Dialog Schools Rugby League 2026: Week 3 Tactical Analysis

Persistent Zahira defy unstoppable Tuskers 

Moments by The Rugger Rider

Zahira College rewrote history with an unconceivable upset after more than half a century, signalling the revival and beginning of another golden era of rugby, at the pioneering rugby playing institution. While Groups 1 and 2 have 3 teams contesting to reach the Cup Segment, this shakeup has caused ‘Group 3’ to have 4 contestants, viz. Zahira, Royal, STC and Thurstan, shoving the group into a pressure cooker.

 

Royal hosting Zahira – 9 May:

The preheated encounter roller-coasted its way into an active volcano, where the final seconds of the game rode on the tightrope, and climaxed to a state of sheer pandemonium, as the supporters of both fraternities cheered and danced on their feet celebrating victory, not fully comprehending as to what actually transpired, or who won, as the final moments saw Royal running the ball into Zahira’s in-goal area for a grounding. However, moments before, the ball carrier had stepped onto the touchline just by a whisker, hence the Try was disallowed, allowing Zahira to rewrite history.  

Moments by The Rugger Rider

Zahira blindsided and broke Royal’s backbone by unsettling and completely annihilating their lineouts, by stealing almost half of the set pieces from them, thereby partially clipping their offensives. They also unleashed Royal’s Kryptonite discovered by Thurstan, to constantly unsettle the hosts into tap dancing, by applying continuous pressure, that prevented them from settling down. 

Full Match Stats	Royal	Zahira
Sanctioned Penalties	10	9
Unforced Handling Errors	1	4
Forced Handling Errors	3	1
Lineouts Lost - Knock Ons	4	0
Lineouts Lost - Turned Overs	2	0
Total loss of possession	20	14
Points Conceded	29	26

 

Perusing the above stats, the difference in the ‘Total loss of possession’ which is 6, comes directly from Zahira’s strong ability to disrupt the opposition Hooker to throw strays. This distinctive but enviable coaching skill is the master mind of none other than Zahira’s Forwards Coach Dhanushka Bothejo. Yet, Royal did a fantastic job with their comeback as usual, but too many slips stopped them from slurping the soup.

 

• Although the Royal Tuskers’ comeback was as certain as a love duet in a Hindi Movie, a mishap occurred for the first time in the past decade of Royal comebacks, where a long pass from a Royal ball carrier, was amusingly and quite strangely, directed accurately towards the last player running far behind him, who happened to be a Zahirian. The gleeful bloke grabbed the ball, said thank you, turned around, and ran the ball across a plain field, to score under the giant chop sticks.

• While Royal has been pretty neat this season with their Place-Kicking abilities, two regulation conversions were missed in this game, that could have easily put them in front

• The last Royal Try was prevented as the last persistent Zahira defender leapt out to reach the Royal ball carrier, barely touching him, but that move made the Tusker shift slightly away from the tackler towards the Touchline, which effected another significant difference to the day that wasn’t meant to be Royal’s. 

Moments by The Rugger Rider

If we could shift the limelight away from Zahira for a moment, to turn our attention on the Touch Judge Charani Liyanage, who carefully followed the ball carrier, with utmost concentration, didn’t hesitate even a second to raise her flag, although it was barely a centimetre. Her focus, confidence and valour were mindboggling, inspiring, as well as trend-setting, which made this match all the more perfect. Hats off to you Charani!!!

 

Based on prior correspondences with Touch Judges in the past, who have made crucial errors in judging the touchlines, the unanimous response that was received, was that it is awfully hard to adjudge without the aid of camera replays, like in other countries, blah… blah… blah… which sounded a lot like the famous Milli Vanilli hit single. In the author’s humble opinion as a spectator who has been watching the game for nearly 4 decades, is that the primary duty of a Touch Judge is to monitor the Touchlines, and if that simple duty cannot be fulfilled without errors, then those personnel are unfit for the job. Charani’s exemplary adjudication under pressure, at an extremely tensed moment of the game, and her absolute confidence to stand by her decision, knowing very well that it could cause mayhem, shall serve as a rather humiliating whiplash to all those Referees of the ‘so-called’ stronger gender, who have given sorry excuses in the past. Well done Madam, you’ve made your mentors and rugby proud on this day!

