Isipathana College, Colombo, formerly known as Greenlands College, has firmly established itself as one of the most formidable forces in Sri Lankan schools rugby. Widely known as the “Kings of Schools Rugby,” we have maintained our dominance since formally entering the schools rugby arena in 1963.
Although official competition began in 1963, the foundations of rugby at Isipathana were laid earlier. In 1960, under the leadership of Randy Keller, we began playing friendly matches at Under-17 level. Keller, inspired by watching his father represent Havelock SC, sparked enthusiasm for the sport within the school. His passion encouraged senior students to take up rugby, laying the groundwork for what would become a proud and lasting tradition.
Our first senior team took the field in 1963 under captain Bryan Ingram and was coached by the late Y.C. Chang. Our first major fixture was against St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota, where we recorded an impressive 8–3 victory. That win signalled the beginning of a dominant era.
Although our first win came in 1963, we were officially affiliated with the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union Schools in 1965. From that point onward, the Green Machine continued to build an extraordinary legacy. Up to the Singer Sri Lanka 7s tournament concluded on September 7, 2003, we had won exactly 40 major trophies, excluding numerous junior titles.
What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that we accomplished it without owning a dedicated rugby ground. In comparison, Royal College and S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia have secured 12 trophies each, followed by Trinity College with seven. All three schools have long-established rugby traditions.
Beyond trophies, we have produced over 60 national players during the past five decades. The first to represent Sri Lanka was Randy Pietersz, and many who followed went on to captain the national team. It is an outstanding record for any school.
We have won the league championship on 17 occasions and achieved several historic milestones. We won the first-ever Schools 7s tournament held in 1970 and have since claimed the Philip Bultjens Trophy ten times, including four consecutive victories. In 1992, we won six of the seven trophies on offer, setting a record in schools rugby. In both 1997 and 1999, we secured the League Championship, President’s Trophy, Sevens, and Western Province 10s. No other school has matched that achievement. We have also won the Triple Crown on six occasions in 1985, 1986, 1992, 1997, 1999, and 2014.
Over the years, our growing popularity attracted sponsorship from individuals and organisations such as Kishin Butani, Sarath de Costa, Rajasingham Industries, Shutter 2000, Suntel, PC House, Dialog, and Lumiere Ole Springs. We remain grateful to key contributors including H.T. de Silva, Jayantha Fernando and his band of Old Peterites, Frankie David, Michael Loos, and Y.C. Chang, who played significant roles in nurturing rugby at Isipathana.
Despite many challenges, particularly the absence of our own playground, we have continued to thrive. The lack of facilities has never prevented the Green Machine from marching forward and maintaining our reputation as the Kings of Schools Rugby.