Royal and S.Thomas’ last Friday produced breathtaking rugby in their annual encounter which was fit to be scripted into a best selling thriller.

The match offered enough bite to the fans who wished to witness a try orgy. Both teams produced attacking rugby and hence were successful in scoring 10 tries between them. However, lost in all that excitement was a reminder to both schools that they need to work on their defence. Going by the rugby we witnessed, the defence of both teams stinks!

Cricket has changed so much that the smaller version of it has everything for the batsman and leaves the bowler miserable. Rugby’s new rules encourage the guys who have possession of the ball to aid the flow of the game. But that doesn’t mean that tackling can be neglected. Present day rugby coaches will vouch that it’s a tight defence that ensures victory regardless of how much points one has on the board.

When the Thomians walked on to the field clad in attire, which had sports science written all over, one expected them to live up to what first impressions suggest. Unlike playing like ‘professionals’ they crumbled sans a fight and were mowed down by an aggressive Royal team, which in comparison to S.Thomas’, looked a lot smaller in size.

Royal outplayed S.Thomas’ for pace and ran down three dandy tries to run up a commanding 21-0 score by the 10th minute of play. Full back Shabir Mohamed and prop Nikila Senanayake were the first two to take the ball over the try line and when skipper and fly half Naren Dhason picked up a chip kick and ran through to punch the third hole in the opposite team’s defence, the writing on the wall for the Thomians read in bold letters, "NO STOPPING ROYAL TODAY’.

When hooker Udara de Silva crossed the S.Thomas’ line, Royal left all spectators in disbelief because they had scored 26 points in just 17 minutes of play, and all that at a match in the caliber of a Royal-Thomian. It was painstaking to see a school, which made so much noise as the host team, by lighting so many crackers prior to the game, forced to sit quietly and witness their team receive the beating of their lives.

This writer observed a sense of over confidence in the Thomians when they walked up and took their places to sing the school anthem prior to the commencement of the match. They looked at the Royalists lined up alongside them, akin to a pack of wolves licking their lips before pouncing on a bunch of helpless deer. Like it happens quite rarely in the jungle, the hunt by the Thomians on the Royalists backfired.

After being pummeled by the four try onslaught by Royal, the Thomians staggered on to their feet courtesy a try from big burly lock forward Janith Jayasuriya.

Still struggling to figure out a way to get back into the game, the Thomians were floored once more when hard working prop Nikila Senanayake rammed through to score just before both teams crossed over for half time. Centre Duminda Attygalle who slotted in three well taken conversions earlier on, fluffed this one.

The Thomians probably waited till ‘lemons’ to figure out what went wrong. Trailing 7-31 at half time, they possibly vouched to run the ball at every given opportunity and play the game of their lives, all for the school which was celebrating the occasion of hosting the match, played for the Gunertane Trophy, for the first time at Mount Lavinia.

The Thomians handled the ball in the second half with a lot of confidence and purpose. The pack produced a pushover try with the second half five minutes old. Thirteen minutes later, a Thomian onslaught close to the Royal in goal area left one of the Reid Avenue boys holding on to the ball in desperation which left him committing a fundamental error. Referee Dilroy Fernando promptly awarded a penalty try which was converted. The score read Royal 31 and S. Thomas’ 19 at this stage. The sleeping giants from the school by the sea had finally woken up!!!

The game really opened up at this stage as the Royalists struggled to bring down the ferocious Thomians who were now running the ball at will. S. Thomas’ centre R.Rila followed and took a chip kick over the try line for Silva to convert. The try reduced the deficit in the score which read; Royal 31 S. Thomas’ 26.

The host team now looked very much in control of the game despite struggling to make gains from their own line-out throw ins. Royal had a moment to cherish in the midst of trying to defend their goal line when substitute place kicker Shylendra Chandrasena slotted in a neat penalty.

S. Thomas’ full back Jeremy Fernando then produced the try of the match by slicing through the Royal three quarters to plant the ball under the posts. With the conversion being on target the Thomian spectators found their voices once again and deafening cheer echoed around the ground.

The Thomians grabbed back the ball and tried to force the winner as the team was now having more than a sniff at victory with the deficit in the score now down to a point.

But Royal slowed S. Thomas’ down with the team’s second penalty which came off the boot of Chandrasena who was spot on with a kick taken from 45 metres out. Royal held on jealously to the ball during the final minutes of injury time to deny the Thomians of performing any more blue-black-magic.