Result: Zahira pulls-off historic win 29-26

 

St. Anthony’s hosting D.S. Senanayake – 9 May:

Lady luck turned a cold shoulder towards a rejuvenated Donz outfit, denying them their first win of the season. The wet ball didn’t really make it click for them either, as they lost many scoring chances in both halves.

First Half Stats	Antho	Donz
Sanctioned Penalties	5	4
Unforced Handling Errors	3	3
Other Lost Possession	1	2
Passing Errors	0	2
Turnovers	1	0
Delta Loss in Possession	8	9
Points Conceded	0	7

 

While the ‘Delta Loss in Possession’ was almost the same, the Eagles lead 7-nil at Melons. St. Anthony’s scored a converted Try in the opening half, after receiving a direct pass from DS, while being attacked by the visitors close to Antho’s 22. All other valiant attempts by DS to score ended in mishaps, so let’s delve into the series of unfortunate events.

• A cross-kick that was targeted inside Antho’s 22, didn’t perfectly stick to the hands of the DS player who came charging at full speed, which could have made it a certain, spectacular Try otherwise

• DS lost a guaranteed scoring opportunity close to the Tryline, when the ball carrier who was attached to the tail of a Maul, went down on both his knees, and was penalised, as he got back up and reattached himself to the Maul, whereas the correct next step should have been to form a Ruck instead

• Donz self-destructed two attacking chances inside Antho’s red zone, by knocking-on on one occasion, and conceding a penalty for ‘sealing the ball’ on another

• The 2 passing errors by DS, caused them to lose momentum, territory and confidence, while attacking inside the opposition’s 22

• All 4 DS penalties in the former half were conceded while DS was attacking inside the opposition’s grid

 

The wet conditions contributed to most of the above misfortunes, but an extended trail of them was too tough on the DS lads, as it continued into the latter half as well.

Second Half Stats	Antho	Donz
Sanctioned Penalties	11	3
Unforced Handling Errors	1	3
Other Lost Possession	0	2
Passing Errors	1	1
Total Loss of Possession	12	8
Points Conceded	19	14

 

• Donz’s misfortune followed, following a fine break deep inside the opposition’s grid, that was followed up with a short punt to overcome the last defender, which bounced back directly towards the attacking DS player, but didn’t quite stick to his hands, thereby letting go of another certain chance for a try

• DS finally scored the first Try after the 50^th minute, upon charging down a clearance kick executed inside Antho’s in-goal area, and thereafter attacking from the subsequent 5m scrum

• The hosts then scored their second converted Try off multiple DS penalties

• St. Anthony scored their last Try off a well-anticipated and well-timed spectacular interception

• Donz scored their last Try off an unlimited supply of penalties courtesy of the hosts

 

Donz were clearly below standards on their first game, and were up against a formidable side on the second game, where they had actually turned their game around. Hope that one day of bad luck wouldn’t let the Donz hang their heads in despair, but instead focus and lean on their improved game to chase after a win?

 

Result: DS slide in ‘slippery when wet’ settings 19-21

 

Ananda hosting Wesley – 9 May:

The match kicked off with a series of intense tussles to score, where both teams defended quite elegantly. Ananda survived the opening half, by not getting struck by the Double Blue Thunder, and here’s how.

First Half Stats	Ananda	Wesley
Sanctioned Penalties	3	11
Unforced Handling Errors	2	0
Touch Kick Errors	2	0
Turnovers	1	1
Delta Loss in Possession	6	10
Points Conceded	21	10

 

As per the stats, Ananda has conceded double the points than Wesley, despite suffering fewer number of lost possessions, which requires further exploration.

