Peterites exploit Trinity’s Bradby mauling

One of the main reasons for splitting the school and club rugby seasons was to ensure that there was a steady flow of top notch school players into the club circuit. The other was to ensure that rugby enthusiasts were given the opportunity to witness a larger number of games. 

Thus when four key games were played last Saturday, it was anybody’s guess as to where the wires had been crossed. Maybe those responsible for scheduling the games did not have the bigger picture at heart or were simply working in different compartmentalised zones. 

We see this happen in the corporate world, with each unit claiming to be doing its part but the organisation still at a standstill. The CEO’s skill comes into sharp focus in such instances, and a number of them fail to deliver on this count. 

All in all it was a poor decision and the games could easily have been spread from Friday to Monday, given that Tuesday was a holiday as well. Despite what is said and written, nothing will change as those in charge are oblivious to the views of others and definitely lack any form of common sense. 

Much was written and expected of Trinity College after their debacle at the hands of Royal College in the return leg of the Bradby encounter held during the previous week. 

Trinity started off like a runaway train against a St. Peter’s College outfit missing their mercurial skipper Kevin ‘Kutty’ Dixon and it appeared as if the Lions were in for a feast. They had soon ratcheted up points on the board and the Petes looked all at sea. 

Chief Guest Nimal Jayasuriya, formerly of Sri Lanka Army and Weli Oya fame, looked flustered and embarrassed to be there. If Kutty was injured he should not have been on the bench, and if he was fit enough to be on the bench he should have been in the starting line-up. 

Hence, the SPC Rugby think tank had gotten their priorities all wrong and finally Kutty strode onto the field to a rather well deserved and a rapturous applause. The body language of the Peterites immediately underwent a change and they now played with renewed vigour, enthusiasm and determination.

In the final analysis it was difficult to ascertain whether Trinity lost the game or whether St. Peter’s won it. The Peterites were guilty of several missed tackles and poor handling. The game at times was played in rather unpleasant surroundings with several fists flying. It finally ended with two Peterites being sent to the ‘cooler’ for ten minutes. 

During this period Trinity failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage and the Petes played their best rugby of the day. They swung the ball on the short side, completely flummoxing the Trinity defence and scored twice in quick succession. 

For the Trinity coaching staff it was a painful reminder that the team is yet to recover from the Bradby mauling and that old wounds are opening up at sporadic intervals. To the many Peterite supporters this was yet another instance when the team had gotten out of jail, but this cannot last for long. 

Their set pieces were in shambles with poor scrumming techniques and almost all the line-outs were lost. It is beyond comprehension as why teams do not opt for the easy three points when penalties are awarded in the Opposition’s 22. The Petes lost many opportunities due to this decision alone and they need to iron their game plan sooner rather than later. 

St. Peter’s meet Royal College next week and against a much heavier and mobile pack the Petes will have to line up at the pearly gates to seek divine intervention in order to keep the margins low, leave alone gain a sniff of victory.  

With the Catholics celebrating the feast of the Holy Trinity on Sunday, it was believed that in order to celebrate, the permission of St. Peter was required, but was denied at Bambalapitya. This game must surely go down in the annals of history as one of the greatest comebacks against Trinity and that too with 13 men. 

The referee is the absolute authority on time. However, I am not sure that the two players who were sin binned actually served the requisite ten minutes. A number of spectators felt the same way and unless we are privy to the match report this will remain a mystery.   

In the other games, Isipathana continued their dream performance as they remained unbeaten and had yet another Thora feast. 

Science College staged a comeback of sorts after an initial scare by the Joes and Royal too remained unbeaten with yet another emphatic win over Kingswood College. Hence, the much-anticipated clash between Isipathana and Royal College on 20 June should turn out to be the game of the season. Once again four games clash on a single day. It’s still not too late to reschedule a game or two so that everyone can enjoy more than a single game. As to whether anyone is listening to this suggestion is the million dollar question. 

(The writer can be reached via [email protected].)