Family affair as Maccabi rugby beat Canterbury
Maccabi rugby earned their fourth win this season in round 13, when two generations of Sterns played.
After some recent heavy losses in the Sydney Subbies McLean Cup against top-four teams, Maccabi Rugby Club returned to the winner’s circle in round 13 – the penultimate round of the season – on July 27 when travelling to Wills Park to take on 8th-placed Canterbury.
After gaining confidence in a solid first half in which they scored 4 tries to 2, the Maccabi men went on with the job, scoring 2 more tries while not conceding any more.
They coasted to a 42-10 victory, moving up from seventh to sixth place. It was their fourth win of what’s been a tough season.
Fly-half Max Wright scored a hat-trick, Evan Van der Knaap, Afu Vakapuna, and Jake Delmenico all crossed the tryline, and Nathan Abrahams kicked all 6 conversions.
Other top contributors were 17-year-old Isaac Cohen, Adam Gazzard, and Noah Rubin in the scrum-half role.
The win put smiles on dials amid the Maccabi playing group, and it was made even more memorable when for the first time, and perhaps the last, three members of the Stern family, spanning two generations, were included in their match day squad.
Club president Aaron Stern played for the full 80 minutes as usual, and on an extended bench, were his younger brother Noah, and their dad Tim.
While Noah, 24, had played in a couple of games this season, Tim, 66, was super keen to put on the sky blue Maccabi jersey one more time, and for the first time since he captained the team just over three decades ago – an era in which he also played top grade rugby for Eastern Suburbs.
Aaron told The AJN it was great to get the win in Canterbury, and also enjoy a very special family moment.
“Everyone was really happy for us, and I think Dad must have been the oldest to ever play for Maccabi in a match.
“Unfortunately, Dad’s time on the pitch was short, as he copped a knock to the head a minute or so after he came on from the bench, but he really wanted to play one more time, and he did it.
“Noah’s going well – he’s still learning, but improving with every match he plays in.”
He added, in a challenging season results wise, “It was about time we got a good win like that, so we’re very happy, and I thought our attack was very strong last Saturday”.
“We have a very young squad, and the younger players need time to find their way, and that’s a positive thing for the club, because the number of players in our squad is double than last season.”
The McLean Cup had an an all-team bye last weekend, so this weekend will be the last round of the regular season, and Maccabi’s last match of the year.
Maccabi will host the third-placed Sydney Harlequins on Saturday, August 9 from 3:15pm at the picturesque seaside Burrows Park in Clovelly, aiming to end their season on a high note.