Pathana outclass Royal

Pathana dished out some quality rugby on Friday on their way to demolishing the Royal bubble. If anyone was of the belief that the Bradby loss by RC the week before was just an aberration they have not been watching the RC defence or the lack of it. There was an air of expectancy that RC could turn tables on a rampaging Pathana outfit and despite a large and vocal crowd at Longdon Place the green wave made sure that it only remained a dream. They say that some teams save the best for the last and Pathana was no exception. In the league season after a rather subdued start which included a draw against Vidyartha, they have quietly built up their momentum and peaked at the right time. Many an analyst will look at the loss to Trinity and wonder of that result too could have been different had the officiating been of better quality.

In the Pathana game the referee was spot on most occasions and if one wishes to be critical, the yellow card dished out to Royal for a spear tackle should have instead been a red card. RC strength this year has been their rampaging forwards and some classy runners in the back division. It is a fine line that divides the decision as whether one should play to your one’s strength or attempt to capitalise on the opponent’s weakness. RC played a game of kicking deep in a bid to keep play in the Pathana half as well using one of their bulky forwards time and again to crash through the defence. Both ploys met with limited success. The forward rush was very predictable both in terms of a strategy as well as in the ball carrier, with them not going past the gain line on most occasions.

At least RC could have rotated the ball carrier to add more spice, uncertainty as well as change the angle of run. Pathana played a waiting game, possibly knowing that they were going to turn on the heat in the last quarter. In the interim they kept their rugby simple with occasional flashes of brilliance, such as the cross kick which resulted in a score, so that they were not too far adrift when the final push was to be delivered. This as a plan was well executed as they were just two points adrift at the turnaround. The cross kick as well as the kicks deep into opponent territory for the wingers to chase somehow reminded me of the Boks strategy where Habana and JP Pietersen chase such kicks with great effectiveness, maybe the jersey colours too has something to do with this likeness.

The last quarter was simply magical as Pathana launched their famous green wave. Holes appeared everywhere on the RC defence and one wondered if it was the same team that played the first three quarters. The running was hard and purposeful and the support was ubiquitous, leaving the RC defence rather bemused. Well done Pathana, you provided us with the rugby that we yearn for, and to the coaching staff, you definitely have a winning formula.

As expected, Trinity completed the rout of DSS and this year DSS have given away T20 scores in the field of rugby. Thus after their handsome win against RC, Trinity had it easy and now are league champs. There could be a further twist to the tale and if Pathana assertions are correct with regard to the age of the Vidyartha lads. Trinity has the unique opportunity of doing the double this year if they win the second leg of the Bradby as well next week. I am not sure that there will be many RC supporters trekking it to Kandy to witness this milestone, but then the game is not over until the final whistle is blown.

According to reports the Petes crashed yet again to another defeat and this time at the hands of Vidyartha. As indicated in pervious articles, in the game of Rugby all must contribute and it is not possible for individuals to win you games repeatedly. Even the games that the Petes won were all close games which could have gone either way. This season was certainly a reality check for the new coach who had upto now been basking in the sunshine of Martis.  

On the International front, the All Blacks had a point to prove and after narrowly beating Ireland a week before demolished the Irish by a record score. Ireland must still be wondering what happened, and there is bound to be very tired legs and sore bodies in their line up. SA found it hard going against England that had many changes. The final result was a draw and maybe that was justifiable as neither of them deserved to lose on the day. The gap between the Wallabies and Wales is closing fast and only a single point separated the two teams at the final whistle. Whilst the Wales skipper had a rather indifferent series, the other flanker Lydiate had an interesting tussle with the Wallabies skipper. Lydiate, Pocock and McCaw are definitely three of the best flankers in world rugby.

On the topic of referring there have been some interesting articles in the weekend newspapers with arguments and counter arguments. Whilst I firmly believe that the spectators have a role to play and that is to enjoy the game, and not interfere with the referee and his decisions, none of articles discusses the blunders made. This makes me believe that the referees association tacitly agree on the shortcomings. As I watched the international games and the likes of Craig Joubert and Steve Walsh, the shortcomings of the local referees was brought into even sharper focus.

(The writer can be contacted on [email protected])