Do you have the number of a good cardiologist? Because the teams that left this years’ MILO
President’s Trophy at the weekend, namely St Peter’s College and S Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, will both need surgery to fix the broken hearts after their respective semi-finals. Both teams played in the true spirit of a knockout, giving every ounce of effort they had to keep their season going for one week longer. Congratulations to the coaching staff, the players and the fans for all of the emotion invested in the name of Rugby.
For the two teams now through to the final this Saturday we can expect the same sort of intensity, the same sort of fight but with the added pressure of the trophy being on the line. This is one of the best parts of schoolboy rugby; to have the opportunity to play with your friends in a final in front of a packed crowd with your family and schoolmates cheering you on. For many the friendships made during this time will last a lifetime. Just ask the scores of old boys who will attend the match.
The most important thing for the boys to do this week is to enjoy the moment that is happening right now. Enjoy the anticipation that comes with playing in a final. Enjoy all the talk that will surround the players about what will happen in the game. Enjoy arriving in the bus at the ground with well-wishers patting you on the back as you alight. Enjoy walking out of the tunnel and into the sunlight to sing your school song and enjoy your moment in the spotlight because you are becoming part of Sri Lankan schoolboy rugby history.
In my opinion the key areas of the game for the referee will be ensuring we have quick ball at the breakdown, consistent rulings on the driving maul especially when teams need to clear the ball and keeping defensive lines on-side. If we can see tacklers rolling away once they have gone to ground and we have a clear and immediate release we can see a game dominated by the attacking team.
We will need both defensive sides to stay on-side until the ball is cleared from the ruck and the last point is that the instructions regarding when a ruck has stopped should be clear and consistent.
On Saturday Isipathana did a great job of staying in the game and doing just enough to win. It was not their greatest performance this year but that is what teams who have the winning habit do, they have the ability to win ugly. Their fans will be expecting a sharper edge to their game for the final and I am sure they will not let the faithful supporters down.
Royal College outplayed an attack minded opposition by picking the time to commit to counter rucks with great skill. The Royal coaching staff had done their homework in picking when S
Thomas’ runners were going to be short of support players, usually when they had gone wide in attack and then were hitting back for the first time. At times it looked like Royal always had an extra man in defence. No players were committed to the breakdown until the picture in front of them showed a lone runner. Then that player was chopped to the ground and the next man in was over the ball in a strong position. I would like to see them make better use of the turn over ball they generated as this needs to be moved to space with quick hands and a fast adjusting backline to take full advantage of a disrupted defence.
If Isipathana are allowed to play with quick recycled ball it will be interesting to see if they can penetrate the excellent defence we saw from Royal College against S Thomas’ College. And we have not even spoken of the forward battle that was such a feature of the game when these sides met in the league. The battle for possesion at the set-piece will be an area both teams will be working hard to dominate.
We are all hoping for a fast open game that brings enjoyment for all involved so let’s hope the controversy that has sprung up regarding the standard of refereeing in this weeks’ newspaper does not have any effect on the enjoyment the players will experience as they take centre stage this Saturday, because above everything else this game is about the players enjoying their time, enjoying their moment.
