By A Special Sports Correspondent

St. Peter’s and Royal emerged winners in the first set of matches in the Super Round of the inter-school under 19 Fifteen-a-side league rugby tournament worked off recently, but the lads from Bambalapitiya are the ones with the best chance of winning the plum this season.

One reason for this is that St. Peter’s have remained unbeaten this season while Royal, though playing at their very best right now, have already lost two games this season and are out of contention for the league title. Royal’s smashing win against Isipatana on Saturday (August 12) can only help the Peterites inch closer towards the title. Rugby fans will know the winner of the tournament next week after the all important St. Peter’s vs Isipatana clash scheduled in Colombo. Isipatana too are in contention and lie second in the points table followed by Royal in third place.

Table leaders St. Peter’s ran circles around St. Anthony’s on Friday and raked in six glorious tries out of which the three were converted by place kicker Yumeh Shihara. One eye-catching feature in the Peterite style of play is that there is the absence of selfish play and the presence of plenty of team work before someone carries the ball over the try line.

The Peterites must be happy that their last year’s skipper Sudesh Jayawickreme is playing at his best once again and has become an inspiration to the side. Last season he was just a shadow of his potential.

He scored what looked like the best try of the match when he powered his way over the try line after breaking four tackles. We seldom see that kind of power play in school rugby; that touchdown brining memories of the late Isipatana skipper Nilantha Lakshmewewa who was known for brute strength when he played for the Green Shirts in 1987 and captained the school that year. He did something similar at the semi finals of the Premadasa Trophy knockouts that year when he powered his way over the Royal line off a penalty; first carrying a few players over the line and eventually his team into the final as a result of that feat. Lakshmewewa was a centre and also played First XI cricket for Isipatana. An entire Sri Lankan rugby community was shocked when they heard of his passing away at age 32.

St. Peter’s skipper Ashain Madugasge led from the front and scored twice in the first half of the match where the host team led 29-0 at the short whistle of referee Ishanka Abeykoon. Another point of concern this season is the forwards in the schools rugby scene being penalized for collapsing mauls which is quite dangerous given that schoolboys are our future in the sport and should not be exposed to injuries. For the record a St. Anthony’s college forward was shown the yellow card in the match against St. Peter’s for collapsing a maul. This is the tail end of the league season and it’s alarming if coaches have not given thought to teaching the laws of rugby; specially during rucks and the set pieces. The final score read 39-0 in favour of St. Peter’s. Sanath Martis, that burly veteran coach in their camp, sitting calm and watching his chargers play at their best knows that he has drilled that all important message into the players’ heads that no player is bigger than the game. This writer writes so because spectators and referees have seen so much player unwanted aggression this season which is so ugly to see when the mind strays away from the game to someone in the opposition camp who is also ready to massage his ego.

Royal must take credit for showing interest in continuing to participate in the tournament after the two exhausting Brady Shield encounters. We’ve seen in the past how even Trinity pulled out of schools tournaments because the Bradby really suck out the energies of both sides; leave alone injuries to players. But the boys from Reid Avenue did well to clear this hurdle and have the consolation of being the first team to beat Isipatana this season. Rugby is about endurance too and players will gain immensely for the future when they show the ability to hang in there and stay till the finish at a time when the battered bodies are screaming for a break. Most rugby players from the past -who are holding top posts in the mercantile sector and security forces -will vouch that rugby built their inner strength and made them mentally tough too.

Royal’s moment of glory came when fly half Thivain Perera scored under the posts; that was the only try for Royal in the game. Much credit will go to kicker Nabil Yehiya who knocked over one conversion and five penalties on a day where the need of an accurate place kicker was most needed. Royal dominated proceedings from the start and looked like pulling off this game with ease. At one time in the second half they led 16-3, but a try by the ever-reliable Rinesh Silva and a penalty try that came their way later gave the Ispatana score card some respect.

Next week Isipatana play against St. Peter’s while Royal lock horns with St. Anthony’s.