Chrish Cloete sinks Navy at Welisara

Tuesday, 25 November 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Kandy travelled to Welisara with a purpose and went back with the tag ‘Mission Accomplished’. The mission was to defeat Navy in their comfort zone at Welisara which also boasts loads of naval vocal support. The conditions were soggy underfoot with heavy rain in the lead-up to the game and thus fast and open rugby was not expected. The play was disjointed at best and one man stood out for the entire duration of the game, Kandy’s number 7, Cloete. He was simply brilliant throughout the game and at times it appeared that it was him against the Navy fifteen. If any youngster wanted to emulate a player at the pivotal position of a flanker here was a shining example. His overall rugby skills and acumen were on display, be it in attack or in defence.

Against the Navy lineout he positioned himself well to ensure that the Navy three-quarter moves were snuffed out early with his excellent tackling and was omnipresent in broken play, winning many a turnover ball. The Navy forwards boasted of many Sri Lanka caps but they were reduced to mere bystanders against the ingenuity of Kandy’s play. The conditions underfoot were such that the burly Navy forwards found it difficult to bind low and their resultant inability to effectively scrum was visible. In such conditions it is generally advisable to have longer studs on your boots for better traction, a thought which barely entered the mind of players from both teams. In Saturday’s conditions, a forwards battle is the order of the day as they eke out precious territory. The Navy forwards appeared to be slow and when the ball was kicked behind them, they turned with the speed and poise of Queen Mary. There was a fair degree of aerial play in the form of high kicks, which both teams handled with finesse despite the murky conditions and a greasy ball. Rugby requires making quality decisions in real-time, and Kandy’s decision to attempt a long range penalty close to full time was fraught with risk given the 13-6 scoreline. Luckily for them, it was successful, if not they would have played into the hands of Navy. Thereafter even with a few seconds remaining, Navy made a last onslaught but the Kandy defence stood firm and with the heavens deciding to open over the grounds in the last quarter, all were happy to hear the long whistle of the Singaporean referee. The referee by far had a good game, although at times he was anxious to get a good look at the ball and was in the firing line. The hallmark of a good referee is to be close enough to view infringements but far enough not to interfere with play. While the decision to fly down expatriate referees at a considerable cost to bolster the sagging morale of the trade is a good one, the quality too, must be commensurate with the amount spent. The Havies-CH game was a drab affair matched only by the fickle weather and sparse crowd despite the game being played under lights. Although Havies were back to winning ways, there was nothing in the game that would inspire the coaching staff to believe that they will be a force to be reckoned with. Given the quality of the opposition, Havelocks should have strived for a larger margin of victory. Certain substitutions made were poor and the bench strength could have been made use of fruitfully. The referee once again was the Singaporean from the previous day. This time round, in addition to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he also decided on an excessive use of the whistle akin to that of a traffic policeman. A good referee will let the game flow by judicious use of the advantage rule. This inept refereeing coupled with some ordinary rugby from both teams, ended a gloomy Sunday on an even more dismal note.