The path to school boy rugby league success in the 2021 Langer Cup competition was always going to be tough for the three Titans partnered school’s being PBC, Keebra Park and Marsden in 2021 but the addition to Marsden SHS of Titans contracted Xavier Stowers certainly helps their cause.
The powerful former school boy rugby No. 8 from the 2019 and 2020 Ipswich Grammar School GPS Rugby First XV side and the 2020 Ipswich Jets MM Cup side is a recent Titans signing coup and has the potential to fly through the junior rugby league ranks to the NRL with the Titans in a short space of time. It was great to hear that Xavier Stowers had chosen to sign with the Titans over interest from multiple other NRL clubs and Super Rugby outfits including the Queensland Reds for whom Xavier Stowers was an Acadmey product.
In January 2021 Xavier Stowers played his first match in a Titans jersey when he started from the bench for the Titans U19 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights 40 - 6. When he was in the field, Xavier Stowers played in the centre of the ruck and had some good moments including a late second half offload to his right.
Xavier Stowers also recorded two huge tackles in a row including one when he caught the Newcastle player from behind, stopping him in his tracks when the Knights player looked odds on to score. It was an impressive effort by Xavier Stowers who refused to give up and through sheer force of will got himself to the right spot to make an outstanding tackle.
Xavier Stower’s endurance and determination came to the fore in the 25th minute of the second half. Newcastle were on the attack ten metres from the line and sent the ball to the right with the Knights playmaker putting in an attacking kick back behind the play the ball. Xavier Stowers who was initially defending on the opposite side of the ruck, tracked the play across field, was perfectly placed to eliminate the threat. Xavier Stowers however did not just take the tackle, after breaking two tackles, Xavier Stowers off-loaded with his right arm to his right to Thomas Weaver who made an additional twenty metres down field.
Xavier Stowers desperation was also highlighted earlier in the second half when he held on to the Burleigh hooker with only his right arm, eventually dragging him to the ground. If Xavier Stowers had not held on to the hooker, he would have had a free run to the Titans fullback with plenty of support as well.
Of all the good moments that I have noted in relation to Xavier Stowers first match in a Titans jersey, another one for me at least optimises who Xavier Stowers is as a player. In the 31st minute of the second half Xavier Stowers took a regulation hit-up mid-field. The Knights defensive line got up quickly, making initial contact with Xavier Stowers just two metres into his run, but through strength and determination, Xavier Stowers was able to make an additional seven metres post contact. Not many players would have been able to maintain their balance and body control after the type of initial contact that he was subject to and still make additional ground, Xavier Stowers however is definitely one of the few that can.
A week after the match against the Newcastle Knights Xavier Stowers once again lined up for the Titans U19’s as they took on a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad at Burleigh Juniors, coming off the bench with the Titans winning once again, this time 32 – 20 in a match that saw no conversions attempted.
Xavier Stowers had a huge match when he was on the field producing a number of damaging charges including a great run off the Bears kick off from Reef Sommerville’s second try of the match with the run a great twenty metre surge, with the majority of the metres made post contact.
In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Xavier Stowers was named to start on the bench for the Ipswich Jets against the Tweed Heads Seagulls but ended up starting the match in the front row and in fact was involved in the first tackle of the match after Ipswich kicked the ball off.
The 9th minute saw the damage that Xavier Stowers can do running with the ball when he charged onto the ball to the right of the dummy half bustling his way twelve metres before eventually being brought down just ten metres away from the try line.
Xavier Stowers was at it again just a minute later when he took the ball from a Tweed Heads drop out charging thirty five metres to get inside the Seagulls twenty before being forced to play the ball. The 23rd minute saw yet another strong run from Xavier Stowers shewing up a further twelve metres (eight post contact) to get within five metres of the Tweed Heads line.
