Donz shines, Wesley struggles and Thora shows his maul muscles

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Dialog Schools Rugby League 2024 – Week 3 Tactical Analysis

Despite the very diluted Rugby that we were able to watch last weekend, there were still a few encounters with an interesting and funny twist in events that kept the spectators interested. So we discuss a few of them.

DS Senanayake hosts St. Anthony’s – June 28:

Crouch… bind… shove… was the name of the game for the Donz, who pulled a trump card out of their back pocket to deceive a gullible Antho side, by dominating them with their Forwards play revealed for the first time this season. In the previous few meetings, DS had been extremely careful to hide the prowess of their Forwards by passing the ball to the Backs every time they won a lineout, no matter how close they were to the opposition goal line. However, last week’s column predicted that with the defence of the agile and effective Antho Backs, they would have little choice but to show off their Maul attacks on this occasion, which they did. With this revelation, DS signals their foresight and intention to go beyond Super Round qualification, and be well prepared and equipped to take on the two Top Division Titans in the opposite Group.

It was indeed an attack, and they did not wait too long or hesitate at the first opportunity that presented itself within attacking range from the ultimate white line. Their Maul bindings were so low and so perfectly fast-woven that once they started moving, there was absolutely no chance of stopping them. May readers be reminded that this was achieved against the team that made the Thomian Forwards look so ordinary only a week ago. On one occasion the Donz Maul drove their counterparts almost 30 yards and into their 22, putting immense pressure on the visitors.

As for St. Anthony’s, their lineout issues were not resolved even after 2 weeks into the season and they miscued three, just like in their previous game. Furthermore, their old habits returned after two weeks, with them committing over 15 yellow card fouls in this encounter. This gave the opposition the chance to maximise the presentation of their Mauls and launch a series of attacks. It seems that the coaching staff would have no other job than to keep reminding these kids every week, by holding special training sessions to ensure they follow the rules of Rugby, which will be counterproductive. So, unless these kids put their minds to it, to consciously follow the rules every time they train, we may never see the full potential of Antho this season.

Result: DSS defeated SACK 30-17

Saint Peter receives Wesley – June 29:

Three of the predictions made in the preview about this meeting came true.

1. Wesley College provided some unexpected surprises

2. The double blues entertained the crowd by overpowering SPC in Mauls

3. Wesley exposed some of the reigning champions’ vulnerabilities

Wesley College returned to playing ‘Segment A’ Schools Rugby in the 3rd week to produce a semi-fantastic performance and shock the hosts and their fans, dominating the Mauls. The Brigade never suffered such a setback last season, as their Maul defence was quite effective, even against stronger and much larger Packs. It seems that Wesley’s potential in this area was overlooked by the Peterite coaching camp and no counter measures were prepared prior to the match. This allowed the visitors to score, every other time SPC gave away a penalty in the first half. However, the hosts regrouped and managed to dismantle 2 Maul attacks in the second half.

With the hosts’ three quarters not clicking and therefore wasting most of their chances with the ball, Wesley lost this match for one reason only: disrespecting a core value of rugby: discipline. With no respect for the rules of rugby, the visitors overstepped 20 fouls, including one for hitting. It was quite sad and depressing to see this happen, even after the principal of Wesley College sent a circular to the players and spectators asking them to uphold the values, honour and traditions of the school, which clearly fell on blind eyes and deaf ears. In the past, elite schools never hesitated to drop even key players, for the simple reason of not showing up for training on time. Unfortunately, winning matches has become more important than disciplining students in the current era.

SPC gave away a few more penalties than they should have, which cost them the 10 points against them. They failed to keep the ball, allowing Wesley to attack with their Forwards. Although the hosts had a fairly strong defence for pick ‘n drive attacks, Wesley still broke through and showed that it could be done by other solid Packs. Although SPC’s Maul defence was quite effective last season, it was made a laughing stock in the first half by the double blues Pack. To top it off, the Brigade also had a bad day with the kicking Boots, as they faltered on two fairly easy kicks at goal and failed to finish 2 touch finders from penalties.

