Selwyn Times: May 01, 2019

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Wednesday May 1 2019 13
Big first-up test for Lincoln Combined
• By Jacob Page
Tom
Hooper
LINCOLN COMBINED will
start their UC Championship
rugby campaign with a tricky
home assignment on Saturday.
Under new coach Tom Hooper,
they will take on last year’s semifinalists
Rangiora High School.
Lincoln Combined had their
most successful season in the
competition last year, finishing
seventh but challenging for a
top-four spot over
the majority of the
season. They were
also undefeated
at their Lincoln
High School-base
during the roundrobin.
Lincoln
Combined beat
Waitaki Boys’
High School 17-7 on Saturday in
their final preseason game.
Hooper, who takes over from
Mike Wilson, said he is happy
with the squad’s preseason
work, which has seen them train
together for the past eight weeks
and get a 37-0 win over Mid-
Canterbury Combined.
The squad has 15 players
returning from last season,
including captain and playmaker
Wil Gualter.
Hooper said with the cyclical
nature of secondary school rugby
teams, he is keen to focus on
what his team does well to get off
to a strong start this season.
TEAM: Lincoln Combined are looking to improve on last year’s UC Championship rugby
campaign in which they finished seventh.
“Overall, I’m really pleased
with how the preseason has
gone,” he said.
“The squad is fit and any
preseason niggles we had are
clearing up and we have a good
base of players in our squad to
start the season,” he said.
He said it will be important
for his team to make the most of
their home games this season.
Hooper said if any teams
underestimate them, particularly
in the forwards where they have
been traditionally under-size, he
will welcome the challenge.
“We’ll be going into every
game respecting the teams we’re
playing and expecting to come
up against some really good
sides. We wanted to have a squad
that we felt could go the full
70min and we are confident we
have that.”
Hooper said he hopes the
boys who have returned from
last season have learnt from
their experiences playing
against traditional competition
heavyweights, like Christchurch
Boys’ High School and Christ’s
College, to improve their play in
crucial moments.
The team will face several
road trips this season with two
to Timaru to take on Roncalli
Combined on May 18 and
Timaru Boys’ High School on
July 6.
They’ll also head to Ashburton
to play Mid-Canterbury
Combined on June 1, and play
their penultimate round-robin
fixture in Nelson against Waimea
Combined on July 27.
Saturday’s game against
Rangiora High School at Lincoln
High School kicks-off at 2:30pm.
Lincoln Combined wider
squad
Wil Gualter, Adam Gualter,
Andre des Forges, Ben
Hooper, Blair Royal, Blake
Evans, Brandyn Boyle, Caleb
McStay, Callum Murdoch,
Callum Vallance, Cameron
Morris, Cam Radford, Dylan
Flatman, Jack Dawson, Jack
Johnston, Jacob Jones, Jake
Pluck, Jared Wilson, Jesse
SPORT
Lincoln Combined’s
2019 UC Championship
campaign
•May 4: Home v Rangiora
High School
•May 11: Away v Shirley
Boys’ High School
•May 18: Away v Roncalli
Combined
•May 25: Home v Christ’s
College
•June 1: Away v Mid-
Canterbury Combined
•June 7: Away v St
Thomas of Canterbury
•June 15: Home v St
Bede’s College
•June 22: Home v
Marlborough Boys’ College
•June 29: Away v St
Andrew’s College
•July 6: Away v Timaru
Boys’ High School
•July 27: Away v Waimea
Combined
•August 3: Home v
Nelson College
Waswo, Jonathan Allen,
Jordan Lill, Josh Brown,
Kaleb Whitelaw, Macauley
Hamlin, Reagan Le Roux,
Sam Scott, Scott Happer,
Tommy Hamilton, Wayde
Van Vuuren.
•More sport, pages 14 & 19
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