A round of Rows to reserve slots for next Segment

As we step into week 4, it becomes more and more difficult to compare strengths and weaknesses of sides from a tactical perspective, as most Coaches have done a splendid job this season in building teams with all-round skills, and the level of some skills in comparison can be appraised, only when the two teams face each other. The unbeaten Table leaders of Group 1 shall be decided this weekend, while the other two Groups would have to remain calm until the 5th week of the initial round.

 D.S. Senanayake vs Science at Havelock Park on 27 June:

This is another evenly poised encounter similar to the match between Ananda vs DS. Both teams possess comparable skills of somewhat equal strengths, both in their Backs and Forwards game, hence a see-saw effect is guaranteed for the Patrons. The single factor that separates the two sides apart is their game discipline, as Science has been giving away more penalties than DS in the last two games.

 How the mini battle between the Forwards may veer when they maul each other would be an interesting tussle to see, which could also influence the outcome of the game. DS shall have additional opportunities to launch Mauls from around the Science 22, due to the extra penalties that are poised to be awarded in their favour. However, the Ball handling of DS became a concern in their last game, as they spilled 8 voluntarily, which has to be improved in this game.

Science would have a slight edge on place kicking that may gain them a few extra points, but their pitfall is likely to be their high penalty count, that must be corrected for them to have a fair chance to compete in this encounter. They might also stand a better chance with their Mauls against DS, which did not go well against the sheer power of the Brigade’s Pack.

 Wesley vs St. Peter’s at Havelock Park on 28 June:

Being one of the most anticipated games of round 1, most neutral fans of the game are keeping a close eye on this one, while Havelock Park is deemed to have a full House on Saturday evening. After scaring the Bamba Brigade off their skins last season, and twice over, it is now or never for the Double Blues to strike with anything short of blistering Thunders in this crucial game.

 Having embraced reality that his game falls quite short in the Forwards department, especially against those who target it, veteran Coach Sanath Martis has been at work in the background creating a monstrous Pack with diverse skills to not only defend adequately, but also to launch strikes singlehandedly without any help from their Backline. The ultimate product outcome owing to the series of his back burner lab work will be showcased to the public in its complete form this Saturday, and whatever bits and pieces that were seen before were just snippets of the signs of his work-in-progress. From a critic’s point of view, whether he managed to produce Frankincense or Frankenstein is left to be seen on Saturday.

 Wesley’s game that has been executed meticulously since last season is expected to be unchanged, but has been added with more passion, motivation, and heart, but regrettably also with complete disregard to the laws and spirit of the game than ever before, as they cast their eyes on the League Title. Although their Backs may not be a match for the Brigade three quarters, neither in swift attacks nor timely tackling, they could certainly prove to be a handful for the defending Champions.

 Neither team is completely immune to Maul onslaughts, as SPC has conceded more Maul Tries and ‘collapsing maul’ offenses than Wesley. However in fairness, it must be stated that they were up against Forwards with distinct calibres during the past weeks. Nevertheless, the Brigade Forwards have gotten tougher since that game against Ananda, and are now power packed to take on their mighty Wesley counterparts, and whoever prevails in this Forwards battle would most likely seize the day.

St. Anthony’s vs Ananda at Nittawela on 28 June:

With astounding defence performances exhibited against the current defending Champions St. Peter’s College, and aspiring to-be Champions Wesley College, the Eagles are now ready and eagerly circling the Hilltops for their first hunt of the 2025 Season. They shall kneel down and pray before they prey on the new entrants to the upper division, in order to stay in competition for the Plate.

 On the contrary, the newbies also have the very idea to secure their place in the Plate Segment, and that in turn involves the task of capturing and taming the Eagles, either with or without their Feathers. So, as a win is a MUST for both sides, the heat will be turned up at Nittawela this Saturday.

 The visitors would face the challenge in containing the Anthony’s Backline, while the latter shall be mounted with the demanding chore of holding off the Ananda Forwards bound in Mauls, and attached in pick ‘n drives. As SACK has already portrayed their inability to completely halt, but only slow down Tries scored using the aforementioned skills, they would have to rely on their Backs to make up for the points conceded.

 Conversely, the Ananda defence would have to be fast enough, or thick enough to contain the Antonian speedsters, while ensuring that its viscosity remains constant even during intense onslaughts. If that defence gapes even slightly, then it would result in a spectacular Try time for the swift, gliding Eagles. Mowing through the SACK defence could be overwhelming as well as time consuming, hence the skill to execute extended touch finders should unquestionably save valuable Calories that could be saved for later.

Kingswood vs Mahanama at Bogambara on 29 June:

This would be a crucial match for both Schools as the result would influence their run to clinch the Plate in the subsequent Segment of the League. In other words, the top two berths of this Group are almost secured by Isipathana and STC, and therefore this match should not affect either Kingswood or Mahanama’s eligibility to enter the Plate Segment.

 Once again, the two teams are evenly poised with balanced all-round skills, and the intent to regain possession and strike continuously is a part of both teams’ inherent mental attributes. Both sides sport strong Forwards with skilled mauling techniques, but for some reason Kingswood seldom activated the Mauls in their game against Zahira.

 Mahanama, who kicked off the League with a series of disastrous lineouts that led to its utter failure, possibly learnt a few tricks from the masters of lineouts Isipathana, and have now become gruesome in that area of expertise. They effortlessly disrupted 6 Thomian throws, while turning over 2, which made the Thomian lineouts look pretty elementary. They shall be travelling over to Kandy with the same aggressive mindset to spoil all chances of Kingswood jumpers forming Mauls, hence the likelihood of the hosts scoring off Maul Tries would be questionable.

 However, there exists a loophole in their contesting strategy, because they go all out in disrupting the opposition’s lineout by contesting, no matter when or where, and even when it›s very close to their own goal line. This presents an opportunity for the attacking team to score a certain Try, only if they manage to secure the Ball in a lineout close to Mahanama’s line of prestige. The visitors also have a tendency to not retreat 10 meters following a penalty awarded against them, which gives the opposition a chance to milk another penalty for a ‘not 10’ offense, off a quick tap.

 Kingswood’s shortcoming lies on their high penalty counts which the visitors will use to get maximum return from. These offenses are usually the careless ones that could be avoided easily, or back-to-back offenses under pressure or lack of concentration. If they manage to shed this baggage, then they can play Ball to attack, rather than to defend continuously.

 Footnote:

Though we love to, unfortunately we are unable to preview all 9 games to be played each weekend due to time limitations, and therefore are compelled to accommodate only around 4 forecasts each week.

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