Diluted distilled water presented by SLSRFA

As the ‘Segment A’ of the 2024 Schools Rugby League has been severely diluted by at least 4 teams that should have been playing in the lower Segment, the calendar is filled with ridiculously unbalanced fixtures that may interest only a subsection of fans of the superior sides. Although a team could benefit tremendously by playing against stronger opponents, there could be only very few benefits in playing oppositions who are advanced multifolds in every possible comparable aspect. This doesn’t give the weaker team any chance of improving anything, other than to merely spectate the experts at work from the best position at the venue. The schools that are looking to rebuild and consolidate with fresh players this year would have tremendously benefitted by playing in ‘Segment B’ instead.

In addition, even some top schools are struggling to play their usual game, or unable to maintain consistent form, even after a whole month of practice matches. All these aspects have consequently led to only two matches that catch the interest of the general Rugby enthusiasts this weekend, and quite sadly, those are the only two that would be previewed this week.

D.S. Senanayake vs St. Anthony’s at Havelock Park on 28 June

The Donz will take on a rapidly improved Anthony’s unit today, which requires them to be in their best form. The slack in form shown last week by the hosts would definitely give SACK the edge, and therefore DS has no choice, but to be back at its top game in order to make this encounter even stevens.

St. Anthony’s has only a few minor errors to be corrected before coming into this game, and if done successfully, they would be a daunting opponent to overcome. If their lineout issues are fixed, you can expect some Maul attacks launched from within the DS 22. Although the DS unit consists of some bulky Forwards, they are yet to unleash / unveil their concealed mauling skills, as Trinity’s failed lineouts didn’t require them to. With SACK, they may have no choice but to reveal what they are capable of against a driving or rolling Maul.

Both teams had issues finding touch, and the eye between the posts last weekend, and how each team has worked to improve on these aspects will directly influence the additional points that would be scored by them.

Although the backline attacking skills of both teams are on par, DS has the edge on tackling, hence defending, and they verified this by forcing a few knock-ons against Trinity, and effectively unsettling them in their last game. Therefore, it would be rather interesting to watch the backs go at each other in this encounter. This also means that SACK would have to use their forwards more often than they would like to and drive their counterparts to an acid test. 

Science vs S. Thomas’ at Air Force Grounds on 30 June

Science College will be hosting their longtime friendly neighbour from the same town but won’t be friendly enough to go easy on them, as this would be a vital game for the Ruggerrites in Maroon, in their campaign to claim the second place in their Group. As for the Thomians, they have almost lost this opportunity with their loss to Trinity and staring at the Green Machine standing like the Himalayas, in their way.

The hosts have the crystal-clear advantage in this encounter and shall be the favourites, not only because they are playing at home, but due to a few other critical factors. The renewed Science Rugby has demonstrated that it is equipped with an all-round strong defence, that is much sturdier than the visitors. A team’s ability to defend quick and hard could induce a sense of urgency in the minds of the oppositions, which could propel unforced errors, in the forms of knock-ons, inaccurate passes, forward passes, etc., in addition to forced errors. Science’s superior rush defence perplexed SACK in their initial encounter to indirectly cause them to stutter and commit a ton of handling errors. This pattern continued with the Green Machine last weekend, where they were compelled to make a complete mess of ball handling, that included 2 forced knock-ons. The only way Isipathana was able to create space to make breaks, was by making a series of passes in quick successions, just before getting tackled, and thereby tying down several defenders at the tackles, near simultaneously. The Science Pack is much superior to the Thora’s as well, as the latter succumbed to the attacks by SACK last week, while Science dominated the Mauls against the very same opposition a few weeks ago.

On the contrary, STC’s defence has been average in general, and they were seen vulnerable to ‘pick and drive’ attacks last weekend against a not-so-formidable Pack of Forwards. Unless their coaching unit has slogged hard over the past week to bridge this extensive gap, the Thomians are destined to struggle in this encounter. 

Consolation fixtures:

If one has nothing much to do on Saturday and wishes to tune into a match that may present some form of amusement, the following two are for them. 

St. Peter’s vs Wesley at St. Peter’s Grounds on 29 Jun:

Although this is destined to be a one-sided affair, Wesley College has potential to play quality Rugby and if they do, will reveal weaknesses of the defending Champions. Thus, anyone who wishes to find out what SPC’s vulnerabilities are, should pay very close attention to this game. In addition, the double blues might pull off some unexpected surprises occasionally. Hence, despite the predicted result, there might be some amusing events / plays that would be worth watching. 

Zahira vs Royal at Zahira Ground on 29 Jun:

Although Royal College would be expecting to make a practice game out of this encounter, they may stumble across a few revelations. One could surely expect Zahira’s ‘pick and drive’ defences to be beefed up in order to try and counter the might of the Tuskers. The spectators may even witness the Zahirians turning over Maul possession from the visitors, on more than a solitary occasion. One may also witness Zahira scoring Tries off ‘pick and drives’. If the above are executed reasonably well, then you may find Royal opting to play an open running game of Rugby!

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