Sullivan Upper started strongly, with centre Noah Cassidy immediately halting a Campbell attack. After fullback Scott Henderson kicked a penalty to the corner, Sullivan looked set to press, but Campbell's forwards quickly forced a turnover penalty, allowing Theo Campbell to gain critical territory.
The scrappiness of the contest was evident as momentum repeatedly shifted, with Sullivan flanker Sammy Williams standing out. Campbell eventually settled, orchestrating some well-worked phases led by centre Charlie Clarke and a strong forward pack. The pressure eventually told in the 9th minute when captain Peter Young crashed over for the opening unconverted try, leaving the score at 5-0.
Despite a powerful turnover by Sullivan flanker Finlay Steele, Campbell's defence, marshalled by fullback James Cairns, held firm. Sullivan had another go, this time from a powerful Jay Topping, but once again, the Campbell defence was resolute. Another opportunity came for Sullivan in the 18th minute as Harry McCartney found space down the wing, but unfortunately the ball went loose and was turned over.
The second score of the half would be for CCB, as in the 26th minute, Campbell doubled their lead. Following sustained pressure and a series of well-worked phases, Charlie Clarke made it over the posts, however the referee called it back for a scrum to the 5m line. This would not deter the boys in black, who had another ago, this time Zach Thompson crossed the line, with Will Stewart adding the conversion to make it 12-0.
Skipper Peter Young secured his second try just before the break after a series of phases, leaving the score 17-0 at halftime.
HT: CCB 17 – 0 SUS
The second half began explosively for Sullivan. Just two minutes in, Noah Cassidy delivered an amazing run from the halfway line, slicing into the Campbell 22 and setting up flanker Finlay Steele to score down the wing, closing the gap to 17-5. The fightback continued in the tight exchanges; a powerful sequence of carries led to a driving maul try from hooker Topping, taking the score to 17-10.
Campbell's lead was cut to just seven points, and the game entered a fiercely competitive arm-wrestle. Despite Campbell's scrum-half Dara Brown showing quick feet and centres like Charlie Clarke constantly seeking space, Sullivan’s defence remained resolute, forcing penalties and turnovers. Sullivan skipper Lucas McKeown also produced a great run to relieve pressure.
With ten minutes remaining and the result still in the balance, Campbell delivered the decisive blow. A remarkable period of play saw the ball kicked four times up the field, agonisingly evading Sullivan hands, before Zach Thompson collected the bouncing ball to run in his second try under the posts. Stewart converted to seal the match at 24-10.
Campbell’s ability to defend strongly and capitalise on small margins secured the win, allowing them to lift the U16 Cup for the third successive year.
Teams
Campbell College
15 James Cairns, 14 Will Stewart, 13 Zach Thompson, 12 Charlie Clarke, 11 Sam Geary, 10 Theo Campbell, 9 Dara brown, 8 Ronan Pierce, 7 Oliver Allen, 6 Sam Clarke, 5 Fred Claney, 4 Marlo Connolly McCauley, 3 Jacob Campbell, 2 Peter Young (C), 1 David Jikota
Replacements
16 Zach Bryans, 17 Paddy Ross, 18 Johnny Mount-Stephen, 19 Dylan Finlay, 20 Patrick Campbell, 21 Rocco Danielli, 22 Jake Brown, 23 Matthew Nelson
Sullivan Upper School
15 Scott Henderson, 14 Bejamin French, 13 Noah Cassidy, 12 Lucas McKeown (C), 11 Harry McCartney, 10 Finn Merriman, 9 Josh Cowan, 8 Edan Polley, 7 Finlay Steele, 6 Finn MacCormick, 5 Zander Hennessy, 4 Sammy Williams, 3 Joshua McWilliams, 2 Jay Topping, 1 Harrison Brown
Replacements
16 Josh Lowry, 17 Jake Lynch, 18 Rory Diver, 19 George McClure, 20 Tom Buckley, 21 George Kilpatrick, 22 Charlie Andrews, 23 Ben Savage
Scorers
Campbell
Tries: Peter Young (2), Zach Thompson (2)
Conversion: Will Stewart (2)
Sullivan
Tries: Finlay Steele, Jay Topping
Player of the Match - James Cairns
