Upcountry lions falter

The final scorecard would read that the Havies won by a single point. The semi-final clash was anything but champagne rugby by any stretch of imagination. In fact in the first half both teams were competing with each other to find out who could make the most number of mistakes and in that sense Havies won the battle.

The UCL had nothing to lose and played with a greater sense of freedom, spinning the ball wide and looking for holes in the HSC defence.  The HSC on their part looked quite a forlorn side devoid of any vigour and a will to win. Their tackling was poor and many a time they let the man through. When in possession they were like rabbits caught in a spotlight not knowing what to do with the ball.

On many occasions they kicked away possession aimlessly and looked to me like a side that wanted to end the season with the semi-final clash. The UCL winger and the full back read the game well and were deep back in their own territory to field these aimless kicks and then kick start an attacking move.

On too many occasions HSC looked for gaps centerfield and found none. It does not take a genius to figure out that they needed to spin the ball wide and across so as to stretch the UCL defence. By keeping play close to the UCL forwards they played right into the UCL game plan as the UCL forwards were a much heavier bunch but not necessarily more mobile.

With the clock ticking down and the margin being whittled down to a single score, UCL undertook many raids into HSC territory. The fact they were just able to score once is a testimony to their scrambling desperate defence tactics. Bodies lay strewn all over the field as the energy sapping heat, the heat of the moment, the momentous occasion all took their toll on these tired bodies as they had battled it for eighty minutes. UCL did not deserve to lose as they played better quality rugby in the second half.

HSC was lucky to survive and of they play like this in next week’s final, Kandy will return the fifty points drubbing that they endured in the last round with suitable interest as well. There was no consistency in the decisions made by the expatriate referee and this contributed to a rather dull spectacle. One must remember that not all things imported are the best.  

Meanwhile in Kandy, in Bogambara, the home team sliced through Police reviving memories of the glory days of Kandy, after all they are defending champions. Police had travelled to the hills riding on their superb performance the week before against a formidable Navy outfit.

In the final analysis, one of the top four teams was beaten by a team from the plate group whilst the top team almost lost to the fourth team in division one. If Kandy were to win the Clifford cup final on Saturday, it obviously would not speak well of the consistence of the top there teams in this year’s championship.  

The weekend will also see the final games in the Rugby Championship, which the All Blacks have already sealed. The only fact that remains is whether the Pumas could get past a depleted Wallabies side. Given the quality of the Wallabies play in the last few games, their unbeaten record against the Pumas in the last couple of years is bound to be tested together with the ability of Robbie Deans to stay on as the coach.

In the meantime the controversial decision that did not permit the Wallabies to substitute a player and thus making them play with fourteen men in the last quarter of the game rages on.

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