28/08/2026
As our community gathers for the annual Sport Lovers Lunch today, some Old Boys in the room at the ICC in Sydney will remember this day in 1993. When the First XV lost the GPS premiership to The Scots College in 1993 after five straight titles, the response was “quite extraordinary”, according to Br Anthony Boyd. The small-in-stature Joeys team had given everything against a talented, physically huge opposition. Against the backdrop of bagpipes, a revving chainsaw and parachutists, on a cold and wet day in Bellevue Hil, the 10,000-strong crowd recognised the lion-hearted fight of the Joeys players. “There was no hint of ever giving up,” recalled Oliver Coakes (1998).
As captain of the 12As, Oliver wrote a letter to the First XV captain James Cummins (1993). In his letter, and in James’s reply to Oliver, their words reflected the sentiment that competition matters, but conduct matters more. This year, Oliver made the decision to return James’s letter of reply to the College, giving this story its lasting force. His letter had been written in the moment, after the Winter Rally, where he was sitting in the front row, “watching our men walk down the aisle with tears in their eyes”. Having lost the battle of the GPS trophy, they had to carry that weight. “To all of us, they were our idols, our men, our soldiers, those we aspired to be one day,” said Oliver.
This private correspondence between two Joe-Boys has become a part of the College’s memory, recognising how words of gratitude, courage and respect can outlive a single match, outlast a season and even speak to those yet to arrive at Joeys. Read the full story in the next issue of “Joeys” magazine – out in October.
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