Pic 'n' Drive

15/08/2026

09/08/2026

With the Bowral Rugby Club's First Grade side's finals spot secured, Saturday's match against a plucky Tech Waratahs gave coach Gus Anderson the opportunity to test the team's resilliance, with at least eight regulars out and three playing their first game of the season.
After the seconds participated in a mistake-a-thon to sn**ch defeat from the jaws of victory (19-24, conceding a try with the last play of the day), First Grade looked headed in the same direction as the home team took an early lead.
Blacks had a distinct advantage in the backs and the forwards gave them plenty of chances to shine, but overly optimistic passes and subsequent dropped balls had supporters tearing their hair out. Blacks still managed four first half tries to go to the break up 24-12.
That, however, was the end of the scoring for the visitors as the home team -- which was making just as many mistakes as their opposition -- crept back into the game with a penalty goal and try to trail 22-24 with around 15 minutes still to play.
Bowral realised that field position in these clutch moments was the top priority and somehow managed to find a way to win, which, under the circumstances, was a credit to a side that was still getting to know each other.
With two weeks left and only one more game in the regular season, a finals spot is assured for the Blacks, but coach Anderson will be looking to the return of regular guns to maintain momentum.
Bowral has the bye this week, followed by a game against Shoalhaven in Nowra on August 22, before the finals begin the following week.
I've posted 80 images this week, having been able to cover both First and Second Grade matches for a change. Around 40 of these images are a sequence of Lyle Chadwick's astonishing run ploughing through wave after wave of defence before offloading (to a fellow prop) and then taking his pass to beat three more tacklers to score under the post.

19/07/2026

A great day of rugby at Eridge Park on Saturday despite mixed results for the Bowral Blacks.

Taking on Kiama for the umpteenth time this season, the home team looked the goods during the first half, matching their bigger and more accomplished opponents.

Lots of chances created, only one of them converted. Ultimately going down 8-14. Plenty to like about the Blacks' performance in this one, but frustrating, knowing that a few forced hail-Mary passes cost them golden opportunities.

It was a different story against Vikings in the second of the day's two abbreviated fixtures.

Momentume swung both ways throughout, and Vikings showed a dogged determination to keep climbing back into contention, but eventually, Bowral ran out deserving winners, 28-24.

It was four tries each, but Bowral scored theirs closer to the posts, which meant conversion kicks proved the difference.

All this happened after Bowral's Second Grade scored a huge victory over Kiama, running in some spectacular tries for a 28-0 win. Not too sure whether the coaching staff will be more pleased with the 28 points or the clean defensive sheet.

Bowral is at home once more to Vikings at Eridge Park next Saturday. Vikings are the only realistic threat to Bowral's semi-final chances, so it's a must-win game.

15/07/2026

A frustrating day at Camden Rugby Park on Saturday as the visiting Bowral Blacks went down to a side they should've beaten given the number of unconverted opportunities they created.

The Blacks match report pretty much said it all: Respect all opponents and pay no attention to respective positions on the competition ladder.

Bowral plays Kiama and Vikings at Eridge Park on Saturday in another of those "Gala Day" events that seem to do more to distort the competition ladder than reflect what it should be. All games with Kiama have been good contests so far, so with a little luck, Bowral's home team advantage might carry the day, particularly if they are hurting -- as they should be -- following the loss to the Rams.

15/06/2026

Seven tries -- six in the first half -- saw the Bowral Blacks return to the winners list with a 43-5 victory over Tech Tahs at Eridge Park on Saturday.

The visitors beefed up their defence in the second half and dominated possession for sustained periods, which put Bowral's scrambling defence to the test.

Blacks coach Gus Anderson said it was the nature of his side's defence that most pleased him.

"We saw an abrasiveness in defence that we haven't seen before," he said.

Time and again Tech Tahs threats were bundled into touch by two and three defenders, making for an enthralling second stanza for the local supporters.

Bowral has the bye this week before taking on Shoalhaven and Kiama at the second of those weird "Gala Days" that the IDRU has been forced to schedule in order to get a fair draw completed within the regular season time frame.

Bowral then has Kiama at home on July 4 before a dream run against Camden, Vikings and Tech Tahs all the way until the week before the finals.

Opportunity knocks for the Bowral Blacks!

01/06/2026

OK, we get it! Campbelltown Harlequins are a pretty good side, but the Bowral Blacks didn't need to play them in three of the past four matches to find that out.

Such are the bizarre circumstances of the Illawarra District Rugby Union's First Grade draw.

Bowral fought to the end but a few defensive lapses cost the visitors dearly, resulting in another Quins' victory, this time 31-21.

Bowral's Second Grade side fought back from what looked an impossible position to level the scores at 19-19 late in the second half, only to see Campbelltown kick a field goal in the last play of the match.

