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Tuesday, 25 March 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Arthur Fernandez
As anticipated the Royal/Pathana game was full of swashbuckling rugby, hard bruising tackles, some poor decisions by the players and last but not least a fair dose of controversy on a Sunday afternoon. For those who made it opting to miss out on Akmal’s and Maxwell’s T20 heroics it was time and effort well spent. For a start the organisers must ensure the seating is adequate for the amount charged from the rugby public. What was provided on Sunday was a rip-off.
Pathana appears to be a well knit unit brimming in confidence and looking very positive. They play a brand of rugby that is refreshing, challenging and at times outrageous. In the last two seasons they appear to have opted for the cross kick for the far side winger to chase. It almost worked against Royal, if not for the knock on by the winger. The forwards appear to be mobile and good at counter rucking winning many a turnover ball. However the abundance of possession was not put to good use. Poor decision making also contributed to the same as they opted for a line out in order to score as opposed to getting the three points that was on offer. They even failed to capitalise when Royal was down to 12 men and opted to kick the ball as opposed to retaining possession and using the extra man advantage.
Royal are also a class act. The fact they were able to defend without conceding a score when three of the guys were cooling their heels in the sin bin is creditable. They opted to take play deep into Pathana territory and it worked well for them as Pathana opted to play the kicking game as opposed to running the ball. Royal lost their No. 8 early due to heavy bleeding and after about 25 minutes he was cleared to play only for the referee to turn him back. The blood bin law is very clear on the time frame of fifteen minutes of running time. The fact that the match officials even asked the referee for him to come on does not indicate their knowledge of the game.
Move of the day
Pathana won a 22 metre line out and decided on a rolling maul. The push was great, straight and controlled and the resultant score after a 22 metre trundle was a treat for the rugby connoisseur. The trick in such situations is to control the roll and Pathana did it well as it moved forward at a steady pace.
Villain of the day
The RC goal kicker had left his kicking boots in the changing room. A number of penalties were missed and none as important as the last kick before the final whistle as he let the pressure get the better of him. If he is to continue in that role, many more hours of practice is required as well as a clam and composed mindset.
Decision of the day
The RC prop forward was sin binned for illegal scrummaging. His mate decides to contest the decision with the referee and gets a Yellow for his efforts. A third player decides to talk to RC coach stepping out of the field of play and cops a yellow too. A very brave decision made by referee Cader, who finally had to be escorted from the field of play by the Police at the end of the game. It is amazing that in so many instances the match officials are receiving Police protection indicting a fairly unruly crowd.
At the start of every new school season there a vast number of parents who come along to witness the game as their sons have now graduated to the ‘first fifteen’ team. With that also comes the new breed of armchair referees who keep yelling ‘offside, forward pass, holding on and late tackle’ as if they have been appointed as assistants to the referee. It might be good in the long run to provide them a copy of the latest IRB rule book so that all can enjoy the game.
In the Pathana/RC game there was too much of the coaching staff running out on to the field of play at the slightest opportunity to fine tune/change the game plan. Whilst one can empathise with their desire for the team to play well too much of interference could have the wrong effect.
(The writer can be reached via [email protected])
