Twitter have improved communications with many members.

•

Attendance at Referee Education Meetings is variable however it needs to be greater if we are to achieve our quality goals across all grades.

•

Referee Coaches continue to add significant value beyond their numbers both at Britannia and Senior Grades.

AGE OF ACTIVE REFEREES

ON FIELD

Our members have enthusiastically covered a growing number of tournaments featuring abbreviated forms of the game (Fives, Sevens and 10’s), which creates opportunities for up-and-coming referees.

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

REFEREES RUGBYWA ACTIVE REFEREES (2011-2015)

MEMBERSHIP

We currently have 168 active referees (ages vary from 11 to 61) and 15 referee coaches. We gained 24 new referees over 2015, however, this was offset by others not returning from 2014 and some injuries. The Association will have a dedicated person – ex-WARURA President, Brendan Fitzgerald – focusing on retention and recruitment in 2016 within our Coaching and Allocations Board.

Dom Notley, Alex Ninkov and Mathew O’Brien

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james Leckie, Graham Cooper and Ed Martin

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

REFEREES RUGBYWA DEVELOPMENT

Development continues to be at the forefront of the Association, with interstate opportunities important (due to limited opportunities at the Pindan Premier Grade level and higher) for the retention of our referees.

AWARDS

At our Annual Dinner held on Tuesday, 18 August, we proudly recognised some specific individuals. Referee of the Year: Graham Cooper

The Association has invested in its referee and referee coaches in funding their attendance at various championships as well as exchanges to Brisbane. The Association has also arranged for various ARU staff to come to Perth to work with identified referees and referee coaches. We also utilise the attendance of various Super 15 officials to work with our Junior referees.

Russel Perry Referee Coach of the Year: Bruce Dunn Most Improved Junior Referee: Darcy Donovan Most Improved New Referee: Kelan Jones Most Improved Senior Referee: Sam Jones

Opportunities for officiating outside WA were presented to several members (some funded by the WARURA and others by ARU or self-funded), including:

President’s Award: Tyler Miller Life Membership: Ian Hailes & Brendan Fitzgerald

•

Graham Cooper (National Development Squad): Super 15 (AR), Sydney and Brisbane Premier Grade, Central Coast Sevens, Darwin Sevens, National Rugby Championships

•

Patrick Davis: Darwin Sevens

•

Tyler Miller (National Development Squad): National Women’s Championship (AR), Darwin Sevens, Central Coast Sevens

•

Darwin Sevens

•

Liam O’Shea: Central Coast Sevens

•

Alex Ninkov: Exchange to Brisbane

•

Kyle Burnett: Exchange to Brisbane

•

Julie Skiba: Darwin Sevens (Administration).

•

Rob Kellam: National Rugby Championship (Coach).

•

Scott Chesterton: Darwin Sevens (Coach), Central Coast Sevens, National Rugby Championship (Coach

•

Sean Popperwell: Sydney (Level 2 Referee Coach Course)

Procopis/Day Trophy Premier Grade Grand Final: Alex Ninkov

VALE

It is with sadness that we remember Hugh Jones, Russel Perry (Life Member) and Maurie Day (Life Member), who passed away during the year.

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

CORPORATE

FAN ENGAGEMENT

MEMBERSHIP

Off the back of the most successful season in the club’s history the 2015 membership campaign started out strongly, recruiting over 70 percent of our total members within the first two months of being on sale. However as the season continued, we did not achieve our full, paid member target – achieving 98 percent of member numbers and 93% of target revenue. Only 60 members signed up after the second game. Overall the renewal campaign was successful, with 87 percent of 2014 members renewing in 2015 – two percent ahead of target. This is this second consecutive year the club has seen growth in membership numbers taking us to a total of 16,230 members. A major focus on retention activity throughout the 2015 season will be a contributing factor of our successes in 2016.

SHIFT TO FAN ENGAGEMENT

...

At the beginning of 2015, the Membership, Ticketing and Marketing teams were combined under the joint banner of ‘Fan Engagement’. This move enabled us to bring together our operational and communications schedules to allow members to hear from us more often and provide a increased value-for-money experience.

