Hello everyone. There’s only a few days left, but ‘March madness’ shows little sign of relenting. The latest saga of ball tampering by the Australians has left the sporting world in a spin. After confessing to the crimes, the ICC were quick to issue what was a laughable one-match penalty. That was the only penalty allowed by the ICC Code of conduct.
Thankfully, Cricket Australia and the country at large viewed the course of events in a more serious light. An internal investigation swiftly followed. The result of which, was that Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner have been banished from playing in and for Australia for a period of one year. Cameron Bancroft, who executed the plan, was given a slightly lesser sentence of nine months. Some feel it’s too soft a penalty, others feel it’s too severe – the debate will roll on. But most importantly, the message has rightly got across that cheating is not acceptable. Feel the Australian cricket team will do well to take a good hard look at the way they play the game. They just rub too many people the wrong way, too often – no pun intended!
Earlier on in the month, we saw the Six Nations come to its finale with Ireland winning just their 3rd ever ‘Grand Slam’ – a title bestowed upon a team when they beat every other nation in the competition. They actually secured the Six Nations during the penultimate round when they snuffed out a spirited Scotland. But scalping a misfiring England at Twickenham needed no additional motivation. As it was, England just couldn’t live with the intensity of the Irish, who having taken the lead early never really let them into the game. Joe Schmidt has done wonders with this Irish team. They now ooze class all over the park. Bundee Aki has been a powerful addition, and Gary Ringrose, a revelation – at such a young age. There are already comparisons drawn with the great Brian O’Driscoll. In addition to these two stars, they have world class operators in other key positions. For example, Tadh Furlong is now arguably the best tight-head prop in the world. CJ Stander is right up as top-notch back-rower, and the Murray-Sexton half-back combination just keeps going from strength to strength. Ireland were worthy winners, and to think they managed this feat without the injured Sean O’Brien and Robbie Henshaw shows their strength in depth.
How quickly things have changed for England, and the mercurial Eddie Jones. A Grand Slam success in his first season, followed by a second Six Nations success the next season. A 3-0 whitewash of the Aussies followed in the summer. At the start of this years’ campaign Jones had a remarkable record of 24 wins in 25 games. However, three defeats on the bounce has made it clear that the honeymoon is well and truly over. The England team looked flat and bereft of ideas. That sharpness of previous seasons, evidently absent. Some pundits have stated that their players who toured with the Lions looked fatigued and need more rest. But in this professional age that’s just not good enough. Ireland had as many involved, but come match day they were purring. Jones’ mettle will be put to the test when England tour South Africa in June. The little maestro is sure to freshen things up, and have them back to their menacing best.
From a neutrals point of view, it’s good to see the northern hemisphere teams really raising their game as we approach next years’ World Cup. New Zealand will not have it their own way.
We now shift our attention to the schools’ league back home. As most of the schools have played three of their five first round games, the picture is beginning to take shape on who the contenders are and which teams are not quite keeping pace. Royal College once again look to be the real deal. They were one fire in that second half against S.Thomas’. Forwards running hard and direct, and their ‘threes’ attacking from depth. I, like many knew beforehand that a thumping Royal victory was to be the likelihood. But having peered through my fingers at half-time, I was mightily relieved to see the scoreline reading just 10-00. The Thomians though limited, played out of their skins, with skipper De Lile leading from the front. But to sustain their ‘pick and go’ ploy, which seemed to be the only 
one on hand was never going to be viable. It just burnt them out. Come the second half, they were easy prey, and Royal cashed in. And to think they did not have to call up Janidu Dilshan from the bench speaks volumes of the overall ability of this side. Sterner tests will come, but it will take a complete performance to beat the Reid Avenue outfit this year.
St. Joseph’s have also made their intentions very clear. They were outstanding in Pallakelle a couple of weeks ago when they beat Trinity, and were unrelenting against a spirited St. Anthony’s last week. To follow the Trinity game with a 50-pointer in the Antonian game shows they really mean business. This could well be Gemunu Chethiya’s season. 
You give him space and he will make you pay. Chethya’s form has been sensational. The prospect of him squaring off against Janidu Dilshan next week looks to be some contest. Though to be fair it must be said that both teams are much more rounded as opposed to depending on individual brilliance. The Royal vs Joes game could well decide who goes into the second round as group winners.
As for Trinity, it looked to me like the wheels are beginning to come off. They may have lost by a narrow margin, but I was not at all impressed with their game play. It’s been far from the crisp, enterprising brand of rugby they played last year – particularly earlier on in the season. And it’s not like they don’t have the personnel either. I wonder if it could be a case of ‘Second Season Syndrome’ for coach Raikabula. The Trinity rugby community expect good results season on season, and with two defeats against teams they ought to be beating in quick succession, I imagine all is not well in the lion’s den.
On the other side of the draw, St. Peter’s are a team still on the up. Dharmarajah provided little resistance in their last game, but the interplay between their forwards and backs has been quite impressive. It’s sad to see that Raveen Fernando will play no further part in this campaign. I’m sure he must be really gutted. But injuries come with the territory. You just must take it in your stride. The Bamba boys play Isipathana in their next outing, the outcome of which is likely to reflect who takes group ‘B’ when the teams go into the second round.
Isipathana have played well since that opening week shocker against DS. The ‘green shirts’ don’t have any big-named players. But they play for each other, and they play to a pattern. As I’ve said before I feel they will struggle against the more physical sides this year. But their ‘never-say-die’ attitude will keep them pushing on and on. It’s important that that they continuously shift the point of attack, so they tire the bigger teams, and create openings. That’s generally the type of rugby they pride themselves on.
There are two other hot topics of late that it would like to address. The first is the matter of ‘imports’ – as in boys that have been drafted in by certain schools to play for them. I see that St.Joseph’s in particular have been at the receiving end of some criticism in regards to this. It must be said that the decision on what players to bring in – whether they can play for one, two, or three years – and how many of them, is entirely up to the school in question. It’s no one else’s business. Do I agree with a truck-load of players being drafted in, just to win at a sport? No, I don’t’. But do I see anything wrong or untoward in providing a talented sportsman with an opportunity to better themselves and the team they play for? Absolutely not. It’s a very intricate matter that is best managed with a lot of consideration and balanced judgment.
The other issue, is the call for blood – particularly of the coaches when results don’t go a certain way. Coach Raikabula and Bilal Yusuf are two coaches that have particularly come in for a lot of stick in recent weeks. Arm-chair critics seem to crawl out of the woodwork when the chips are down. As a sports loving community, we need to bear in mind that for coaches – this is their livelihood. In most cases, a lot of sacrifices have been made to get them where they are. Let’s not trivialize their role, nor the tireless efforts that have been put in behind the scenes.
In rugby, as it is in life, sometimes things just don’t go your way. You must take the bad with the good.
As for the school’s league, we have a much need rest weekend for the players to catch their breath and recover. But stay tuned – some blockbuster games are just around the corner.
