D-Day to determine the epitome of Rugby temperament on Sunday at Royal Sports Complex

Isipathana have fallen short on tactical planning and essential skill sets on some occasions in the past years, but have never lost control of their nerves

Can the Lions draw courage and hold on to their nerves, while not letting any pressure situation affect their gameplay?

The battlefront for the final combat to clinch the Crown was shifted from Sugathadasa Stadium to Royal Sports Complex in order to get the spectators up close to the epic, spellbinding action that is set to unfold on Sunday to conclude the Schools Rugby Knockout Tourney. The two teams that made the lowest number of mistakes have made it to the final, and whoever continues to do so is destined to grab the Knockout Title. Both teams are quite strong in offense and defence, hence the game seems evenly poised from the outset. Nevertheless, it makes sense to dive-in a little deeper to evaluate and compare both teams on specific skill sets.

The Forwards’ game

Both sides are quite eager and highly capable of attacking with their Forwards whenever the right opportunity presents itself. While Trinity’s lineouts look fine and nothing to complain or boast about, Pathans’ glimmer with four turnovers in two games, whilst disrupting the opposition Hookers to mess up their throws on four other occasions in total. Just a solitary crooked throw in three games and none lost at the lineouts, puts the Greens at the throne of the jumping game, and thus Trinity may have to carefully think about kicking to touch in order to gain territory, as they are highly unlikely to win the Ball back, unless it’s a 50-22. Therefore, kicking and chasing seems more appropriate for Trinity, while Isipathana will regularly look to find touch inside Trinity land.

Isipathana Rugby has seemingly issued a copy of the handbook of rugby laws to each and every player, to be revised before going to bed each night, hence might have that area polished to perfection, and therefore the Lions are unlikely to get many penalty opportunities inside the Panthers’ Den. While being up against the best disruptive jumpers in ‘Segment A’, Trinity is not likely to muster up stable and strong Mauls inside the opposition’s 22. Even if they do manage a few, the Greens are equipped with multiple tactics to counter and diffuse those Mauls. While Trinity can try their luck with the Mauls, it’s best not to rely on them.

Both teams will be evenly poised with their pick ‘n drives, as both sides have similar capabilities to attack and defend as well. It would be very interesting to watch the two teams go at each other using this skillset, especially at the goal lines. However, the Pathans are expected to have a slight edge over Trinity in penetration per phase, due to their bigger and potentially stronger Forwards.

The backline tricks

Fast, open rugby is the most favourite choice among Sri Lankan fans, as you hear the constant chants of “work it… work it!” every few minutes, of every single game played. These two teams would be the best in class to dish out what the local rugby fraternity yearns for, with stylish and abrupt moves, fancy footwork, bizarre offloads and the gimmicks. Though both teams are capable of comparable aerobatic manoeuvres, the capability of stopping or slowing each other down must be investigated in depth. While both teams demonstrated parallel skills in effective, hard tackling, it is the Lions who have been able to persuade the spilling of the Beans. Whereas Pathana tackling has forced two knock-ons, Trinity’s ferocity has forced seven in the last three games.

 As the Lions’ rush defence flashes in front of the speeding Green Panthers, one could expect cross kicks and short punts over the Lions’ heads, in an attempt to get past the last line of defence. Therefore, Trinity may have to rethink their strategy on the speed of the rush, based on the defence cushion placed behind the rushers.

 Nerve control

Finals are all about holding it together. Even when the going gets tough and the odds are against you, you still strive to survive the Tidal Waves of charges, coupled with acts of intimidation, which is part of the game. It requires special mental conditioning over a prolonged period of time to become resilient to this. Isipathana has fallen short on tactical planning and essential skill sets on some occasions in the past years, but have never lost control of their nerves. In fact, the worst pressure situations bring their best fighting spirits out. On the contrary, Trinity has established clear signs of cracking under the slightest pressure, and imposing pressure on the opposition is second nature to the Green Panthers. Can the Lions draw courage and hold on to their nerves, while not letting any pressure situation affect their gameplay? This would be the big ‘IF’, if Trinity is to have even a decent chance of laying their hands on a Championship Trophy, that is long overdue.

(The Analyst can be reached at: [email protected].)