Sydney University Lions opened the 2016 NSW Tertiary Students rugby league season with a convincing 34-8 win over a strong Cumberland College outfit at Ollie Webb Oval on Saturday.
Jake Vrahnos and Ben McMahon each scored double as the Lions ran in six tries in a very physical encounter dominated by strong defence.
The Lions led 10-8 after a tight first half and went on with the job in the second half with another four tries.
The team demonstrated a willing work rate in defence and in the second half the Lions’ energetic backs found gaps in the Cumberland defence on the back of a committed forward pack.
The Lions had many good performers, including Elite Athlete Program scholarship holder Vrahnos, Kurt Lewis, Myles Fowler, Matthew Colgrave, Kingi Ngatai and South African debutant Dwayne Botma.
In Second Division the Lions were beaten 26-18 by Cumberland College.
The Lions started in strong fashion and dominated the early exchanges. However, Cumberland took advantage of several handling errors by the Lions to post crucial tries.
Among the better performers for the Division 2 side were newcomers Kelvin Quinn and Kevin Nguyen along with Kent Straker and Conor Karagiannis.
Scoreboard
NSW Tertiary Students Competition – Round 1
Division 1: Sydney University 34 (Jake Vrahnos 2, Ben McMahon 2, Anthony Jury, Myles Fowler tries; Myles Fowler 3 goals, Tom McCarthy 2 goals) defeated Cumberland College 8.
Division 2: Cumberland Beavers 26 defeated Sydney University 18 (Kazuki Fukushige, Sione Fifita, Wilfred Lee, Kurt Lewis tries; Dave Turner goal).