Result: St. Peter’s defeated Wesley 25-10

Science host S. Thomas’ – June 30:

The seaside school hit back with a great first half performance to shake up a demotivated Science unit. The reason for the demotivation and lack of enthusiasm was due to the fact that 3 of their key players were resting due to injuries and unfortunately it was evident in their body language from the start. The Thomians, realizing this vulnerability, attacked mainly with their Forwards and were able to outplay and chase their opponents quite effortlessly. ‘Pick ‘n drive’ advances were a bit challenging but the visitors still managed with a little extra effort and time. The highlight of the Thomian match was that their support play improved amazingly as none of the Ball carriers were ever left isolated at any point. Thus the visitors never gave away a single penalty from the holding-on attack. Feeling the blow, the Science Lads woke up and came back to reality to launch their attacks with the Backs, to which STC seemed to have no effective plan or response.

It should be noted that the Thomians opted for an easy tactic of going for 3 points at every opportunity. The truth was that they were never going to win this match by taking penalties as it was only a matter of time before the hosts launched attacks with their Backs that would be too hot for the Thomians defence to handle as was proven when the hosts scored their first Try unchallenged and untouched by the Thora Backs. Of course if something was presented right in front of the Posts where the place kicker could shoot it blindfolded then it should have been taken. Any place kick that required enough concentration should have been a touch kick into the opposition 22 as STC’s strength was their Pack so STC should have played to their strengths without settling for small points especially when they were in a clear and dominant position to overwhelm the opposition with their Mauls. However, due to this omission the Thomians felt Science breathing down their necks the entire match even until the final long whistle. Although STC handled the ball perfectly, the few mistakes they made either cost them tries or denied them a few scoring chances, almost on the goal line.

Science ruined their own game in the first half by committing 10 fouls, giving away a fair number of chances to attack with the ball, while instead allowing the visitors to attack and score with their unstoppable Mauls. It is notable that the visitors only gave away 2 penalties in the first half. Despite Science being able to skillfully commit three turnovers on set pieces in the first half, their inability to follow the rules of the game held them back and allowed Thora’s Tail to chase them down. Science further fueled the visitors’ scoring intensity in the second half by committing many passing errors and a few curved throws, although they managed to reduce their fouls to 6.

S. Thomas seems to have either taken on the negative vibes of their neighbours or entered a competition for the highest number of fouls, as they quickly committed 13 fouls in the second half. This gave the home side endless chances to attack and score against the visitors, making the match not only exciting but ultimately nerve-wracking.

Result: S. Thomas defeated Science 30-26

Help Review: Zahira Hosts Royal – June 29:

Zahira College stunned Royal College when they started the match with the same dish that the visitors were used to giving their opponents. Zahira did not give the ball away willingly nor did they kick it away, but kept the ball close to their heart and used predominantly pick and drive movements from the start, regardless of where they were on the field. This turned the tables as Royal were forced to defend pick ‘n drives rather than initiate them, most of the time. When Royal did get possession and attack with the Forwards, the hosts defended superbly throughout and as predicted in last week’s preview, Zahira’s pick ‘n drive defences would be strengthened considerably. As a result of the overall defensive tactics and giving the visitors a taste of their own medicine, coach Shamlie Nawaz reduced the points from 44 to 34 since last year, with a single Try as an added consolation.

Result: Royal defeats Zahira 34-7

Footnote:

As the purpose of this column is to contribute constructively to raising the quality of Rugby from a reasonably high to an ultra-high level, reviewing pre-season quality matches does not serve its purpose. Furthermore, the 2024 competition is saturated with at least 4 schools that are too weak for the higher division, which will result in landslide victories for the stronger teams. Reviewing these matches will not benefit either school and will therefore be skipped this week and throughout the competition.

(The author can be reached at: (email protected))