Defensively over the course of the match, Xavier Stowers defence was just as strong as his ball running with probably his best moment from a defensive perspective coming in the 57th minute when he came out of the line and monstered Seagulls five eight Harrydon Wilson. Xavier Stowers had crunched Wilson before he even knew what was going on and with Tweed Heads just ten metres out from the line, Xavier Stowers tackle completely shut down all of the momentum.
Xavier Stowers was immediately back on his feet at marker and moved to his right to tackle Seagulls front rower Jack Cullen around the legs with a copy book low tackle.
Xavier Stowers also started in the front row in Round Two against the Burleigh Bears, scoring the Jets first try in their tough loss and had a huge opening few minutes including scoring a powerhouse try in just the 6th minute of the match.
Xavier Stowers try showcased everything that is good about his game, that being size, strength, speed and power. Ipswich restarted from a penalty ten metres out from the Bears line, just to the left of the uprights. Xavier Stowers received the ball ten metres out, running directly at the defensive line before cutting back towards the uprights, pushing off one Bears defender before spinning counter clockwise to beat two more defenders before carrying three more Burleigh defenders across the line to smash the ball down a metre to the left of the uprights.
Xavier Stowers first major contribution to the game came in just the 3rd minute with a strong ten metre charge to get Ipswich into the Burleigh forty metre area. Xavier Stowers then made significant ground in just the 5th minute. Xavier Stowers initially ran to the left of the play the ball before offloading to his left. Xavier Stowers then backed up and get the ball back from the Jets player that he had passed to, making fifteen more metres before offloading for the second time in the same movement this time to his hooker who was trailing the play through the centre of the field.
Xavier Stowers continued to make ground running the ball including in the 39th minute when he made eleven metres to get Ipswich inside the Burleigh twenty metre area.
It was not just running with the ball that made Xavier Stowers so impressive in the match, defensively he was also very strong, including a heavy tackle where he monstered Syris Schmidt who was taking a hit-up in his own territory. Xavier Stowers literally engulfed Syris Schmidt and forced the fullback backwards a number of metres.
The in the 64th minute Xavier Stowers put a massive hit on Burleigh second rower Delihia Wigmore twenty metres out from the line with the Burleigh player taking a bit of time to recover from the big hit. Then just two minutes later Xavier Stowers smashed Burleigh Jaxon Yow as he was running across field just outside the Burleigh forty metre area.
Xavier Stowers was named on the interchange bench in Round Three against the Souths Logan Magpies and in Round Four against the Tweed Heads Seagulls. Xavier Stowers came into the match at half time, wasting no time getting involved by taking the first hit-up of the second half after Tweed Heads kicked off the second half to get the ball out to near the twenty metre mark.
Only two minutes later in the 38th minute, Xavier Stowers one again broke tackles after making thirteen metres from a hit-up to the left of the dummy half to get two metres over the halfway mark.
Then in the 43rd minute Xavier Stowers once again ran to the left of the dummy half before cutting back towards the play the ball to make thirteen metres. Xavier Stowers bounced quickly to his feet but was dragged back down and subsequently was awarded a penalty. From the next set of six after the penalty restart, Xavier Stowers was back in the action, getting to within ten metres of the try line before twisting and offloading with his right arm to Josiah Pahulu who got within two metres of the line before finally being stopped.
Even though Ipswich were out of the match with ten minutes to go, that did not dissuade Xavier Stowers from his task and in the 62nd minute, Xavier Stowers made eleven metres from a hit-up to the right of the play the ball with more than 50% of the metres that he made from the run were post contact.
Round Five against the Burleigh Bears saw Xavier Stowers named on the Jets extended bench however he ended up starting the match from the bench and he also started from the bench in Round Six against the Souths Logan Magpies.
Xavier Stowers started Round One of the 2020 MM Cup competition in the front row for the Ipswich Jets against the Townsville Blackhawks. Unfortunately that Round One match was the only MM Cup match of the 2020 season due to the Civid 19 pandemic.
