Royal had an (almost) unchanged side for the Dharmaraja game. Bastha and Amika who had come on in the Zahira game to replace concussed players were starting, with Philio and Shaahid filling their spots on the bench. Dharmaraja had won only one game this season, but it was a big scalp. In the first week of the season, they beat Trinity 17-15.
Royal has them under early pressure forcing a knock-on and a penalty. Royal’s 1st lineout is on the 22m line and the rolling maul charges forward. Naqeeb breaks away with 10m to go and all the big boys get the ball to within inches of the try line. But after 9 phases, Royal are unable to capitalize when they are penalized for holding on.
Ayyash who has been having a consistently solid season pulls of the 1st turnover of the game and gives Royal a 2nd attacking lineout just outside the 22m line. The throw is too long and results in a knock-on and another opportunity lost. A misjudged long kick collection permits Dharmaraja to enter Royal territory. When Referee Weranga decides that Royal have hands in the ruck, Dharmaraja take the shot at goal from 30m out in front and lead 3-0 in the 12th minute.
Diga smartly taps the restart backwards and Royal regain possession. Thivain sets the backs in motion as he dummies and runs and then DC chips ahead for Nabil to collect and run. Royal are 30m out and swing the ball from left to right corner where Thanvir gives Amika a dash to the line. Unfortunately, his feet go into touch. Dharmaraja’s 5m lineout throw is not straight and Royal have an attacking scrum. Randul is asked to carry the ball up. He is met with a ferocious tackle, spills the pill and Royal infringe again at the ruck enabling Dharmaraja to bring play back into Royal territory. They have a 5m scrum thanks to an extremely long clearance kick. Royal’s defence is tested as Dharmarajah enjoy 10 phases of possession and when Royal concedes an offside penalty 20m out in front, they take a 6-0 lead in the 18th minute.
Royal’s handling woes continue with 2 further transgressions. When they give away a 5th penalty for a high tackle, Dharmaraja kick their 3rd successful penalty from 22m out in front and take a 9-0 lead in the 21st minute. This is the highest deficit that Royal has faced all season.
Royal’s 8th knock-on of the half gives Dharmaraja another attacking opportunity. Luckily Thanvir pulls off the 2nd Turnover of the game and quashes the move. The 2nd quarter is not going well as Royal compound another knock-on by playing the ball from an offside position. Dharmaraja take a quick tap and their burly outside center is thundering down main street. Nabil’s ankle tap brings him crashing down just over the 22 and 2019 captain Thulaib’s younger brother Thanvir pulls off his 2nd successive Turnover of the game.
Thivain makes another excellent foray up A1 and sends Thineth plundering his way to the Dharmaraja 10m line. The ball is swung wide to Charu on the right wing and then 10 passes later finds its way back for Thanvir to give Amika another dash from the left wing. This time he cuts in beautifully off his left and runs 32m past 3 defenders to score Royal’s 1st try under the posts. Simak converts and Royal are within 2 points of Dharmaraja.
Royal are invigorated by the try as Thanvir and then Kavinash batter through the Dharmaraja defence. The ball is moved around before Diga takes a run up field bumping off his opposite number easily. Dharmaraja are then guilty of not releasing Naqeeb in the tackle. The young hooker is rewarded with Royal’s 2nd try from a successful rolling maul. Simak’s conversion is wide but Royal have taken the lead at 12-9 in the 31st minute.
Nabil’s cross field kick is short of the touch line and permits Dharmaraja to mount an assault. Amika pulls off the 2nd successful ankle tap of the half and Diga executes a crunching mid-field tackle to slow their attack but Royal are offside. By converting their 4th consecutive penalty kick, they take Royal into a drawn scoreline at half-time for the 2nd week in a row.
27 seconds into the 2nd half, Thivain executes one of the best tactical kicks ever seen in Schools Rugby. His cross kick towards unmarked Dharmaraja territory is collected on the fly by Charu who sprints around the lone defender and scores Royal’s 3rd try. Its straight off the training paddock. Nabil takes over the kicking duties and sends the ball over for a 19-12 lead.
After the restart, Dharmaraja breaks through Royal’s defence and are making inroads when Simak pulls off Royal’s 4th turnover of the game. Thivain continues his magical evening by finding touch inside the 22. Naqeeb’s throw is on point and Buwa’s catch is flawless. The 3rdRolling Maul of the game goes 20m with Randul joining in for good measure allowing Naqeeb to score a 2nd try and Royal to chalk up their 5th bonus point of the season. Nabil converts and Royal lead 26-12 in the 41st minute.
Dharmaraja are trying to capitalize on another Royal loss of possession and make it into the red zone. But Thineth pulls of Royal’s 5th Turnover and sends them back in defence. A lineout knock-on and 2 consecutive penalties by Royal allow Dharmaraja to add another 3 points to their tally and its 26-15 in the 41st minute. Sadly, a Dharmaraja player is stretchered off the field.
Royal are asserting themselves in the Dharmaraja red zone as Thineth blocks their scrum-half’s kick and Buwa steals their lineout, but a knock-on followed by a penalty doesn’t permit Royal to score points. Dharmaraja are further shell shocked when 2019’s hulking prop Adithya Weerasooriya’s brother Yehan (aka Diga) steals their next line-out throw by whacking it backwards. Royal controls the ball and Thivain makes another judicious kick. Dharmaraja defend it well this time but are thwarted by Randul who pulls off the 6th Turnover for Royal.
A forward pass and an accidental offside by Royal keep them from advancing but Dharmaraja also transgresses by tackling Thivain high. He recovers and executes another excellent touch finder giving Royal a lineout 32m out. Diga gets a clean catch and the Rolling Maul is chugging forward. Randul joins his forwards with 10m to go and the 9 of them steam-roll their way to the try line. It’s Royal’s 5th try and Naqeeb’s hat-trick. Nabil misses the conversion but Royal lead 31-15 in the 59th minute.
In the next few minutes whilst subs come onto the field, Nabil finally finds the long touch he has been searching for, Charu makes an incisive run, Randul and Thineth charge through the tired Dharmaraja defenders and Thivain makes another line breaking run forcing Dharmaraja to give up multiple penalties. After the big boys carry the ball up the middle, it’s passed out wide for Amika to cut back in, beat 3 defenders and score a 2nd try in his run-on debut. Nabil just misses the conversion and the score is 36-15 in the 66th minute.
The last 4 minutes are a scrappy affair as Royal cough up possession twice and compound it with a final minute penalty which Dharmaraja convert to end the match at 36-18
Royal enjoyed a lot of possession in this game but with it came a bag load of handling errors. The penalty count was not overly high, but several were conceded in kickable range. On the positive side 6 Turnovers won in a single game is possibly a record.