 

• Wesley scored the first converted Try off a one-off, loose Ananda defence, that created a huge space on the blind side

• Wesley scored the second converted Try through an interception

• Ananda missed many scoring opportunities while attacking inside the visitors’ red zone; one owing to a passing error, and another due to a ‘side entry’ penalty, conceded very close to the Tryline

• Ananda flunked another attacking prospect by committing a ‘sealing the ball’ offense inside the visitors’ grid

• Wesley scored only one Try off Ananda penalties in this half 

Second Half Stats	Ananda	Wesley
Sanctioned Penalties	10	3
Unforced Handling Errors	4	1
Forced Handling Errors	0	2
Crooked Throws	2	0
Turnovers	0	1
Total Loss of Possession	16	5
Points Conceded	15	8

 

It seemed like the souls of the Ananda and Wesley players switched bodies while munching their magical Melons away during the break, as the naughty Double Blues calmed down to become peaceful Saints, while the pious Anandians transformed into Dennis the menace. As the stats clearly describe the screenplay of the closing half, let’s simply browse the highlights.

 

• Ananda conceded a Try with a knock-on followed by consecutive penalties

• Ananda conceded another Try by first knocking-on at an own lineout throw, and then subsequently conceding penalties

• Wesley scored the last Try through the help of multiple penalties offered by the hosts as a parting gift

• As per the huge difference in the ‘Total Loss of Possession’ stat, Wesley should have scored a truckload of points than they did. However, the Ananda defence was fierce and unwavering during most parts of the game, that prevented Wesley from scoring as many Tries as they would have liked to.

 

Result: Ananda’s degraded second half shuns glory AGAIN 18-36

 

 

Thurstan hosting Kingswood – 9 May:

What could have been an extremely enticing game of rugby filled with unique skills on display, was marred by way too many errors committed by all who occupied the green field, including the Referee. The SLSRFR review committee must review the referee calls in this game quite closely, as it exceeded the tolerable error threshold, while also consisting few erroneous calls due to technicalities. An educational session to all young Referees following this review would be worthwhile. If Referees are found repeating the same errors that were corrected last year, then they should be demoted to lower Panels.

 

While Some handling errors were missed by the Referee, some others were pulled out of thin air, that confused and irritated the players as well as the spectators. One could be pretty certain that it gave the coaching staff of both sides severe palpitation as well. Therefore, we are unable to present accurate stat figures for this game as it actually happened, but shall review in general.

 

While Kingswood bettered their game discipline last week, for the first time since last season, it was back to square one this week, with their poor ball handling making it doubly worse. Kingswood collapsed the opposition Maul thrice, which means that their Maul defence has to be refined and beefed up.

 

Although Thurstan’s game discipline was substandard in this game, their ball handling was impeccable, with just 2 unforced handling errors. Their in-place Touch and Place Kicking is in dire need of an overhaul, if they intend to compete in the Cup Segment.

 

It shall be impractical to analyse as to why a team won or lost, as the final points tally on the scoreboard could have been drastically different, had it been officiated by another Referee, hence we shall not explore any further.

 

Result: Thurstan halt Kingswood’s comeback 25-21

 

Science hosting S. Thomas’ – 9 May:

What was expected to be a tightly fought contest, held its hype only until Melons, after which it turned out to be a one-sided affair. Although the dissected stats of both sides don’t deviate much from each other in both halves, the extreme difference in points scored at the latter half requires some in-depth analysis.

First Half Stats	Science	Thora
Sanctioned Penalties	6	6
Unforced Handling Errors	0	4
Forced Handling Errors	2	0
Other Lost Possession	1	2
Total Loss of Possession	9	12
Points Conceded	10	8

 

Science performed well in ballhandling, but could have gotten a better outcome in session one with fewer number of penalties. The Thomians were able to defend well, especially the Pick & Drives, when the Scientists setup a campfire outside the visitor’s front porch, warming them up for a prolonged period since the kick-off. The Thomians’ defence technique against P&D attacks has been finally hardened following a season and a half of playing the sitting Duck. However, the new mysterious Forwards coach ought to give a facelift to their Maul defence as well.