Xavier Stowers started the 2020 GPS school boy rugby season in the Ipswich Grammar School’s First XV squad after making his GPS First XV debut as a 16 year old in 2019.
When I am noting below the rounds of the 2020 GPS school boy rugby First XV competition, I am more referring to the order of games, as due to Covid 19 issues, what were going to be the opening two rounds of the competition ended up being “official trials”.
Round One of the 2020 GPS school boy rugby First XV competition saw Xavier Stowers line up at No. 8 against Toowoomba Grammar School and Xavier Stowers continued his run of starts at No. 8 in Round Two against Nudgee College. Xavier Stowers also started at No. 8 in Ipswich Grammar School’s remaining 2020 First XV fixtures, which were against Brisbane Boys College (Round Three), Anglican Church Grammar School (Round Four), Brisbane State High School (Round Five), The Southport School (Round Six) and Gregory Terrace in Round Seven.
Whilst Xavier Stowers did not score any tries in 2020 he was heavily involved in two tries over the course of the abridged 2020 GPS school boy First XV season. In Round Four against Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie), Xavier Stowers picked the ball up from the back of a scrum three metres out from the Churchie line and ran to his left, throwing a great one armed (right arm) off-load just as he was being tackled (in fact he threw the pass under the body of the defender who had engaged him) to his half who was brought down centremetres short but Ipswich Grammar School scored from the subsequent ruck.
Xavier Stowers was heavily involved later in the season in Round Six against The Southport School, when once again he picked the ball up from an Ipswich Grammar School scrum win five metres out from the TSS line. Xavier Stowers ran to his right, putting his No. 10 into a gap and he was able to twist over next to the left upright. The speed at which Xavier Stowers had picked up the ball and charged to his right, parallel to the TSS defensive line froze the defenders and enabled Xavier Stowers to put his runner into the gap with a good short pass.
In the 2020 Courier Mail South East Queensland school boy rugby/rugby Top 30 players of 2020 Xavier Stowers was named at Number 21 where the Courier Mail writers noted his exceptional combination of size, strength, speed and power at such a young age. Xavier Stowers made the same list in 2019 as well when once again his size/speed combination was noted by the articles authors.
Xavier Stowers made his GPS school boy rugby First XV debut for Ipswich Grammar School in Round One of the 2019 GPS school boy rugby First XV competition against Brisbane State High school when he started at No. 8.
Xavier Stowers went on to start at No. 8 in all of Ipswich Grammar Schools seven other First XV matches, being against Brisbane Grammar School (Round Two), Toowoomba Grammar School (Round Three), Nudgee College (Round Four), Brisbane Boys College (Round Five), Anglican Church Grammar School (Round Six), The Southport School (Round Eight) and Gregory Terrace in Round Nine.
Xavier Stowers first GPS school boy First XV rugby try came in Round Eight on the Gold Coast at the Shark Tank against TSS when Xavier Stowers charged at the line from close range after receiving a pass off the back of a ruck that had formed two metres out from the TSS line. Xavier Stowers received the ball to the right of the ruck and under heavy pressure from multiple TSS defenders was able to keep his feet under him and continue to pump his legs to get the ball down right on the goal line midway between the corner post and goal post on the left side of the field.
In 2019 in addition to playing for the Ipswich Grammar School Boy Rugby First XV, Xavier Stowers represented the Queensland Maroon U16 representative side at the National U16 Rugby Championships, starting for the Maroon side at No. 8 in their series of Championship matches.
To cap off an exceptional 2019, Xavier Stowers, at just 16 years of age, played one match in the Brisbane Premier Colts III competition, starting at outside centre for Logan City and scoring in Round Fifteen against Southern Suburbs.
Xavier Stowers already has some representative rugby league experience under his belt, representing his heritage when he represented the Cook Islands U14 side at the 2017 QPIIC Tournament including scoring in an 18 – 4 Cook Island victory over Papua New Guinea.