Royal prove its all a team game
View(s):
Royal playing a game they are accustomed to- using the forwards- beat Trinity to win the Schools League and the first Leg of their Brady Shield encounter. The Schools League boiled down to three teams, with decimals separating them, and ended with Isipathana in second place, while Trinity was in third place. Last week, it was Pathana who lost the chance of winning the League by not taking their chances. This week, Trinity spilled their chance, when the opportunity to score was staring at them, the wrong option was taken.Trinity so close to getting their hands on the Schools League- a cap they last donned in 1987. That one predictable back division centre attack was well countered by Royal, and Trinity forgot to think, as they were not accustomed to the frontal attack. Then, they played back to get the ball in and played into the hands of Royal, whose strength were their forwards. The last 10 minutes was an indication of what Trinity did not do for 70 minutes. The Lions virtually played into the hands of Royal by bringing the ball in a number of times, only to be confronted by the big Royal forwards. Whenever the Royal forwards had the ball, they looked more confident and moved on with the maul they are familiar with. If the Kandy side played the way they did in the last 10 minutes, where the ball changed hands, the result may have been different. Royal had a game plan and stuck to it, and all credit goes to them. Trinity are good at getting up after the tackle and securing the ball. This time around, it did not work, but why continue without adapting to the situation.
Trailing by five points requires Trinity to revisit the game and read the last chapter, and start writing the next one. Hence, the second leg will be more interesting than the first. This also means they have to expect Royal, with a five-point lead, to approach the second leg with confidence. Royal play as a team and are very much led to do what they have to do, with skills that help them.
The crowd enjoyed the game at Pallekelle, after a difficult road run which took hours due to traffic blocks and road repairs. If one expected a difficult exit, it was somewhat cushioned, and the credit should go to the organisers and the Police for the road signs, to take the crowd through narrow roads and made one-way to avoid a block. Next week, we could possibly, not only see a bigger crowd at Reid Avenue, but also more excitement and more silk.
While passion and excitement spread through the hills of Kandy, the disappointing news was that Sri Lanka was beaten by Malaysia in the Asian Rugby Division 1. Mind you, this is the second string of teams. Malaysia will now play for third place in the top three, on a home-and-away basis, to decide the top three next year. So much for the monkey and the baboon who sit beside each other wondering who is prettier, while wrinkles appear on the face. Despite the ugly face that is painted, he schools look prettier, as the passion and the following increases. When I read this article in the digital media, with a last line heading, ‘Tuskers Bereaved’, I was wondering whether it were those elephants that were losing portfolios or, those not getting any. Alas, it was about the Tusker who is bereaved, but not buried, and School Rugby keeps it alive.
Considering the Schools League just ended, despite the hiccups and the loss of a manual, the games drew crowds that were passionate. This is beside that, sometimes, there were four games on one day, while most often it was 2 or 3. Especially, when the tempo rises during the last few weeks, it would have been good to avoid four of the top Division and some matches of the Plate being played on the same day. That will help the fans as well as match officials. It was not only the Bradby that drew crowds, but the other schools too had a crowd following. The difference in the Bradby was that, it drew a lot of colour from all ages and sizes. The dames and the damsels were aplenty and the shouting and cheering no less.
At most matches other than the Bradby, there were more, than for any club game, including the ones between teams considered traditional rivals. The top ten school games drew crowds. It was not only Pathana, Royal, Trinity, S. Thomas’ and St. Peter’s that drew crowds. Wesley, Joes, Science, St. Anthony’s, Dharmaraja too drew crowds. The babes on the top league, Zahira too, showed they have lot of enthusiasm and support for the game. The question is what happens thereafter.
It is time to address this seriously, as Football is drawing crowds, as seen in recent times. This needs to be seen by those who wear blinkers, as the trend may affect the game and its sponsors.
Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, coach and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRBÂ Â Â Â