BRSS Match Day 3

Match Day 3 saw two matches take place. One in Nairobi and one in Arusha. The Tanzania Twigas finally put up some sort of performance and only conceded 31 points to nil against the Cheetahs, a much better performance from the 65 to nil they received against the Lions. I don't have too much detail on this game but I'd say they came out with more determination and defended better. The Twigas have a unique problem in that they have basically two sets of players. One set is based in Arusha and the other set in Dar-es-Salaam. They only meet just prior to the games and have little training time together. This definitely impacts on their ability to play as a team and to provide adequate competition. Sustained attack in rugby is not easy to achieve without certain team structures and that is one way of keeping scores down, by keeping the ball away from the opponents. That they have not been able to score a single point in two matches is a pointer to this.

The Sharks and the Buffaloes in Nairobi was a real thriller. The score of 35-3 to the Sharks is certainly not a pointer to the quality of the game or the competitiveness of the match. In fact with 20 minutes into the match, my money as on the Buffaloes. They dominated the first half with powerful and decisive runs, frequently breaking the Sharks defense line. Poor support play and decisions from the half back paring let them down and they were not able to capitalise on this dominance. They also came to rue their own decisions not to kick for goal some relatively easy penalties that came their way, opting instead to go for the five points that proved elusive to the end. Half time score for this game was 7-0, a pointer to the competitiveness of the game. For the sharks, resilience and a strong bench were the winning factors. Buffaloes were forced to make two injury substitutions in the first half. From that time on, all they were doing was patching up the team. As for Sharks, they were not forced into any substitutions. They had a very strong bench and any changes they made were value changes. This came to tell in the 20th minute of the second half. With the Buffaloes sails seeming to completely run out of wind, the Sharks came out firing after making several strong changes. 3 quick tries, all converted, in a 12 minute spell made all the difference. With time up and the last play called by the referee, the Buffaloes were forced to kick a penalty at the posts to avoid the duck that they now held.

My assessment of the two sides. The Sharks, as expected, are a youthful side, full of energy and ideas. The fact that they are basically all peers removes the pressure associated with performance anxiety from their shoulders. The other fact that they are a new franchise means they have no baggage in terms of history. They are writing their own history, day by day and hence choosing how to do this. This makes them by far the most exciting franchise. The are playing a free flowing, running rugby. To some it may look unstructured, but they enjoy running the ball and are doing this at every opportunity. For the Buffaloes, it is strange, but they just do not seem to be physically fit enough. This was their Achilles heel in this match and a lack of planning in terms of "then what?", after the initial break was made. But they are a fantastic side and the fact that they are made up mainly of players from Nakuru RFC, means they will be a force to reckon with come the league.

I cannot let this one go. Once more, two back row players playing in the centres, a complete disaster. One from each side, at some point I could not tell whether they were still in the centres or back in the forwards. When Wilson K'Opondo of the Sharks went back to his traditional back row position, more order came out of the team and hence the result.

NB: As I am new in this writing field, I am not using too many names in my writing as I familiarise myself with the players. I believe by next weekend I will be able to look at individual players more critically.