Summa simmers Thora in sour soup

The weekend night games seemed to be the preferred choice for the patrons of all ages, as the turnout was more than adequate for pre-quarter finals, that made the atmosphere so colourful and electrifying, it makes watching such games online worthless. It was delightful to see infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kids, adolescents, teens, young adults and old, enjoying the game of rugby under lights, and some enjoying the ambience and companionship. Thank you SLSRFA for this wonderful experience. 

Isipathana vs Science – 14 March:

Neither team really impressed in this encounter by making breaks through the opposition defence, or creating spaces using their attacking tactics, as most Tries were scored off penalties conceded by the other party, and seldom due to brilliant penetration skills. It could be that the Pathana camp did not wish to disclose their gimmicks too early on in the season, especially when it was not required to do so at the pre-quarter final game. 3 of the 7 Tries scored by Pathana were using Mauls, and one via Pick & Drive. Although the aforementioned Tries were scored quite easily without much resistance, it doesn’t necessarily make a statement, considering the mediocre opposition.

As far as Pathana’s defending was concerned, they weren’t hesitant to trample the laws of the game with their Boots, when severely attacked inside their 10, which resulted in many back-to-back penalty advantages that never lead to even a single yellow card. Maybe Science could have scored at least two more Tries if this match was officiated by an international Referee? One notable thing is that Science never collapsed the Maul while conceding the 3 Maul Tries, while Pathana defended their Tryline by deliberately collapsing Science Mauls twice. The reason why collapsing a Maul results in a penalty is because it is considered “dangerous play” because it can result in serious injuries, thus should be avoided. It is quite amusing as to why a team such as the Green Machine cannot defend Mauls legally, but resort to dangerous tactics on purpose? In this sense we can assert that Science College has played this game in the way it was meant by World Rugby, by respecting the core values of Rugby, whereas Isipathana has not.

Science did reasonably well with their defence and tackling throughout the game. They maintained good discipline with only around 10 offenses, but unfortunately for them, 7 of them occurred in their own front yard, which the Greens made good use of to score Tries. An aimless clearance kick into the hands of the Greens without much forethought, gifted Pathana an extra Try. Although Isipathana conceded over 10 penalties in their own half, Science did not possess the infiltration capabilities to breach their defence, up until in the dying minutes of the game. Their defending ability for Maul attacks was insufficient, as 3 Tries were scored; maybe they should have a second look at their S&C program?

Interestingly, a sub-contest between the two teams brewed in Touch Kicking, as both teams excelled in finding long distance touch finders for their respective sides. Consider the following table for comparison. 

Isipathana’s 3 Touch Kicks that gained over 30m were off penalties awarded, that also got them close to Science’s 5m, all of which were encashed for Tries.

Result: Pathana muscle mauls Science 41-8 

D.S. Senanayake vs Zahira – 14 March:

The first night game of the weekend saw a decent turnout of highly vocal supporters, who electrified the atmosphere at CR. The game was also fiercely contested by the two sides, as if it was a Trophy match. However, the DS Backline lacked the skills to penetrate the Zahira defenders, hence they had to rely on their Forwards to score for them. Zahira did oblige with a heavy rain of penalties, continuing from where they left off last season, aiding the Dons’ cause, but the DS Forwards were able to score only 3 Tries off them. Furthermore, DS tackling slowly became wavered and off target, and within 30 minutes, the DS defenders seemed to be completely worn out, and frequently let the speedy Zahirians pass them by. Another question and replanning for the DS S&C coach.

Upon leading 24-7 at Melons (hard to spot Lemons at half time in Sri Lanka these days), Zahira eased their discipline, and offered a bountiful handout of penalties, possibly to make the game more interesting for the enthusiastic spectators, and give them something to cheer for. 14 offenses just in the latter half allowed Donz to get to a decent score by overpowering the Zahira Forwards, who did not have any response whatsoever for their rolling Mauls, except to collapse them close to 5 times. Another shameful and impotent defence tactic, considering the capability possessed by the coaching crew at Zahira, but yet chose to spit on the values of rugby. Although quite spectacularly skilful, Zahira’s road to stardom may come to an abrupt halt this season as well, due to their untamed and abundant lawlessness.

Result: Zahira survive DS comeback 27-17 

S. Thomas’ vs Sri Sumangala – 15 March:

Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College Kandy, delivered Trinitrotoluene (TNT) in its purest form to the capital city, exposing an explosive, die-hard brand of rugby, running rings around the defence(less) of an unsuspecting and underprepared elite rugby playing entity. They rattled, overwhelmed and dominated their opponents during nearly three quarters of the game’s duration, thereby stealing the limelight and the thunder from STC, to win the hearts and minds of all genuine rugby lovers. Summa rugby team and the coaching staff; now you have the utmost attention and respect of the top division schools rugby fraternity; please take a bow.

Summa executed a confident game with a defined plan, followed up with meticulous delivery that was backed by a solid defence structure. Moreover, their unparalleled commitment and dedication to offer themselves 100% for the defence cause, until the very last minute of the game was simply astonishing, while their ability to spontaneously identify attacking opportunities, and then pounce on them with agility and breathtaking evasive skills, artistically layers the icing on the Cake. Their precision ball handling shames all local Club teams of last season, and thus simply places a beautiful, shiny, hot red Cherry on top of the icing.

More than what the stats reflect, the Thomians suffered a substandard first half, while suffocating their supporters, both with and without the ball. Their performance was nothing compared to the valour portrayed and the tone that was set last season. Moreover, some thoughtless kicking, and poor clearance kicks cost them two Tries, that plunged Thora straight into a bowl of hot soup.

It was only in the decisive half (or rather quarter) in which the Thomians steadied their ship and engaged in somewhat meaningful rugby onslaughts, but the determined visitors seldom gave in, at least for the first 15 minutes. Though very much strong minded, Sumangala’s energy levels dropped just enough for the persistent Thomians to push hard through, for a series of Tries to seal the win.

Result: Summa softened in the last quarter 24-31

Royal vs St. Anthony’s – 15 March:

Upon years and years of waiting, yearning for this very moment, finally Royal College has set out on a campaign in the world of rugby, in search of beyond the Bradby. As we stand corrected with our prediction that they may not be ready for the Knockouts, we can now confidently state that they are set out to grab every piece of silverware on offer this year. Gone are the years of the concept of Royal peaking only during the super round, thanks to the few close calls they faced last season. This is the extreme quality of rugby the Royal Tuskers were capable of delivering, right from the start of the season, and it is poised to be a ringing season of roaring R’s for the Blue, Gold and Blue.

Valiant and endless efforts by SACK employing an array of structured attacks were defeated by an even more structured defence formation, precision tackling and constant defence realignment while under continuous attack. Remember the solid and impressive Royal defence that was portrayed during certain brief periods at the last two Bradby legs? This time it was during the entire game; hence many teams would find it quite challenging to breach their defence, and would succumb trying, just like how Antho had to settle for a solitary Try. Oppositions would be better off getting their Place Kicking polished, as plenty of penalties shall be on offer, but only for a limited period.

Antho’s true potential was undermined in this outing by a gritty, superior team who’s already on the first week itself, to grab the Knockout, League and the Bradby titles. However, it must be also noted that SACK’s poor ball handling and hooking caused them to lose possession on more than 10 occasions, which drowned them further in their misery.

Result: Royal fortress fanned off the Eagles 34-13

 Pictures courtesy of www.thepapare.com

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