By the break, the Robb team had clawed their way back to a 16-12 deficit, in what coach Mick McCarthy described as “a very even game”. “At half-time I told them if they wanted to be undefeated premiers, they had 40 minutes to do it,” Mick later told The Armidale Express. When the final whistle blew, they were lifting the Abbott, Pardy and Jenkins New England Cup.
That day, 25 years ago, the Robb College Rugby Union Club made headlines – and history. In defeating Old Boys 27-16, the club snared a premiership clean sweep in all three grades – a feat not seen in the competition since 1990 (full credit to Old Boys). It unleashed days of celebrations among players and their supporters – a “party not to remember”.
First XV captain Sam Marshall describes it as an exceptional year.
“We had a lot of depth in the club – it was a fantastic group, with strong camaraderie and positivity, and our performance reflected that,” he said. “We had a very mobile forward pack, a massive front row and strike power in the backs, so it was a very balanced team. And Mick was a fantastic man manager, an expert on game day who could read the opposition and the play and bring out our best.
“We also had an extremely strong supporter base, which was very vocal. The whole college was behind us. One of my lasting memories is of passionate supporter Mick Ashton, dressed like someone from the film Braveheart – in a nod to the college’s Scottish origins – rushing to hug me as we left the field. It was all very emotional.”
And every try and tackle will be relived in late September when Robb players, coaches, officials and supporters gather to celebrate the 25-year anniversary of that fairytale ending.
Robb Rugby Club President in 2000, Steve Dalton, said the stars aligned that season and he’s looking forward to them all coming out again.
“We were fortunate that we had three teams of talented young rugby players, a great coaching group and a strong culture throughout the college,” he said. “Robb was very competitive across all sporting codes at that time, including netball, hockey and rugby league. That day the rugby guys really wanted to play for one another.”
Former player and current director of the Robb College Foundation, Neil Hetherington, said all players went into the grand final matches with a serious attitude instilled in them throughout the season.
“I think we can put the result down to the example that club leaders set; that we couldn’t take anything for granted, that we needed to turn up for training all season and give it our all,” Neil said. “The club spirit was very strong. And competition for positions was strong – there were seven first-years in the first-grade team – so there was no shirking, not in any grade. That successful year meant a lot to a lot of people.”
So impressive was their 2000 season that the first XV even featured in the Australian Rugby Magazine that year.
Not surprisingly, friendships endured long after the final hooter and long after graduation. Some players also went on to higher rugby honours. Tim Stuart, Josh Noble, Angus Burnell and Neil Hetherington played Central North U21s; firsts vice-captain Will Martel played for NSW Country; Doug Andrews for NSW Country U19s; and Will Martel, Sam Marshall and Tatafu Moeaki played for the Australian Universities team.
And while players have kept in touch over the years, the scale of this reunion is unprecedented, drawing team-mates from Tonga (where Tatafu is head of the Reserve Bank), the United Kingdom, Singapore and across Australia.
Lunch at Easts Rugby Club at Rose Bay (in Sydney) on September 27 will be followed by a few light beverages. They just need someone to bring the bagpipes!
