Tom Capel made an impressive return to the New England competition on Saturday albeit in somewhat slightly different colours.
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The Tamworth number eight played with Robb College while he was studying at the University of New England, captaining the first grade side in 2007.
On Saturday, in his first outing for the Magpies (he didn't play the trial game) he was one of their best as they kicked-off their 2020 campaign with a 26-10 win over his former college foes St Alberts in Tamworth.
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"I thought he had a great game," Magpies coach Peter Burke said, Capel's work-rate among the aspects that really impressed him.
"He's hard, he's direct, he does a lot of covering at number eight."
He has been a handy pick-up for the club after returning to the region in late 2018 to manage the Tamworth Rabobank branch, after 10 years based in Queensland.
Hailing from Barraba, Capel played last season with the Rams.
"I thought I'd reconnect with Barraba for a year," he said.
"They're obviously not playing this year so I just wanted to keep playing so I turned up at Magpies training," he said.
Turning 35 this year he is enjoying his rugby as much as ever, although facing Albies presented a bit of a different challenge to in his Robb days.
"I probably feel a bit stronger but I'm not as quick," he quipped.
"It's hard to get used to because they (students) play a different game, and it's a different game to Central North as well."
The students came out with the enthusiasm of a side playing their first game for the season and enjoyed the better of the play early. But as Burke noted, the Magpies were able to take advantage when they needed to, and as they started to enforce some dominance up front, winger Malakai Tauvali got them on the board.
From there they seized control, Illiesa (Sanimo) Navatu - back in Tamworth colours for the first time since 2016 - crashing over a couple of minutes later. When Jeremy York burst onto a cut-out from Norths team-mate Richard Clegg and outran the Albies defence the Magpies had kicked out to a 19-3 lead.
When half-back Tevita Peceli Lagimiri then ducked out of the defence and raced away to score early in the second half it looked like it might be a long afternoon for the students. But they rallied and, as the Magpies' discipline started to waver (they were twice reduced to 14), they enjoyed the better of the possession and territory.
The home side to their credit scrambled well in defence, the second half defensive effort one of the most pleasing facets for Burke of what was a "pretty scrappy affair".
"That's the sort of thing you find hard to coach. They've either got it in them or not so that's really promising for us," he said.
Albies coaches Scott Waterson and Charles Franklin were proud of their charges and said they'll be a lot better for the run.
"We knew the first half was going to be real hard for us, because we hadn't played a trial match or anything, but if we could weather the storm in the first half and try and come home with a bit of a wind in the second half..." Franklin said.
"We probably just let them get away a little bit too much in the first half."
The bleak conditions didn't deter the crowd with some supporters forced to queue up to get in after they reached the capacity 500 late in the second women's 7s game.
It was a promising start for the Magpies with the women's 7s, and second and third grade all enjoying victories.
In the other first grade games Walcha made a strong statement thrashing Barbarians 43-nil, the Harbour Knights downed Glen Innes 38-5 and Armidale came from behind to beat premiers Robb College 30-21.