BY MARK CASHMAN

You don’t win three Catchpole Medals and play a truckload of Shute Shield games at flyhalf without gaining some wisdom.

So it’s not a bad idea to check in with former Warringah No.10 Hamish Angus with the big northern beaches rearing its sizeable head at Rat Park on Saturday.

Colleague Jonathan B. Geddes spoke to him for his Rats Tales newsletter and as you would expect he made a lot sense.

“I think the game is won by the team which is smarter, and not necessarily getting caught up in the emotion and the event, but sticks to what they do well and controls the game,” Angus said.

“I’m jealous not to be involved. It’s great how everyone gets into it, and people stick around. Looking at it from the outside, it is like a reunion.

“I think it is special because rugby is such a community on the northern beaches – everyone knows who they are playing against so well. That makes it quite unique.

“And it is great the community gets behind it – a big crowd, a great atmosphere and it’s normally a really good time.”

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Around The Traps spoke with Souths coach Scott Fava in the wake of the 101-5 loss to Eastern Suburbs last weekend and while taking ownership of the whole train crash made some salient points about the Shute Shield.

Fava says the whole process around the allocation of Waratahs squad members at this time of the year is flawed.

Over 60 percent of the Tahs over the past five years have been aligned with just three clubs with Easts and Sydney Uni hoovering up the majority of the talent.

“I was told that I was getting a Waratah from the last allocation, and what did I get? Zero, nothing,” Fava told Rugby News.

“Having someone from a fully professional program come into the group at this time in the season would really help.

“From understanding what is needed further up the pathway and the good habits that they would bring – it just puts some wind in the sails of the boys that have been hammering away all year.

“The Brumbies get it right with their player allocations.

“I think they’ve had five different winners of the competition down there, over for the last five years, because they’ve allocated all their players to make sure the competition’s fair.”

This column is also hearing that the new points system is far from being embraced by the majority of the Shute Shield clubs.

They want change but like changing a coach mid-season you have got to have the new one all lined up before pulling the trigger.

Lots more in this saga to play out. Stay tuned.

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The schoolboy competitions that supply the vast majority of talent to the professional pathways and Shute Shield are working their way to finality in the next couple of weeks.

Rugby News’ coverage of the GPS, CAS and sometimes ISA competitions in Sydney as well as the major schools stuff in Brisbane pose the question about which team is the best.

Our Australian Schools and Under 18s teams have had some success in the past couple of years against the Kiwis which is great, but these teams generally are only together for the one season.

So what’s the pecking order out there of these schools first XVs?

Is Newington top of the pile in Sydney or is it a team from the CAS or ISA competitions?

Well my enquiries point to two teams – Barker who play in the CAS and St Augustine’s College at Brookvale from the ISA.

Two teams that play a pure, open style of rugby, both well steered by their game managers.

Let the debate begin!

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Back when the Warringah team of the day would get their retaliation in first Rick Davidson was an important part of the Rats midfield.

Davidson was a straight as an arrow inside centre with robust defence and his combination with Eddie Wayling was one of the best in the Shute Shield back in the 1980s.

They teamed well with Grant Andrews at No.10 and every one of their opponents knew they had been in a tussle by the time fulltimne had been called.

Sadly the Friends of Warringah reported this weekend that Davidson had passed away.

He played 152 first grade games for the Rats and in all totalled 191 senior games for the club.

Teammates loved playing with him – enough said.

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Wins in the Shute Shield have been few and far between but West Harbour remain focussed on the future.

Good coaching and a focus on their common city has been part and parcel of the mantra at Concord and part of that is the Pirates Performance Camp on July 16-17.

It’s two days where junior rugby athletes will be exposed to professional rugby training, leadership development, and community connection—all built around the proud Pirates pathway.

Aimed at boys and girls aged seven to 17 from beginners to advanced and runs from 9am to 5pm.

“Whether they are just starting out or preparing for the next big step in their sporting journey, this is where it happens,” a spokesman said.

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The Two Blues had some sizeable star power when the ‘Noddy’ Sawtell Cup went on the line against Warringah last Saturday at ‘The Eric’.

They had four players with Fijian Drua experience including Manasa Mataele along with Angus Scott-Young from the Waratahs and Austin Anderson from the Brumbies.

Two Samoan squad players in skipper Rodney Iona and Latrell Ah Kiong were also on the field.

All to no avail with the Rats running away with things easily in the piece which I think points to how hared it is for new talent to slot into new systems and skill sets.

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Good to see Will Harrison’s footy journey continuing on its way with reports that he has been picked up by Irish powerhouse Munster for the coming season.

Harrison cut his teeth in the Shute Shield with Randwick and has been in Japan for the past couple of seasons with the Kintetsu Liners.

Looks like another “working holiday” for dad Mark, who is the vastly experienced Randwick GM, will be on the cards.

I’m sure he will love Thormond Park and charms of Cork.