Joes returned to their usual dominating style of Rugby as they thumped new comers Thurstan College down to register a thundering win in their third outing of the season. The Saints came into stiff resistance by the much-improved defence of the newbies that induced excessive handling errors in the first half, that slowed down their onslaught. However, Joes sprang into action showing some urgency combined with dominance to overrun a weary Thurstan unit during the last quarter of the game to register a win by a massive margin.
Following their last dismal performance with the Boot, the Saints have worked on their kicking skills that reflected in their tremendous improvement in slotting 5 out of 6 conversions; notably, one of those conversions was from a tight angle. Their touch finding accuracy has been sharpened as well, and looked exemplary in this outing. It is noteworthy that the improvements achieved in their last game in ensuring continuous support play is available at all times in order to keep advancing with the Ball, and to eliminate ‘holding-on’ infringements has been maintained to perfection in this outing. The consolidation of rucking and cleanout techniques have also been carried forward meticulously into this week, that has, and will help Joes strengthen their stance and possession in the Rucks. It is quite rare to observe corrective measures being carried into the future weeks in the Schoolboy Rugby arena, hence it is encouraging and heartwarming to see St. Joseph’s College carrying the Torch on this one, quite impeccably.
In order to get ready for the next killer game against Wesley, Joes would have to at least halve their penalty and unforced error count. The Forwards Coach Dulanjana Wijesinghe would have to work extremely smart on Maul defence and come up with a tactic to diffuse the Wesley Maul formation, as the first option. Working on counter-tactics to manage or control the Maul following its formation would be a long and rocky road considering the muscle power of the double blues. One of his preferred earlier tactics has been, not to engage in Mauls within close proximity to the goal line, which has proven quite costly for the Joes in the past, as once a moving Maul reaches a certain momentum, it would be unstoppable. Therefore, careful all-round planning and flawless execution is crucial to overcoming the next hurdle for the Joes.
St. Joseph’s beat Thurston 47-9