CR comes back with too little, too late

Tuesday, 16 December 2014 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

With the last few games to be worked off for the conclusion of the first round, Kandy and Navy appear to be impregnable. There has been the odd upset, with some of the lesser-fancied teams turning in sterling performances on a particular day and upsetting the more-fancied team. The quality of rugby has not reached any great heights. This brings into focus the effect, if any, and the influence of the expatriate players on the local lads. The expatriates have been flown down at a fair cost to the clubs, with several clubs struggling to make ends meet. Has there been an adequate return on investment? Have the local players become over-reliant on the expats? Air Force started off the season in the firm belief that they would manage with their local talent only and then swiftly had a change of heart after the results of the first couple of games. They too have now resorted to expat players. A number of clubs have also opted for expatriate coaching staff and we have not seen a perceptible difference in the style of play be it in attack or

defence. It then begs the question as to whether the setup of Sri Lankan Rugby is correct and if there is a need to start at a younger age. The ‘B’ side games have not been of any appreciable standard and have not acted as a feeder to the main sides as they did in the years gone by. In the current scenario, we see ‘A’ team players changing their allegiance from one club to another depending on the cash rewards on offer as opposed to loyalty. This cannot be faulted entirely as the players must make the best use of their talent when possible. The Kandy/CR game was the pick of the week and the rugby on offer was pretty standard. Kandy was rewarded for the persistence as CR conceded two soft tries. For a greater part of the game, CR was in with a chance and the final score line would bear testimony to this. One of the areas that CR failed to capitalise was in the set pieces. On a Kandy put in, the CR number 8 was not bound and this in effect weakens the push of the scrum. With the player now required to hook the ball, it has been seen often in international games that the opposing side gets in a strong concerted push by all eight of the pack at times resulting in turnover ball, or providing slow ball to the opponent. In the line outs, a couple of teams used the ploy of delaying the number of players being committed to the line out. We would often see the players casually walk to the mark and the hooker throw the ball in as soon as the team members reached the mark. Whilst the local referees permitted this move, the expatriate referees have come down hard on this insisting that the side throwing in the ball commit the numbers to the line out at the outset. Kandy did not commit numbers to the breakdown point and opted to have their defence spread wide thereby negating the CR forward thrust. This coupled with poor support play by the CR forwards led them to not being able to able to recycle quick ball. With the number eight breaking from the back of the scrum, it is important for the two flankers to keep their eyes glued to ensure that they are able to break out at the opportune moment. Alas, this skill appears to have been forgotten as on a number of occasions, the number eight break was not effectively countered by either side. (The writer can be reached via [email protected].)

CR comes back with too little, too late

Recent columns

COMMENTS