Royal embarrass and annihilate Trinity

The stage was set for a fantastic game in Colombo after RC had broken the Kandy hoodoo in the Lion’s den. There was an air of expectancy that TCK was about to unleash a repeat of what they did a few years ago. What we actually witnessed was a totally different and unexpected turn of events.

Even the most diehard TCK supporter will concede that they were in the game for the first seven minutes or so and thereafter it was nothing but a Royal massacre of the innocents. TCK fumbled the ball and threw wayward passes against a relentless and clinical RC performance. TCK just cracked under pressure and were reduced to shambles as they struggled to come to grips with a marauding RC set of forwards hell bent on crushing the opposition into total submission and they did it to perfection.

RC’s game plan was executed well both in attack and defence as they capitalised on all the weak links in the TCK armour. Even the half-time breather did not breathe any inspiration to TCK and what was said had absolutely no effect.

TCK failed in all facets of the game – they lost the set pieces, they fumbled under the high ball, they were out of position in defence and in general it was as we were witnessing a club side take on a proletarian schools outfit. If TCK had come in with a game plan, it was not executed, leave alone it being visible. It appeared as if they had turned up to fill in the numbers and were taught a Royal lesson in rugby.

RC was well prepared and showed everyone that the single point victory in Kandy was not a flash in the pan. They had a game plan and executed it with precision, determination and with a great sense of authority. They were all psyched up for the occasion and with a former great Summa Navaratnam in attendance, they were not going to disappoint any of their doting supporters.

For all the Royalists, who many believe paid exorbitant prices in the ‘unofficial’ market to secure a ticket, the victory was sweet and value for money, whilst the lads from Kandy are still wondering what hit them.

Whenever TCK got the ball, they fluffed their chances with dropped passes, aimless ‘kick ahead’ tactics and with no one following up the kicks. In short, whenever they got the ball they promptly and effectively handed it back to RC and took on the role of spectators. If TCK play in this fashion, they will be mauled by the green machine in the middle of June.

TCK meet the Peterites next weekend and they will have the opportunity to make amends against a stop-start Pete outfit over reliant on their skipper. For the moment they will need to go back to the drawing board and analyse what went wrong.

The mental scars of such a thumping defeat will not heal overnight and the right therapy is the need of the hour. As someone quipped, this year’s dose of milk and fresh fruits has proved to be inadequate. RC can justifiably be proud of their performance and their clash against Pathana will be a blockbuster.

In short RC outclassed, outthought, outmanoeuvred and outplayed TCK in Royal fashion at the Royal complex. Even RC after sometime would have been embarrassed at the quality of the opposition that they had to face at a prestigious Bradby game.

The body language of the TCK skipper said it all at the end of the game as he must have been in two minds as to whether to return to the dressing room or just simply sink into a deep hole. The cluster of team mates that gathered around him to console him was great to see, and this could be a start of a new team spirit that is born, when one has to rise up from the ashes.

Don’t write TCK off as yet based on this performance; the task ahead is monumental, although not impossible.

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