The 2013 inter school rugby tournament unfolds in all its glamour and passion and in its infant stage has shown itself to become a showdown of humongous proportions.
Thus far each match is a guessing game with all teams playing out of their skins and dishing out exemplary rugby.
Teams have clearly worked out on fitness, build and stature, game plan and skill, fine tuning each team in to the ultimate fighting machine. No inch given from the very first game they have all looked to dominate. This intensified level of competition in the A division augurs very well for the future of Sri Lanka rugby. With more students and spectators taking to the game, it is showing signs of a rollicking take-off perhaps soon over-shadowing the cricket.
The first two weeks of rugby has kept the spectators at the edge of their seats with some smashing results though it’s still early days to pin point a favourite. The curtain opener saw Science College silence the high riding Reid Avenue lads while the ‘Double Blues’ coming up from the B division recorded a historic win over the Greens who are currently the 2012 league champions. The hill capital once again reverberates rugby, with 4 teams in the top league. The ‘Rampaging RAJANS’ were unlucky in my opinion after leading during most parts of the game to the Lions, however this high scoring deadlock set the tone to a spectacular 2013 inter school rugby season.
A look at the top half after week two
St. Peters have always done well during the first quarter of the league as they have shown during the last couple of seasons. The secret is coming in with the momentum they bring from the shorter forms of the game (Champions All Island under 20 sevens, and Under 18 ten-aside champions).They have always produced hard working third row forwards, and this has enabled their ‘Slick three-quarters’ the needed go-forward ball to penetrate the opponents defense. It will be a test of character for the Petes as the key for them would be sustainability.
Wesley College entered the league with their heads held high after some sturdy performances in the sevens format. The double Blues have always been a ‘Giant’ in interschool rugby, and the past couple of performances has set the record straight.
Dharmaraja College in my mind is one of the top contenders for the title this year. They have all the ingredients to make up a formidable unit. With the inclusion of their former ‘Prince of rugby’, Radhika Hettiarachchi the Rajans mindset seems to be to demolished the pawns and look for a ‘check-mate’, which seems to be working for them at the moment.
The Trinitians have always managed to stay on the top half of the table and this year too they have managed to maintain their status. They escaped from the jaws of defeat against the Rajans and this certainly would have given the Lions camp a scare early on, which has propelled them to reinforce their strategies going forward.
The ‘Scientist’s as they are being called these days have made gigantic strides during the last 5 years and despite financial constraints this year have shown more the affluent teams what ‘heart’ in rugby is all about. If there is a corporate who needs to project determination and hardwork as opposed to resources and funding as the way to the top, it would benefit Sri Lanka rugby to give these boys a monetary hand. Despite the old boys putting in a gigantic effort sustaining the funds have become a difficult. These home-grown athletes naturally built of steel only need a tiny leg up for them to turn terror on the bigger teams.
Gone are the days where the top schools held the niche for rugby. A new chapter has unfolded with the introduction of professionalism! Schools have taken sports to new heights making the battles even more intense than what it was earlier.
From a sports point of view its thrilling to see the lesser teams challenging the ‘TOP DOGS’ which has created a whole new dimension to the game. The students have now become the masters!
