A lesson.
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That’s what Western got in their opening match of the NSW School Sport Combined High Schools rugby union carnival at Dubbo on Wednesday.
But like any lesson, the hope is the players learn from it.
Western went down 28-0 to a slick Sydney South West at Apex Oval but Dubbo-based coach Gerard Hart wasn’t disappointed in his side.
The hosts were forced to get through a mountain of defence in the opening stanza and only a try on the bell gave the Sydney side a 14-0 lead heading into the break.
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The sheer amount of work in defence took a toll in the second half as Western tired and that was all the invitation a hugely impressive Sydney South West outfit needed in the 18 minutes-a-half match.
“They know what to do now,” Hart said of his players.
“We started off really well and tackled well and had them held in their own half and they didn’t really see the tryline in the first 10 minutes. The scrum and set piece was good but we’ve got some things to work on.
“Sydney South West were just too good. Too much speed.”
Sydney South West was on the front foot almost immediately in the tenth match of the opening day’s action.
Western’s defence held firm for a period but eventually outside centre Zac Ratuvou crossed and approaching half time it was his three-quarter partner Faiva Faiva who scored to put Sydney South West in complete control.
Another try almost immediately after the break was just what Hart didn’t want and while Sydney South West ran in two further tries, the coach is still hopeful is side can achieve success this week.
“We had good selection trials and training runs and the boys came together well,” he said.
“There was a couple of injuries right before the tournament but we’ve got a good squad of 20 from the western region so it’s pretty good.”
Sydney South West’s win over Western was the biggest of the day up to that point but it still wasn’t enough to see the boys in green finish on top in Pool D.
Western suffered a 22-0 losS to Sydney North East in its second match on Wednesday, the citysiders having downed Sydney South West 17-5 earlier in the day.
Elsewhere on day one, Sydney North West finished top of Pool A while North West, a team cheered on by former Coonamble boy and current Waratah Ned Hanigan, was top of Pool B.
Sydney East topped Pool C after edging out Hunter, 12-10, in a close-fought match.
The action resumes at 9am on Thursday.