Family First As Joeys Jump The Gps Ship

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday June 3, 2000

Phil Wilkins

The pride of St Joseph's College will run out at Hunters Hill against Knox Grammar on a prickly Sydney winter's afternoon today, but the cerise and blue colours will be missing from the Combined GPS rugby union teams later this month.

Australia's most famous rugby nursery, the college which produced former Test captain Steve Williams and present Wallaby fullback Matthew Burke, has decided it will take part in the prestigious 2000 GPS competition but it will not release players for early representative games.

As a result, not one St Joseph's College player will be in the Australian Schools XV to play Ireland Schools in Brisbane on August 23.

Due to the exceptional circumstances involved in the staging of the Olympics in September, the month usually devoted to representative schools rugby, the NSW Schools Rugby Union has rescheduled its annual games involving teams representing the GPS, Combined High Schools, Combined Associated Schools, the Independent Schools Association, Catholic Colleges and NSW Country for this month.

Although not a ball has been kicked competitively in the GPS, and will not be until the first round of July 22, NSW First and Second XVs will be chosen later this month for the Australian national carnival in Brisbane from July 2-9.

St Joseph's deputy headmaster, Brother Anthony Boyd, coach of the college's First XV, said this week that as the only all-boarder GPS school, family life for the students came first in the college's considerations.

Brother Anthony pointed to the timetable confronting final-year students of a fortnight's holiday from the end of this month, of which a number will spend a week at a rugby training camp, the HSC trials, starting on August 14, as well as launching into the seven-week program of the GPS rugby competition throughout the third term.

``This a one-off year, but family requirements come first," he said. ``Rugby is not the be-all and end-all of school life. We have to do the right thing for the kids and their families.

``The two major problems are academic and holidays. These boys have to go home and be with their families. It's a school matter and has nothing to do with the GPS organisation. It's a school decision. It's happening."

It is understood that four of the college's prominent players were interviewed privately about the decision and their priorities and, to a student, the attitude expressed was: ``SJC rugby comes first!"

One prominent GPS official said: ``We are all disappointed that St Joseph's will not be involved. It is a school with a great tradition in rugby.

``The athletics are all over, finished. I believe they did not want their GPS [rugby] preparation disrupted."

Understandably, the college's decision has caused discussion within GPS circles, ranging from cautious concurrence to some people being described as ``livid" and ``distraught", even ``human rights issues" being raised.

Brother Anthony had the final word: ``Rugby has its place. It doesn't come above everything else."