Trinity scrape through

Some key interschool games were worked off over the weekend. I took some time off to watch the Wesley vs. Trinity game. It was a two halved game where Wesley dominated the first half and held a one score lead at the half time break. In the first half they were able to move the ball across the width of the pitch and this paid rich dividends by way of three touch downs. Their play in the second half was riddled with errors of judgement and errors of handling.

I am not sure whether the prospect of being on the verge of beating Trinity got the better of them as they fumbled and missed many an opportunity to score. In the final analysis, self belief and the ability to cling on to a lead was not their forte. They ensured that the Trinity skipper and play-maker was truly sewn up, giving him very little opportunity to run with the ball. Kicks by Wesley deep into Trinity territory were well backed up and most often than not, they got the man and the ball.

A number of Trinity lads showed a marked reluctance to field the high ball and left it for the skipper to field, thereby isolating him as they were not always behind him in support. The last quarter belonged to Trinity and with some individual brilliance they manage to conjure up two unconverted tries. It was a case of a few missed tackles by Wesley that helped Trinity to save the blushes on the day.

Both teams need to be congratulated on the quality of open and fast rugby that was dished out, given the rather murky and soggy conditions underfoot which generally does not facilitate open rugby. The ball handling skills were good despite greasy conditions.

A good referee is one that communicates well with the players and is close at hand to observe little nuances in a ruck or breakdown situation. However when one gets in the way of the players or the line of the ball, it is evident that the man with the whistle is not in the correct position. In rugby parlance he too is offside.

The Peterites travelled to Kandy to put right their previous week’s loss and came back with yet another defeat. Based on the views of those that watched the match it was yet again another display of poor handling and selfish play that cost them the game. If they continue in this vein, further losses are looming large.

SACK returned to winning ways at the cost of Royal, who are having a blow hot, blow cold season. Their form has been as fickle as the current weather. Kingswood earned a draw with Science; whilst the most cheerful news was that the Pathana lads finally got their act together and registered a win against the Joes.

I am told that a few personnel changes were effected in the team selection and if accurate, this seems to have done the trick. The schools season has been exciting as one cannot safely predict the outcome of any given match given the quality of the top six teams. This is indeed good for the game, but not necessarily so for the various diehard supporters.   

In round 12 of the Super Rugby series, the Reds and the Western Force battled to an 11-all draw. Quade Cooper was desperately playing to try to earn a late call up to the Wallabies squad. The Waratahs kept their Super Rugby title hopes alive with a 72-10 demolition of the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. The Highlanders finally recorded their first win of the season at the ninth time of asking thanks to a 25-22 triumph over the Sharks in Dunedin. The Chiefs survived a late Melbourne Rebels fight back to emerge with a 39-33 triumph. The Blues edged the Stormers 18-17 at the North Harbour Stadium.

The Inter-club sevens got underway over the weekend at the Havies under pretty murky conditions. The quality of rugby dished out on day one was nothing spectacular and worth shouting about. However despite, the weather remaining the same, the quality of rugby improved on day two with the Up Country Lions overcoming the favourites Havies in the finals in the dying seconds of the game.

The very purpose of playing a sport was dealt a severe blow when the Navy skipper decided to settle scores with the referee over an alleged forward pass that denied them victory. Mayhem reigned for the best part of an hour before the games continued after divine intervention. In a fitting tribute, the referee was called upon to officiate in the final although not originally intended. One sincerely hopes that we have seen the last of this episode and that there will be no backlashes.

(The writer can be reached via [email protected].)