Since the season opening win over Vikings, Bowral Firsts have played defending premier Kiama, grand finalist Shoalhaven, and now Campbelltown three times. All of which makes it tough for the coaching staff to get these youngsters mentally up for such games.

The fact that the Blacks have shown such grit in each of those past four encounters is a credit to the team management and the club supporters have plenty to look forward to as the season progresses and the draw opens up a few more opportunities.

The King's Birthday weekend will see no local rugby this weekend, but the next game at Eridge Park on June 13 should be a beauty against Tech Waratahs, who managed to put 24 points on Shoalhaven at the weekend and now stand fifth (behind the Blacks in Fourth) on the ladder.

11/05/2026

A day of mixed fortunes for the Bowral Blacks on Saturday, with First Grade playing two games of 20-minute halves against Camden and Campbelltown in what the Illawarra District Rugby Union called a Gala Day.

First Grade took to the field against Camden as firm favourites after a couple of recent promising but disappointing results against competition front-runners Campbelltown and Kiama.

In a tough encounter, Bowral ran out 17-7 winners after dominating the second half whilst their next opponents, Campbelltown, watched on from the sideline.

With no more than 10 minutes to prepare for the second match, Bowral began strongly but the loss of a prop and scrum-half and the class of the home team proved decisive. The Quins led led 14-0 at half time, went on to record a 21-0 victory.

Bowral's Second grade had earlier overwhelmed the Camden Rams to win 25-0.

Whilst conceding that the Campbelltown First Grade side was clearly better on the day, the format of the Gala Day was decidedly unfair. The Quins had a home-ground advantage and were able to take the field fresh against a team that had already played 40 minutes of hard rugby in 25 degree heat.

This Gala Day format would work well as a pre-season tournament that would allow clubs to trial all their aspiring talent, with no competition points at stake.

But competition points were at stake. The IRDU is faced with real difficulties with a seven-team first-grade competition and a 10-team second-grade comp. At present we have representative players playing second grade because their clubs are not represented in First Grade.

Yes, the draw is a nightmare, but the integrity of the competition is sorely tested by Gala Day formats such as the one we've just seen. It was a different story in Wollongong where the remaining First Grade clubs -- Vikings, Tech Waratahs, Kiama and Shoalhaven -- all competed on equal terms on two fields where games were played simultaneously.

Another Gala Round -- this one involving all seven first-grade clubs with all but one club playing two matches -- is scheduled for June 27.

Interestingly enough, the home club, Shoalhaven, is scheduled for just one match -- against Bowral -- after the Blacks will have had just 10 minutes to recover from a game against Kiama.

That means that the two Gala Days will have seen the Blacks playing four matches, three of which will be against Top Three teams of Campbelltown, Kiama and Shoalhaven.

Go figure!

02/05/2026

A disappointing result, but the Bowral Blacks took plenty away from their 21-27 loss to Campbelltown at Eridge Park on Saturday.

A try to Campbelltown a minute before the break left Bowral trailing 0-20, but coach Gus Anderson assured his team there was plenty to play for and that victory was no pipe dream given the circumstance.

His words resonated and for the second week in a row, the Blacks won the second half -- three tries to one -- but couldn't quite do enough to take the competition points.

Ball security is a worrying problem that will need to be sorted before a return fixture against the Harlequins in Campbelltown next Saturday. Time and again ball carriers were stripped of possession at the breakdown just when Bowral's attacks seemed most threatening.

The home team's lineout was problematic but was operating functionally by the mid-point of the second half.

Goal-line defence was again impressive and the creativity of Bowral's tries, two of which came from determined chases after smart kicks, gave locals plenty to cheer as they closed to within a converted try of victory with only two minutes left to play.

21/04/2026

Not sure when the last time Illawarra District Rugby Premiers Kiama played 65 minutes without scoring a try, but that's what happened when they met the Bowral Blacks at Kiama Showground last Saturday.

It was a frustrating day for the visitors, with several blown opportunities in the first half, including a disallowed try, so going to the break 0-12 was more than an acceptable result.

Unless, of course, you were Blacks' head coach Gus Anderson, who made his displeasure known in no uncertain terms. He is not one for the halftime rant and it must have shocked the team into action, because when they changed ends, they were more than a match for the home-town favourites.

Joe Cipolla's try late in the game took Bowral to within striking distance, after Corey Martin's superb conversion in difficult windy conditions, but an even later penalty goal gave Kiama a well-earned but nervous 15-7 victory.

There is no rugby this weekend due to Anzac Day celebrations, but the Blacks will be at home for the first time in 2026 on May 2, against Campbelltown. The match will pit 2nd on the ladder against 3rd, and should be a beauty.