The loss to the Peterites had a lot of fans moaning and groaning. Some of it is fair and a lot of it is not. How did this new team perform in their very first outing?
The front row had a solid if not eye-catching performance. Both props carried the ball up regularly even though the tight head lost possession in a tackle on one occasion and fumbled a collection on another, when the blind side flanker got in his way. Better calling should help iron that out. Defensively, they both put in several big hits but could work on improving their line speed.
The 17-year-old hooker had a strong game. Apart from juggling but recovering the kickoff and overthrowing at the last line-out, the remaining 11 throws were on target. Affiya had the honor of scoring the 1st try of the season but was guilty of knocking on in the Peterite half when Royal was attacking.
More game time for the front row will improve their awareness of the opposition not engaging in rucks and will prevent them giving away penalties for sealing.
The 2 locks had a mixed bag. Diga was unfortunate to give away the 1st penalty of the match as the Peterite skipper appeared to duck into his hulking 6’4 frame. He gave away penalties for not rolling away from a tackle and for having his hands in a ruck. He compensated with a strong defensive line run and crucially, made no mistakes at the line-out. Diga was sacked once in the line-out but he learned fast and drew a penalty when the Petes attempted a 2nd but incorrect attempt. Kalu was safe in defence and willingly trucked up the ball in attack but could show more sparkle. He was substituted in the 3rd minute of the 2nd half by Busta, who showed good signs of attacking ball carries and defensive skills.
The 3rd row played their hearts out. Except for the single occasion when he lost possession, Buwa was reliable at line-out time and made several effective tackles. His valiant attempt to collect a high throw at the final line-out could not prevent Royal from missing a golden attacking opportunity and turning the ball over to the Petes.
The line-out efficiency was almost 92%
Royal’s open side flanker is the enforcer of the side. He operated at 100mph in every aspect of the game, tackling with zero self-preservation. One of his many chasing tackles forced the Petes to kick directly into touch. Apart from pulling off the 1st jackal for Royal, he successfully charged down a kick and kept trying to spark the rest of the team out of their slow start to the season. Another solo charge-down resulted in him being kneed in the head, drawing the only Yellow card of the game.
Royal’s 8-man didn’t lack motivation. Apart from stealing an opposition line-out, he was a rock in defence, collecting several long kicks and charging back at the Petes. It was copy-book number 8 positional play but he must be careful not to get isolated. The 2 passes he dropped, were both unfortunately delivered behind his body and not his fault. He was a tad early in attacking a ball at the back of a Peterite ruck and gave away a penalty. Luckily, the Petes were guilty of an accidental offside and the threatening move fizzled out. He was one of the best for Royal until a foot injury forced him to be subbed with 7 minutes to go. His replacement was guilty of giving away a penalty for entering a ruck from the side.
Judging from the fact that Royal’s rookie scrum half played the entire 70 minutes, he made a better-than-expected start to the season and was once held-up over the try line. The baby of the side made a strong front-on tackle when the Petes were rampaging towards Royal’s red zone and made a few decent clearance kicks. His box kicking gained decent height but limited distance and ought to improve as the season progresses. His passes were mostly on point but on one occasion he chose to grubber a ball that shot out from the back of the scrum towards his back line, putting them under pressure.
The VC had a solid start to the season, smartly collecting a marginally off-target pass from his half back and putting in several strong tackles. His kick chase & tackle and jackal of Pete possession overshadowing a sealing penalty he gave away. He will probably be called upon to take more spot kicks in future games.
The young left winger did not have many opportunities and on one occasion he cut in rather than get bundled into touch. He kept a close eye on his opposite number and made several effective tackles. On 2 occasions he was body checked by the opposition and on both occasions, he astutely avoided retaliation.
The captain was not able to showcase his attacking capabilities much in the 1st half as the Petes enjoyed most of the territory and possession. He did carry the ball up on a few occasions and attempted a mid-field territorial kick that the Petes fortunately fumbled. His defence was sound but his partnership with his co-center must improve as they conceded a line-break and it was only a good cover tackle from his partner that saved the day. Even though he was guilty of giving away a penalty for not releasing a tackled player, he got more involved in the 2nd half, carried the ball up well and made excellent meters with ball in hand.
The outside center was entrusted with the territorial kicks and even though he kicked one directly into touch and had another charged down, he got better as the game progressed. He preferred to err on the side of caution when taking kicks to touch but always ensured touch was found. He made several telling tackles, and one important cover tackle was a try saver. His attacking prowess was shown in two dazzling 30m dashes down the left side of the field, but unfortunately his final minute pass to his full-back was a tad high.
The right winger kept trying all afternoon and hardly put a foot wrong. His kick chases and high ball collection were first class, and his bone crunching tackles were potent. He should be used more in attack.
The full-back had a forgettable outing with zero successful kicks at goal. Even though he pulled off a 50-22 and made a couple of good territorial kicks, his error rate was high. He tried to put his trademark sidestep to good use but got tackled by the opposition and did give away a penalty for holding on. Some of his cross-field kicks were hazardous but luckily did not yield any points. His 2nd dropped ball was not entirely his fault as the pass could have been better. He too was body checked when collecting a Pete high ball but commendably did not react.
With time these shortcomings can be ironed out. It will take a lot of hard work by the team and the coaching staff, but the potential is there. Have faith. Have patience.
