Trinity should capitalise on Royal’s uncertainty
The period of inactivity would surely have dulled their enthusiasm. But you can be sure that when the opening leg of the Bradby Shield gets underway on June 1 at Pallekele, both teams will be mentally attuned to the task at hand.
Trinity have more at stake. They must terminate a four year losing streak, in which they have won just one of eight games. Royal does not appear to be the force it was in the last two years and this could be a window of opportunity for the hungry Lions.
In contrast to the last season when they possessed players such as Ranaraja, Rajaratnam and Sakalasuriya, this side seems to lack players of individual brilliance. The talent is unquestionably there, but the team has not shown passion and that do or die attitude.
Old timers talk wishfully of the time when the back division indulged in a riot of moves. That doesn’t happen often enough as Trinity no longer plays their traditional game.
At the start, the pack seemed not all that skilful. They were winning the ball, but not doing so quickly enough. There was an improvement in the Antonian game. But when it came to the crunch – the Isipathana and St. Joseph’s games – they were exposed.
There did not seem to be a pack-leader. Lennox Calyanaratne, who missed most of the first round, is back. This experienced player should fit in at number eight and he could provide the leadership to the pack.
Royal is good at mauling and in the set pieces. Trinity’s forte is or should be, the back division. Trying to take on the opposition at their own game may not work for the Kandy side who have to exploit their traditional strength in the back division.
Trinity is strong out on the wings where the two Kulatungas operate. Amith’s defensive work is particularly good. Geeshapa, on the other hand, has been very good at times. He will be quite a handful if he can add consistency to his game. He will also have to be fed the ball more.
Trinity has high expectations of centre Harsha Samarasinghe who set the pulse racing with the try of the season.
The important fly half’s berth will be manned by Miranga Subasinghe who has edged out his rival Minidu Jayasundera on his ability to get the line working better. Both are capable place-kickers.
Full back and skipper Reshan Bandaranaike (a third generation Trinitian, whose father Rajive played in 1987, and his grand-father Ananda in the early sixties) has his hands full. He gets full marks for trying. He collects well, runs with the ball and is always probing for weaknesses. Not averse to taking vital kicks himself, Bandaranaike has shown impressive leadership skills.
Prop Nimesh Ekanayake and hooker Neranjan Vitharana stand out in the pack. The former is a rugged player, always keen in taking on the attacker. The latter is very good on the loose, in addition to his slick hooking. Lock Yashwant Mecan is a consistent player. The third row of Nethwara Ratwatte and Calyanaratne has a crucial role to play in thwarting the efforts of Royal’s rampaging forwards.
Royal may have won the last four years, but they have a bit of catching up to do in the overall tally. They have 33 wins to Trinity’s 39.
Trinity (probable team): Nimesh Ekanayake, Neranjan Vitharana, Mahdi Abdullah, Yashwant Mecan, Chetiya Pananwela, Dulandith Netwara, Lennox Calyanaratne, Dhirendra Ratwatte, Tehan Karunanayake, Miranga Subasinghe, Amith Kulatunga, Harsha Samarasinghe, Tevin Karunanayake, Geeshapa Kulatunga, Reshan Bandaranaike.
| Nothing much has happened in schools rugby since the end of March, and what brings next Saturday will be an exciting first leg of the Bradby Shield, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. With the uncertainty surrounding the second round of the Singer Schools League Rugby Championship, Royal and Trinity will face off other this year at the Bradby as two friendly encounters, at Pallekele and two weeks later at the Royal Complex. The first leg of the blue ribbon school rugby encounter of Sri Lanka will be crucial for both teams – Royal in particular, whose unbeaten run of two seasons came to an end on March 30 against St. Peter’s in a low-scoring battle. That 8-12 defeat against the Peterites, would definitely have been an undigestible outcome, that put the Royal camp on alert, in particular with the two all-important Bradby games on the cards. Royal ended Trinity’s four-in-a-row winning streak in 2015 and has been the holders of the Bradby Shield ever since. In 2015 the Reid Avenue boys nearly conceded the first leg before snatching a 23-22 win, but returned strong to record a thumping 49-0 win in the second leg to end up with an aggregate of 72-22. The following year, Royal retained the shield despite a thrilling tie of 35-35 on aggregate after the two games finished off 22-17 in favour of Royal and 18-13 in favour of Trinity. Royal recorded a similar 22-17 win in the 2017 first leg and secured the shield after brushing off Trinity 13-8 in the second leg, with an aggregate of 35-25. Last year Royal thrashed Trinity 39-7 in the first leg and went on to record a comfortable 27-19 win in the second leg to complete a 66-26 win on aggregate. Skipper Thulaib Hassen, who comes from a rugby bloodline, has been a standout player for Royal in the past few years. Last season was a memorable one for him. Hassen will be a key player in this year’s Bradby, as Royal seek multiple objectives at the upcoming two legs. It is a well known secret that the story behind Royal’s recent success, as a dominant team that has created a dynasty for themselves, is their unchallengeable pack. They have crossed the opposition’s try line many a time with their trademark ‘rolling maul’ making it a difficult task for the rivals to counter. Lock Fadhil Adahan will be an important cog in Royal’s pack. He has been instrumental in his team’s successes in recent years, and this year, much is expected from Adahan as the leader of the pack. Adahan will be a strong brick on the wall with Radesh Wijeratne, standing by his side. Linkman Kalindu Nandila will be another player to watch out for Royal, as he is expected to make those uncanny moves from the middle. With Lehan Gunaratne and Yasis Rashmika linking in as three-quarters Royal could become a lethal entity to any opponent at any given time. Taking into account their performance, Royalists have combined well to win four out their five League Tournament games. Twelve Royalists have touched down for their side on 21 occasions as Dulan Gunawardene stands out with three tries and five conversions. The other two to stand out are Rajindu Jayasuirya and Kevin Samarasekara, who have three tries each after their names. Lehan Gunaratne has the ability to take over kicking duties whenever needed and he has made four conversions so far. Maleesha Perera is another asset who can make his boot do the talking. Skipper Thulaib Hassen, Migara Mihisanka, Nipun Yasojana, Adithya Weerasuirya, Madusha Vikum, Achintha Radeeshan, Kalindu Nandila, Yasis Rashmika and Mohamed Al-Narwan who have a brace each, indicates the team work of Royal, who possess a solid combination and the overall control of the game. This could be key to their success at the Bradby this year. What coach Dushanth Lewke would be hoping for is to complete back-to-back wins under his tenure. Royal (from): Thulaib Hassen, Dilshan Jayah, Mohamed Al-Narwan, Vehan Manthila, Induwara Illukpitiya, Pasindu Gurusinghe, Rajindu Jayasuriya, Fadhil Adahan, Janendra Nanayakkara, Lahiru Thilakaraten, Kevin Samarasinghe, Achintha Radeeshan, Radesh Wijeratne, Avishka Kelegama, Viren Gajanayake, Samadhi Induwara, Nipuna Yasojana, Kaveen Sasanga, Migara Mihisanka, Raveen Shenuka, Kalindu Nandila, Lehan Gunaratne, Harsith Peiris, Abdul Rahman, Kashyapa Amarasinghe, Chamittha Diwanke, Avin George, Ashen Induwara, Maleesha Perera, Mohamed Abdullah, Yasis Rashmika, Dulan Gunawardene, Pawan Kavishka, Adithya Weerasuriya, Madusha Vikum. | |