Huff and puff but the Bradby was bland
View(s):For the record it is a four-in-a-row win of the Bradby for Trinity. Predicating from the performance of the junior games, the Lions believe it could be six on a row. Those who expected an exciting and expansive brand of rugby are now resigned to thinking that the song and dance of Bradby is over.
The records will show that Trinity annexed the Bradby on 2014. The hype that was created before the match and all the noise and boogie about the appointment of a referee will float on natural water only to be disturbed again next year .
It appeared as though the boys from Trinity were happy with a twelve-point lead than to believe in themselves to play attacking rugby and something more for the vast crowd to crow about. Royal on the other hand, as most people say, played a good game while some called it a tremendous game. Of course it was a good game as Trinity failed to play upfront using the many skills and people they possessed. Despite the lukewarm game those from the touchlines and beyond the fans of both sides were happy making more noise than the other. Probably that was more important than the game on the field only to be shadowed by the fashionable.
The two games this year never reached the crescendo of the much talked about and waited event. It seems sad tough that the game does not reach the expected fever on the pitch and the tension is more off pitch. As I said before it looks to be all a story for marketing and merchandising than a game that should be flair and flow. This lethargy of a droopy performance is not limited to the Bradby but seems to have pervaded the whole of school rugby. The game itself as I have said before was not entertaining. It may be good to look inwards for the future so that enjoyment of the game is let loose among the actors on the field.
It is in this midst that we saw Prince Of Wales’ being unlucky not to beat Wesley as they went down by a mere two points, after having a comfortable lead of 17 points to nil lead in the first half. DS Senanayake were beaten by Kannangara MV quite convincingly. This is a case of two fancied teams having played more Division ‘A’ rugby finding it difficult to stay afloat. Both Kannangara and POW are not schools that have excessive budgets to spend as compared to big money spent by others. However the rise of these schools needs a close look and scrutiny so that their performance can be sustained. Dharmaraja and Wesley, the League champions and the runners-up of last year, have been unable to 
sustain the momentum they created last year. Advice to the emerging POW side will be to get on the game and ask why a 17-point lead was wasted. It is fruitless to talk about a mistake a referee made at a lineout without thinking of how we allowed our opponents to get so close. You can find a mistake in every lineout and it is that easy. The game will be at a standstill if every one of them were to be whistled for technical inaccuracy which has little effect on the game.
Compare the performance of minnows with some of the better-known rugby playing school as well as the outcome of the blue riband of schoolboy rugby. In general when we compare the performance during the year there is much noise from the stands. Is the talent wasted as they are not allowed a natural performance while training with the wrong end result in mind?
The way I see it; the huge question is the inability of the little maestro on the field to relate the expectation to himself and his enjoyment. That is because the external factors that want their thinking to materialise getting more important. There is nothing in it for the boy to be the best he can be but to be what somebody else wants him to be. Galdwell in his book ‘Outliers’ talks a lot about Anders Erickson 10000 hour rule and the need to practice to be an expert. The counter argument now is whether that means talent does not exist. Whether it is talent or practice that is on show is not the answer but whether the correct thing is practiced with or without talent. The 10000 hours can be equated to 10 years practicing about two and half hours each day. The schoolboy does not have that amount of time by the time he reaches the top tier of the schools game. This is where the adaptation comes to play. That is to guide him to excellence. In this situation the firm belief I share is that the most important thing is for the boy to enjoy and not play for the enjoyment of another. Day dreaming is not enough to work on a strategy to get the best of the boy is more important.
- Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, coach and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB