Battles for supremacy to intensify further despite Bradby Shield allure

Dialog Schools Rugby League 2023 – Week 6 Preview

Week 6 further intensifies the battle for the 2nd position in the Group 1 Table, while the first two berths are already secured in the Group 2 Table, in “Segment A” of the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2023. 

This week would also feature the vivid glamour, splendour and festivities of the 77th Bradby Shield encounter, to be worked off in Kandy on Saturday.

Will it be the Donz, or the Thoras who will prevail this week, to stay in contention to make it to the Super Round? Can Trinity overturn the mighty Tuskers using the Bradby pressure? Let’s take a deep dive to find out if we can predict the outcome of each game scheduled for week 6.

DSS vs. STC at Havelock Park on 21 July

DS and STC have lost only a game each, out of the four they have played so far, both to the Green Machine, and the deadlock is set to be broken on Friday. Both teams are evenly poised in terms of skillset and size, and can battle it out either with the Heads or the Tails. STC would command the added power when it comes to their Forwards, and the Donz will have the whipping edge when it comes to their brisk Backs. This encounter will serve as a succulent appetizer to the Rugby feast to follow in the subsequent days.

DS used their Forwards quite well in their match against Isipathana, but totally avoided engaging them in their last game against Kingswood. Maybe the plan was to rest them, in order to use them against the strong Thomian counterparts? Regardless, their attack will lean more towards the whizzing tail. Donz’s overall effectiveness will depend heavily on their number of infringements, which has reached an alarming high. It will also rely partly on Ball handling, as their opponents have now got both under control.

In contrast, the Thomians will have their work cut out, in trying to curtail the DS tail that will be in full swing throughout this game. The outcome of this encounter will largely depend on how successful the Thomians are, in countering the DS Backs, and the duration they can stay inside the DS grid attacking, in order to milk infringements and pile up penalty points.

Trinity vs. Royal at Pallekele on 22 July

The 1st leg of the Bradby Shield is opportunely scheduled to be played at Trinity’s home venue, giving them the much-needed advantage. The brimming confidence in playing with the backing of the home crowd, minus the travel fatigue will certainly boost Trinity’s morale and performance. On the contrary, Royal will be playing in unfamiliar surroundings and unusual ground levels (from Sea) for the first time this season, that may or may not impact their mental and physical beings.

Trinity’s tactical play of constant attack is exactly what the doctor ordered to counter a team like Royal. Trinity also exhibited that they have the stamina to attack all evening, supported by Shan Althaf’s precise and long-distance touch kicks, to move the play over to the visitor’s grid. How they would manage to score from there is what is left to be seen, as they are up against the best of defenses in the League this year. Crossing the Tuskers’ goal line even once, deserves a celebration with a Bottle of Champaign, but to cross it multiple times, is a feat yet to be accomplished this season. Trinity cannot win this game by penalty points alone, and will rely on the master plan devised by their Coach Fazil Marija, to find ways to enable their Backs to infiltrate the opposition’s “Great Wall of defence”. Nevertheless, if they manage to take the lead by the 50th minute, they could tap into the single most vulnerability of the Royalists, to make them panic, choke and force errors that they could capitalise on.

Although the Royal Tuskers were ready for this encounter two weeks ago, they showed some glitches last week against Dharmaraja. Their lineouts were an utter mess, compounded by poor Ball handling, especially catching the high Ball cleanly. Even if this gets resolved by the 1st leg, one may not be surprised if they are clueless as to what they should do with the Ball once it’s secured, as all focus will be now on catching the Ball only. In case these unforced handling errors are not adequately minimised, Trinity can exploit those instances to breach the Royal defence.

While the known facts could be either reassuring or dreadful to both fraternities, the unknown elements make it an enticing encounter to look forward to.

Isipathana vs. Wesley at Havelock Park on 22 July

Isipathana and the rest of the Schools Rugby community shall be in for a surprise, when the Greens take on the deadly Wesley package. Although the latter hasn’t won a single game this season yet, their skills have elevated steeply and steadily, to match up to the Group leaders.