 

• The hosts scored their first Try off two back-to-back penalties by STC, viz. a ‘side entry’, and an immediate ‘not 10’, using which they worked their Maul beyond the Goal line from a 22m lineout

• STC scored Tries off consecutive Science penalties on two occasions in the opening half 

Second Half Stats	Science	Thora
Sanctioned Penalties	4	5
Unforced Handling Errors	6	4
Forced Handling Errors	0	1
Other Lost Possession	1	2
Turnovers	1	1
Total Loss of Possession	10	11
Points Conceded	31	5

 

Though the ‘Total Loss of Possession’ is comparable, Science lost many scoring opportunities, partly owing to own blunders, and the rest due to effective defence efforts by the visitors.

 

• Thomians scored a Try off a poor clearance kick, and subsequent penalties by Science

•  STC scored a Try utilising a knock-on by Science, that occurred while contesting the ball inside their 22 

• Science scored the last Try by capitalising on consecutive penalties by STC

 

A total of 3 Science attacks were thwarted inside STC’s grid, owing to refined ball stealing techniques by STC at the tackles, that resulted in 3 ‘holding on’ offenses, while all the extended Pick & Drive onslaughts valiantly attempted by Science were commendably defended by STC without conceding any penalties, which signifies the pathway towards excellence in defending. It was immensely reassuring indeed to finally note that a team has accomplished this rare feat in schools’ rugby for the first time in many years.

 

The Thomians’ kicking coach Srinath Sooriyabandara has done an excellent job in carving out diamonds out of the many raw kicking talents that were being utterly wasted during the past seasons. This pool of talent is being now used to turn the odds during open play, as STC managed to execute 6 touch finders, each of which exceeded 30m, in this encounter. These feats either helped the Thomians to safely exit from their redzone, or assisted in infiltrating deep into the opposition’s headquarters during open play, without the need to be offered penalties.

 

Science should improve their defending techniques without conceding offside and ‘not rolling away’ offenses that constituted half of their offenses. Meanwhile STC should improve their support play, as half of their offenses were ‘holding ons’.

 

Result: STC catapult in second half 41-13

 

Mahanama hosting St. Joseph’s – 9 May:

In spite of the best efforts by the writer to review previous week’s game between Mahanama and Wesley, unforeseen, disruptive circumstances prevented it. However, since Mahanama had shown further improvements last weekend, the excitement and enthusiasm to watch and analyse the game doubled. Regrettably, all the expectations and the respect the writer had for the newbies of the top Division were ripped into pieces by the uncivil behaviour of its players.

 

This blog is dedicated to improve the quality of rugby, especially of the newcomers to the top Segment rugby, and the weaker sides, by highlighting areas that require improvements, so as to uplift their game gradually, to be on par with the elite sides. Nevertheless, this blog equally stands by the five values of rugby, that are discipline, integrity, respect, passion and solidarity, without any of which there is no purpose for a sport like rugby, in the modern world driving towards a civic society. New readers are invited to read the article that explains how these 5 values relate to schools’ rugby @ https://theruggerrider.blogspot.com/2024/05/five-values-of-rugby.html

 

Acts of hooliganism that dominated schools’ rugby over 30 years ago, is now frowned upon, hence has no place in modern rugby or this blog. An educational institution can attract better positive attention or respect by adhering to clean and disciplined rugby, than stooping down to such low standards. This note is for the principal of Mahanama College, a well-respected and regarded school in Colombo, to look into the unruly, violent incidents that took place in this match. The author believes that the actions of the players were instigated by matured adults who were supposed to guide them to become gentlemen of the Country. It could be that these matured personnel, were part of the boisterous rugby culture that prevailed back then, but they should be enlightened that there is no place for them now, unless they shed these negativities. In case they are unable to fulfil their duties without doing so, then they should have no place in any educational institution.

 

As this blog primarily stands to instil discipline, and the prevention of the misuse of school children for the purpose of others’ benefits and agendas, Mahanama matches shall not be reviewed until order, sanity and civility are restored in their rugby camp.

 

Result: Joes’ restraint upholds their esteem 41-25

 

Footnote:

Though we love to, unfortunately we are unable to analyse all 9 games played during the weekends due to time limitations, and therefore compelled to accommodate only around 5 reviews each week.

 

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