Three Schools are perched on top eyeing the schools league. By the time this article is in print all possibilities are that it would be dropped to two. That is after winners are decided in the match between Peters and Pathana. However the only hope another side has a chance of beating Royal to the league depends on the hope that Royal will lose a match and also give away bonus points. Whatever it may be after this week the school rugby takes a break for three weeks and the boys will be back with fresh legs on the park.
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Meanwhile last week the club rugby season kicked off and the winners were CR, Navy, Kandy and Air Force. Navy as well as CR did not reach a standard that one would have expected from two clubs at the top. The CR and CH game was not as exciting as the close scoreline. Despite there being a low stoppage count in the game the spectator did not get value for money as there were frequent unforced errors in this game. Something I fail to understand was the hesitance of both teams to take a shot at goal when penalties are given within kicking range. The rest of the game saw the ball being moved up and down but with no fire from neither side.
It is not incorrect to say that Navy managed to win against the Army who had no finish to the moves as they approached the Navy territory many a time. At times I thought that they had no direction on the field and was lost as they fumbled with the ball. Something good I saw in this match was the blind side break off a maul 22 meters out and ended in a try. This was well executed and took the Army by surprise.
The match between Air Force and Police played at Katunayake too ended on a close call with Airmen getting the better of the Police team. This game was fast paced.
The game that made a difference was the one between Havelock’s and Kandy. Havelock’s who have been having a difficult time in the past did give Kandy a tough test and could have romped home winners. Despite making headway into Kandy territory they did not capitalize on the number of chances they had to put points on the board. There were holes or unmarked areas in the back division which gave Kandy room to get into an attacking position.
The young Havies side did very well and had the Tongan players to give them the boost they needed. The Tongans took the attack to Kandy and the rest of the team had their appetite for better rugby tickled to perform better than they have done in the past. If they continue the way they started it is good for the game and good for the club. There was a reasonable spectator attendance at this game and possibly there will be more in the future. Kandy on the other hand used their experience well and that is what helped them to win the game.
The crowds at both matches in Colombo were encouraging. Despite being a Friday evening there was an appreciative crowd present for the CH / CR game. The games that were played have been close and that means that there should be entertaining fare on the field. The inclusion of non national players at least for the clubs of the bottom level seems to be working to some extent as Havelock’s and CH have been seen to be better though they did not win. The score line 06 both matches indicate that they have what it takes to make a mark this season.
In the tournament organization there has been a communication that there will be citing introduced at is that the matches which are being televised. A Citing Commissioners shall be entitled to cite a player for any act or Acts of Illegal and/or Foul ply which in the opinion of the Citing Commissioner warranted the Player concerned being Ordered Off; (b) Citing Commissioners may cite Players for an act or acts of Illegal and/or Foul Play even where such act or acts may have been detected by the referee and/or Assistant Referee and which may have been the subject of action taken by the referee and/or AR. A Citing Commissioner may not, however, cite a Player for an act or acts of Illegal and/or Foul Play in respect of which the Player has been Ordered Off;
This means that that there is another pair of eyes other than the referee who will be watching and can report on the belief that a send off is what should have happened. This then will be subject to a judicial process to decide whether the action on the field is adequate. Thus there is hope that this will serve as a deterrent to those who engage in foul play hoping that the referee will not see.
Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, coach and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB |
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