In another life, Randwick captain Ben Houston and coach Stephen Holies would be far away from Leichhardt Oval on Saturday afternoon: Houston the latest rugby convert in the NRL as Holies lapped up the LA sun
However, both find themselves on the verge of ending a 20-year title drought for one of the biggest clubs in the Shute Shield as the ‘Wicks face Norths in the Final.
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Hoiles featured in the last Randwick side to hoist the Shute Shield title, with the current 19-year drought the longest time the club has gone without since before World War II.
The former Wallaby took over the club at the end of 2022, returning home after an emotional and turbulent start to his head coaching career.
Hoiles took over from Waratahs coach Darren Coleman at the LA Giltinis team in the Major League Rugby, serving as an assistant coach when they won the comp in 2021.
They looked set to repeat, only for the team to be sensational kicked out of the comp and disqualified for breaking MLR rules, eventually shut down.
“Those two years, they were some of the best I’ve had in Rugby. It’s such a unique experience to start something…That last year, you can’t learn what you went through in ten years,” Hoiles said.
“Times like that, you just have to stand up and be a front-door person.
“It was difficult times when there’s uncertainty around your family and living abroad but I definitely learned a lot in that, and as silly as it sounds, I loved the fact that I got to do that.
“It wasn’t on my mind (to return) but two weeks after I got back, I saw it on Facebook and I had a complete rethink when I saw it and thought ‘I wonder how I’d feel if I didn’t give it an opportunity.’ It was a no brainer.”
Holies returned home to Randwick knowing the foundations were there for a champion team, although still had to wait to see if his captain was coming along for the ride.
The hard-running Houston had garnered attention in 2022, eventually picked up by NRL club Wests Tigers on a train and trial deal.
Returning to Leichhardt Oval, the spiritual home of the Tigers, in the myrtle green was a unique feeling for the back-rower during Wednesday's captain call.
“It’s probably fitting I’m back here,” Houston said with a smile.
“I did a train and trial with them in the first four months (of the pre-season) between November to midway through February.
“Ask me four months ago and I wanted to play for the Tigers but at the same time, I knew my heart was always still with Randwick and it’s definitely fitting to be back here in the Randwick jersey.”
“I had a chat with him when he came back and I wanted guys to play here that wanted to be here and he was really good the whole time,” Holies, an avid Tigers fan said.
“He was pretty clear all along. I’ve seen players do it many times, I ducked over here in between colts years, and I could see by the number of training visits that it was getting bigger and stronger. It was once every two weeks, twice in a week and then every session he was there filling up water bottles for the boys.
“He benefited from it for sure but he’s a Rugby boy and thinks he’s better at this game but I knew he’d come back.”
The ‘Randwick DNA’ of playing has often been referenced, even as recently at the start of the week by Wallabies Eddie Jones when discussing another Randwick junior Ben Donaldson.
What is often unspoken is the defensive pressure and consistent pressure needed for it to thrive, which Holies and Randwick have built their title credentials on
“He’s just trying to bring it back to the original roots,” Houston believes on Holies’ influence.
“…The Randwick running rugby has always been there, that’s the DNA but everyone forgets, premierships aren’t just won on attack, they have to keep them out as well. “Attack will show you how good you are but defence shows you how much you care,” Holies added.
“...I was part of that last team (that won) and also the last couple of teams to lose, people always seem to forget that.
“We competed hard a few years after that but we weren’t the same. I go back to the ones we won and lost and can see why we lost those ones.
“It’s been a long time for us so getting there is one thing but realising and learning from the mistakes of the last few that didn’t turn out, hopefully we can grab that value.”
