Petes feast on a Thora diet

Friday, 18 April 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Thoras outclassed The local rugby scene was given a New Year break and the games will not resume till 25 April giving the players time to burn off the extra ‘Rasa kavili’ that was consumed during the season. The last school game was the SPC / Thora game and the Petes certainly enjoyed their share of ‘thora maalu’.

It was possibly coincidence that the Minister was at the Peliyagoda Central Fish Market wooing the crowds to consume fresh fish as the prices had been slashed for the New Year and maybe the Easter season. For the Petes they may have to go back to ‘Thalapath’ after the New Year as they have some crucial and crunching games in the offing. The Thoras cut a pretty sorry figure and made the Petes look a lot better than they actually are. They say that great players help teams to win matches but great teams win championships. In this instance it was the ‘kutty’ show. Having been moved from his regular full back position to the No. 13 slot he ran good lines and the Thomian defence parted rather willingly like the Red Sea which would have made some of our biblical characters proud. In the biblical account, Moses and the fleeing Israelites are trapped between the Pharaoh’s advancing chariots and a body of water identified from translations as either the Red Sea or Sea of Reeds. In this instance Kutty and his mates were not fleeing, but simply embarking on the wave of attack on the Thomian defence. The Petes have shown that if they are willing to continuously throw the ball wide they have the talent to score. The Thomians promised much and delivered virtually nothing. Maybe after their superlative performance in 2013, lots of rugby fans were of the belief that they were back in contention for a top spot. Judging by the performance against the Petes, they look destined for the bottom of the heap. The Petes cannot be complacent and there is loads of room and need for improvement. Their tackling must move up a notch or two and they need to get their man the first time. Indiscipline Close on the heels of the Thomian loss comes the story of a rather unfortunate incident up in the hills which was supposed to be a team bonding session. According to reports an unforgivable incident was “blown away in Kandy” leaving the college authorities in a dilemma. It has apparently resulted in one senior rugby player being sacked for an incident that had the college authorities taking immediate and stern disciplinary action. However, some circles claim it warrants criminal investigation to send a message to all schools that seniors have no business infringing on the rights and freedom of juniors. This is not the first instance in recent times of indiscipline at STC and obviously all is not well at Mount Lavinia. The sooner this matter is put to rest the better as the Thomians over the years have produced some top quality sports personalities citizens of repute. Coloured balls for rugby games Current the role of the TMO is being sought more often than before. Whilst some will argue that the game is being slowed down, others argue that the correct decision is being made. Against this backdrop the former England back Austin Healey has come up with a controversial suggestion to help improve the game by claiming officials should change the colour of the ball. Citing examples where a TMO is brought in to determine whether a try can be given with the ball normally under a pile of bodies, Healey says that to help officials see where it is grounded, the traditionally white ball should be changed to a more vibrant colour and one that is unlikely to clash with the team’s shirts. “There are many occasions when a driving maul will end up with a collection of bodies over the line and the ball partially hidden. The problem we have is that the ball might be the same colour as the shirt or it might be stuck on or near the white lines. It then becomes impossible to judge and, as a result, terribly difficult for the fourth official. That ball should be luminous pink or luminous green.” The fourth official has a better chance of seeing it and making the right decision. Players would argue that you can’t keep changing the colour of the ball to fit in with shirt colours, but there has to be a better way than the one we have now because how many tries this season have not been given because the fourth official can’t quite see whether the ball is grounded. “Let’s also remember that, five years ago, the referee would have thought ‘the ball is underneath him and some part of it must have touched the ground so it’s a try’.” (The writer can be reached via [email protected])