Some good, some bad, but overall unsatisfactory
Coach Nilfer Ibrahim hit the nail on the head. In a pre-season statement he bemoaned the exit of Gemunu Chetiya and Sameesha Viranjana, but said that he will be forced to rely on team-work. Science College posed a problem early on, but then St. Anthony’s, Zahira and Trinity were swatted aside easily enough. The Isipathana College affair was expected to be a humdinger and, in fact, it was. The score was 18-17 — it cannot get closer than that. Perhaps, if they do meet again the result could be reversed.
Fly half Santhush Algama has been at his productive best. He has a long boot, too. Centre Tharindu Maduranga has been among the tries. In the pack, Number.8 Tharindu de Alwis has been tireless and exemplary. Lock Cheka Jayawardena and flanker Nehan Perera have been in the thick of things.
The Josephians were expected to be at, or near, the top. Full marks to the Maradana lads. A word of caution, Royal College and St. Peter’s College await. There can be no resting on their laurels.
Isipathana, the team most people like to watch, were purring smoothly until they met a road bump. Zahira played out of their skins, and only a last gasp goal put a pleasing construction on things. In a sense, the Zahira game was the kind of tough match they needed before the crunch game against the other Maradana team.
It goes without saying that centre Manilka Ruberu is invariably at the heart of their successes. His appetite shows no lessening, but the Pathana team has to find another match winner or two. Lock Janith Serasinghe, the captain, three quarters Manula Ratnayake, Ramitha de Silva and winger Nadeesh Chaminda have figured prominently in their matches. A little more emphasis on arrowing the ball through the uprights would come in handy when the going gets tough.
No longer is invincible a term associated with Trinity College rugby. The struggles of last year have not been completely overcome. That the talent is there goes without saying. Skipper Reshan Bandaranaiyke was at his best in the games that really mattered — the ones against Isipathana and St. Joseph’s. He has to get some of the other talents to work with him to achieve more satisfactory results.
The Kulatungas — Geeshapa and Amith — stand out among the backs. Minidu Jayawardena has been replaced by Miranga Subasinghe. The difference in marginal. The experience of prop Nimesh Ekanayake, lock Mecan Yashwant, Mahdi Abdullah and flanker Dhirendra Ratwatte should rub off on the others in the pack — especially the newcomers. ‘Respice Finem’ is the Trinity motto. It means ‘look to the end’. Trinity have made it a habit to come back hard in the second half. That tactic may not work always.
Royal College’s forwards (and their much talked about rolling maul) engaged the attention of defences over the last two trophy winning seasons. They were not one dimentional when winning 19 games on the trot. They had some exciting players in the back division, notably Sabith Feroze and Janindu Dilshan, Current skipper Thulaib Hassen who was excellent when operating in tandem with Dilshan, finds himself out on a limb now. He is trying hard. No question of that. But the spark of inspiration is not there.
Royal’s pack which had become a by-word for efficiency, continues in much the same vein. Number.8 Samadhi Induwara, lock Fadhil Adahan, flanker Radesh Wijeratne and link-man Nigara Mihisanka are the pick when it comes down to barn-storming rugby.
In close games the place kicking efficiency is all important. Fullback Dulan Gunawardena, is he’s more spot-on, can contribute immensely to the team’s success.
The Peterites suffered an early setback when the Thomians beat them 20-19. They picked up the pieces thereafter and went on a winning spree. To their credit, they were able to bring down the mighty Blue and Gold boys. The win was quite comprehensive. Only a late try put a better construction on things.
Number.8 Bilal Hilmy leads a formidable team. The forwards are heavy but quite mobile. Julian Charles and the two second rowers Mohamed Nizran and Lankesh Perera give the battle their best shot. Centres Sunera Fernando and Raveen Fernando are incisive runners who make it their business to head for the line.
The Peterites are a tough, well-drilled side. Their loss to the Thomians in the very first week was an aberration. Now that they have beaten the best, their confidence must be sky-high. If the rub of the green is with them, they could cause some shocks. The second round of matches is scheduled to begin with the Battle of the Saints. There could be come weeping and gnashing of teeth in the heavens.
Murshid Zubair’s Wesley College team deserve a place in the next round by virtue of the fact that they toppled the Thomians by two points, and gave the reigning champions, Royal, a terrific game before going down 19-24. The skipper’s calmness under pressure stood out. He was also quite accurate with his kicks at goal.