Wesley should have their match plan figured out, on how and when they would utilise their Forwards to surprise the Green Machine. A Forwards unit that has earned the accolade for mauling their way 50 meters for a Try, is indeed a very rare occurrence in the upper Segment. As much as Pathana loves to possess the Ball, Wesley’s task will be to play a closed game, starving the Pathana Backs, battering their Forwards, and forcing their power at crossing their defence. They would succeed in milking a few penalty points as well, if they keep attacking in the Green’s redzone for a prolonged period.

However, Wesley’s weaknesses, as observed in the games played two weeks ago, are a high number of handling errors and infringements, that held them back from victory against teams of similar calibre. The same number of blunders against the defending Champions would certainly ruin their chances of levelling up to the hosts. 

Isipathana will face the acid test in handling heavy Forwards, before they move on to the all-important Super Round of the League, where they are pitted against the two heavyweights of this Tournament. In case Pathana is unable to hold or counter the Wesley Pack’s drives, then a green light would turn-on at Reid Avenue to signal that the coast is clear for them. The hosts have shown an abrupt rise in handling errors in the past few games, which has prevented them from winning by a higher margin. Although, those didn’t matter much then, it will matter now and for all future games.

St. Peter’s vs. Science at SPC on 22 July

While most of the Rugby community is still in utter shock to have witnessed what unfolded last week at the encounter between St. Peter’s and Zahira, they have to undergo yet another traumatic fixture between Group 2’s top dogs and underdogs. The only concern this week is, if the Bamba Brigade Backs will break their Limbs running 15 plus Tries, before the crucial Super Round? Pray that the coaching staff will utilise the underutilised bench for this match, to even out wear and tear?

Kingswood vs. St. Anthony’s at Pallekele on 23 July

Kingswood who are yet to win a match this season, will take on St. Anthony’s, in a seemingly uphill task, but in reality, it wouldn’t be, if they play their cards right. The Boys of Randles Hill were inches away from toppling the much-fancied and fierce DSS last week, exhibiting equally fantastic Rugby to the lucky few who were present at the Havelock Park. Thus, taking on a comparatively similar SACK outfit may not be a substantial challenge for them.

The main problem that has been continuously haunting Kingswood is knock-ons, that has either prevented them from scoring Tries, or allowed the opposition to score instead. Unless this blemish is corrected, they will continue to struggle to win all their future, close encounters.

St. Anthony’s, who are a totally refreshed and rejuvenated unit, have not improved even a teeny bit after their first game this season. They are so multi-skilled, both in offense and defence, but have displayed subpar performances, ever since their first match in which they overturned the mighty Joes. One cannot really understand if it is over-optimism or decision paralysis that is preventing them from achieving what they are capable of. Regardless, they will be the pre-match favourites for this game, despite their present state.

Vidyartha vs. Zahira at Bogambara on 23 July

After suffering two consecutive losses at the hands of the Titans of the Group, Zahira will travel back to Kandy, where they won their first encounter, to take on an opponent of parallel calibre. They will look forward to securing this one, expecting to climb the Table with 3 wins. They will possess the added advantage in terms of their Forwards powerhouse against a lightweight Vidyartha unit, and will hope to unleash their deadly driving mauls against their hosts.

Vidyartha, returning after a week off, boosted by the triumph of besting a broader skilled Dharmaraja team, will be determined to repeat the feat once again. Although they were able to easily capitalise on Rajans’ ton of infringements to amass penalty points, they may have to find alternate strategies for Zahira. Their learnings from playing Royal and Dharmaraja should ideally come in handy to craft a suitable plan to counter the powerful Zahira Forwards. If this is done adequately, then it will totally be a Backs game. Nevertheless, this would be another exciting encounter that is worth making the trip up to the Hills.

St. Joseph’s and Dharmaraja will take a break on the sixth week.