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INTRODUCING SCRUM

Supporting this structural change is the major operational change through the introduction of SCRUM – an ARU-hosted Salesforce-based CRM system allowing us to manage members, ticket buyers and subscribers through one central platform. For 2016 we have also moved our membership platform to Ticketek which is integrated into SCRUM. While not without teething issues, the transition has enabled us to benefit from greater operational efficiencies, improved customer servicing and most importantly access to a valuable data asset of over 80,000 contacts in Western Australia. Housing our member and ticket buyer data in a central location will allow us to use customer analytics to understand our customer base better and turn insights into ways to acquire new customers, grow lifetime value, retain members, and enhance member loyalty and advocacy

RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

CORPORATE FAN ENGAGEMENT MORE ACCESS, MORE VALUE

Our focus throughout the year has been on talking to our Members more and giving them more access to the team. Members continued to enjoy the Corner Post and Diamond Members’ Bar on match day and the opportunity to meet players pre-game and see the Haigh & Hastings Man of the Match presentation at the Corner Post after each home game. We added an open training session to the Member event calendar in 2015 which was well attended and introduced new weekly communications to our members in the electronic form of the Sea of Blue News. During the season, members received the team announcement before anyone else and exclusive team content such as video interviews with players and coaches.

DIGITAL MEDIA

Throughout the 2015 season we utilised social media and digital communications more than even before giving our fans instant access to team news and behind the scenes stories. This enabled continued growth through our digital platforms, despite not being fuelled by the success the Western Force enjoyed in 2014. However, the Rugby World Cup provided an excellent boost in engaging content through the second half of the season.

CHANNEL

2014

2015

VARIATION

Website

1,250,000 page views

1,455,009 page views

+16%

Facebook

54,043 likes

75,073 likes

+34%

Twitter

16,400 followers

21.270 followers

+30%

Instagram

3,734 likes

10,000 likes

+268%

Cut Out Pass

19,480 database

20,412 database

+5%

10TH SEASON CELEBRATION

Despite some of the lows on the pitch the big high during the season was being able to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Western Force’s Super Rugby debut with many of the club’s inaugural members. The commitment of this group of members is without doubt the reason why the Western Force has celebrated this milestone and the Sea of Blue continues to be the most passionate group of supporters in world rugby.

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

FINANCIAL

REPORT

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RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

FINANCIAL REPORT

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

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RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

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RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

Ernst & Young 11 Mounts Bay Road Perth WA 6000 Australia GPO Box M939 Perth WA 6843

Tel: +61 8 9429 2222 Fax: +61 8 9429 2436 ey.com/au

Independent auditor’s report to the members of Western Australian Rugby Union (Inc.) Independent auditor’s report to the members of Western Australian Rugby Union (Inc.) We have audited the accompanying financial report of Western Australian Rugby Union (Inc.), which comprises the consolidated statement of financial position as at 31 December 2015, the consolidated statement of comprehensive income, the consolidated statement of changes in equity and the consolidated statement of cashflows for the year ended, a summary of significant accounting policies, other explanatory notes and the directors’ declaration of the consolidated entity comprising Western Australian Rugby Union (Inc.) and the entities it controlled at the year’s end or from time to time during the financial year.

Directors’ responsibility for the financial report The directors’ of Western Australian Rugby Union (Inc.) are responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial report in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and with the Associations Incorporation Act WA, and for such internal controls as the directors determine are necessary to enable the preparation of the financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor’s responsibility Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial report based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. Those standards require that we comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to audit engagements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial report is free from material misstatement. An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial report. The procedures selected depend on our judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial report, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, we consider internal controls relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial report in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal controls. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by the directors, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial report. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

Independence In conducting our audit we have complied with the independence requirements of the Australian professional accounting bodies.

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RUGBYWA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

Opinion In our opinion the financial report presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Western Australian Rugby Union (Inc.) and the consolidated entity as of 31 December 2015, and their financial performance and cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and the Associations Incorporations Act WA.

Emphasis of matter Without qualifying our opinion, we draw attention to Note 1(a) Cash Management in the financial report. These conditions indicate the existence of a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt about the entityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to continue as a going concern and therefore, the entity may be unable to realise its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business.

Ernst & Young

G Lotter Partner Perth 28 June 2016

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RUGBY WA ANNUAL REPORT 2015

203 Underwood Ave, Floreat WA 6014 PO Box 146 Floreat WA 6014 Telephone (08) 9387 0700 www.westernforce.com.au | 2015