Kavindana Perera scored a beautiful try against Royal that typified the spirit of the Wesley team. Sritheysh Thavaraja on the wing, was an eager beaver, and put the opposing defence under pressure. Among the others who impressed were Samuel Ogbebor, the experienced Dexter Gunatilleke and centre Eranda Harshana. Don’t be surprised if they produce an upset or two because they are a side that plays with a lot of spirit.
Harith Senanayake’s Blue-Black boys set the bar high by springing a surprise on one of the title contenders — St. Peter’s — in the very first game. They were brought down to earth by their perennial adversaries — Royal in a match where the Thomians seemed to get better as the match went on.
They next survived a minor stormed brewed up by the lads from Randles Hill. A poor first half was overcome by an improved second. They met their match when Wesley upended them 26-24. Apart from the skipper, others who impressed were fly half Jaan de Zoysa, hooker Lashendra de Silva, prop Shenouk Perera and the other prop, Adeesha Handunpathirana.
It is disappointing for Kandy fans that the Kingswood side led by burly prop Milan Weerasinghe failed to make it to the top four. Admittedly, they were placed in a tough group and two of their opponents at least, will have visions of going the whole hog.
They started by squeaking past Wesley (14-12). This was followed by close losses to the Peterites and the Thomians. They were not completely outshone by Royal who won 20-12. The last game was a crunch one and, fortunately, it came against bottom of the table, Maliyadeva. The score-line 62-12 indicates what the Kandy team is capable of when everything comes together. The halves combination of Hirusha Sampath and Asiri Seneviratne must have been the envy of some schools that opposed them.
The Antonians disappointed their supporters last season when they failed to win a match in the first round. This time they redeemed themselves to an extent when they somehow contrived to beat Zahira 27-21. They had conceded over 30 points to the big three in their group — Isipathana, St. Joseph’s and Trinity.
The Antonians started off on the wrong trot, literally. Influential flanker Lakshan Mahindaratne injured himself in the second game and did not play thereafter. Skipper Mohamed Makarim acquitted himself well. His try against Trinity was a peach. Scrum half Suhail Wasim is quick and effervescent, and reads the game well. Tirusha Ekanayake has manned the last line of defence most competently. More is expected from players such as the Amerasinghes, Ariyapala and Ranaweera.
Coming back to big time rugby after a short lapse, the Science College lads can be reasonably satisfied by their performances. They were able to put it past St. Anthony’s and Zahira. They can take a lot of credit from their show against the Josephians, who won 20-14. Winger Sanjula Rohan has been the star of the Science show. Small-made Rohan has terrific speed. This has enabled him to score five tries thus far. He performed the hat-trick in one game. Winger Tharusha and Dulaj and centre Hasaranga Akmeemana have done their best, but some of the others must stand up and be counted. Coach Priyadarshana is particularly disappointed by the standard of refereeing in their matches. Himself a referee, he feels that some of the referees should not handle senior matches.
Zaid Thajudeen’s Zahirians lost all their first round games. They started off by losing 11-22 to Trinity. Perhaps their outstanding effort was against Isipathana, who secured a 17-3 win. For almost the entire second half, the score stood 10-3. A last minute try gave the Green Shirts a win, though it wasn’t a very convincing one. Zahira’s tackling, and defence, in this game were very good indeed. Zahira does not have a very experienced back division. But with coach Colin Denish lending his expertise, the situation should change for the better, soon.
Opinion is divided on Maliyadeva’s entry into big time rugby. Some say it was a bit too soon, others say it was too late. Last year, they had a very good side. In fact five of those players were called up into the champion Kandy SC’s squad. But with a big exodus, this year’s squad is feeling the pinch. A big task awaits the skipper Kaushalya Gunaweera, who has been accurate with his kicks at goal. Perhaps Maliyadeva, who are fielding lots of young players this year, could benefit from the experience gained, next year.
The second round will commence from April 25 under segments — Cup and Plate. St. Peter’s, Royal, S. Thomas’ and Wesley have qualified for the Cup segment from Group A1 and they are joined by the unbeaten Josephians, Isipathana, Trinity and Science from Group A2. Bottom seeds Kingswood, Maliyadeva, St. Anthony’s and Zahira will play for the Plate title. The remaining four teams will be chosen from Group B1 and B2.
