Royal’s success was well deserved
The Royalists were clinical on field, and they executed game plans accordingly - Pic by Amila Gamage
The long, gruelling Schools Rugby League is over, leaving the champions with an unwelcome heap of injuries so much so that winners, Royal College, were forced to pull out of the Knockout tournament.
Considerations other than rugby led to a slightly lop sided draw, with one group having six teams and the other, seven. Further, four teams that had the potential to go all the way, found themselves lumped together in one group. The second group contained one high caliber team, and another team that did well in previous years but were badly outclassed this time.
Not wishing to “paint the lily, or gild refined gold”, it can be said that Royal’s success was well-deserved. They lost only once (to Isipatana) and that was pardonable. The Green Machine missed out when they lost to Trinity at Pallekele. Harith Bandara, Chamod Fernando and Randy Silva were their stars. Skipper Sumudu Rankothge remained a formidable foe, though his productivity decreased from 2016.
What really hurt the Havelock Town lads was the absence of a good place-kicker. Pushed into that role, Chamod Fernando tried his best, but he wasn’t good enough.
The Trinity backs were outstanding. However, the pack, though a heavy one, could not deliver. This was especially so, in the games against their nemesis, Royal. Connoisseurs feel that this was the result of poor summoning technique. Diluksha Dange was an ever-present threat, while Anuka Boyagoda always tried to be inventive, and to keep the pressure on their opponents. Trinity, too, could have done with a good place-kicker.
St. Peter’s had the biggest scalps of all, but overall, their performance was not up to scratch. Skipper Diyath Fernando was outstanding, whether he played as full back or as centre. Fly half Stephen Sivaraj was very good throughout. Centre Theekshana Dissanayake from whom big deeds were expected, started off well but faded towards the end.
With the successful Nilfer Ibrahim as coach, and a lot of hype surrounding the team, St. Joseph’s was expected to be at the top or thereabouts. They played exciting rugby but luck seemed to elude them in some close games. Skipper Vinul Fernando, Gemunu Chetiya, Shan Akila, Prop Sven Mullu and number eight Gihan Perera were the pick. The Josephians had that Ranty – a good place kicker. Chathura Seneviratne was, probably, one of the best in the schools.
Wesley had teething problems and were crushed 24-64 by Trinity in their opener. They came back well to record wins over S. Thomas’ and Zahira. Avantha Lee was their stand out player, with brother, Avishka, not all that far behind. Among the forwards, number eight Sabar and Flanker Imesh Aponsu were tireless.
The Thomians, who lost to the Big Three, succumbed also to Wesley. They relied too much on skipper Naveen Henakankanamge who was a ‘marked’ man. Scrum half Dion Dias had a good season. Moreover, he seemed to possess a lot of rugby know-how. Among the forwards, de Lile and Handunpathirana caught the eye.
Zahira made some waves at the start, giving Trinity a good run before losing 29-34. The fly half Zaid Sinhawansha and centre Yuzraan Lantra had blinding speed, but, overall, they lacked cohesion. They had a bad second round, losing 10-48 to Issipatana. Worse than that, was a 14-65 beating by the eventual champions. It was the first year of their return to big-time Rugby, and the players can only be richer for the experience.
College sources lamented the fact that pre-season poaching robbed Science of some good players. For a school that had been right up there a couple of seasons ago, and had, for good measure, scalped Trinity and Isipatana. Science College’s performance was poor. Diminutive Sanjula Roshan, a speedy, talented winger, had a modest season by his standards. Perhaps, the strain of playing in a weak, losing team got to him.
St. Anthony’s were an interesting proposition. They only just failed to land the knockout punch against the Peterites, going down by two points. Even in some of the matches they lost, they scored heavily. The Isipatana game, lost 35-43, is a good example. The prolific Samuel Maduwantha missed many games because of a leg injury.
The Anthonians suffered to a certain extent because the centres tended to hang on to the ball, and go solo. Number eight Mohamed Shabir, who had a very good season, has been selected in the Sri Lanka Under-18 team. Skipper Dinuk Amerasinghe, Jehan Seelagama, Ishara Liyanage, Janidu Himsara and Kavinda Amarakoon stood out in a good side.
The story of this year’s league tournament could well have been different if Dharmaraja had held on to that 15-all score against Royal. However, a last-minutes drop goal handed the game to the winners.
Full back Deshapriya was quite superb throughout the season and he, too, has been rewarded with a spot in the Junior National team. Skipper Perera, the fly half, and Udangamuwa, the centre, impressed. Dharmaraja lost to Pathana 12-18. They reserved their best for the match against rivals Kingswood whom they overcame 58-32.
Happily for Kandy’s Rugby fans, Kingswood has earned promotion to the Division ‘A’. Former League champions on a few occasions, Kingswood had latterly experienced hard times. But the boys from Randles Hills showed, with a win over Wesley, that they deserve to play in the higher division.
Looking ahead to 2018, it would be nice to see a 12 team format, with the caveat that it should be the best twelve. One team conceded 94 points in a match. Another team was regularly losing by big margins. Spectators who come in their numbers would like to see a contest between two good, similarly – matched teams. White-washes provide little or no enjoyment.