Defending champions Isipathana College booked their place in a third consecutive Dialog President’s Trophy Schools Knockout Rugby Tournament final after surviving a fierce second-half comeback from Royal College Colombo, to win a tense semi-final 24 (three goals, one penalty) to 17 (one goal, two tries) at the Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday.
Isipathana built a commanding 21-0 lead within the opening 19 minutes through powerful forward play and quick taps that caught the Royal defence napping. But the Ried Avenue boys refused to give up, staging a spirited fightback in the final quarter, which ultimately fell just short.
Isipathana’s number eight Shaakib Zumri opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a quick tap, breaking through a couple of Royal tackles to score mid-right. Fullback Nimantha Sandeepa converted to give the defending champions an early 7-0 lead.
Three minutes later, second-row forward Newith Mewnaka touched down for the second try after another quick tap, barging through to score near the left post. Sandeepa added the extras with ease to double their advantage.
In the 19th minute, Mewnaka struck again with a near carbon-copy of his first try, carrying strongly to breach the Royal defence and score under the posts. Sandeepa made it three from three, stretching Isipathana’s lead to 21-0.
Despite suffering injuries to both starting wingers before half-time, Isipathana maintained their grip on the game. However, Royal College showed signs of life when winger Didula Jayasuriya dived over in the right corner after a smart offload from fullback Disas Pathirana. The difficult conversion went astray, and the halftime score read 21-5 in favour of Isipathana
Isipathana extended their lead to 24-5 just four minutes into the second half when Sandeepa slotted over a penalty.
Royal’s resilience shone in the final quarter. In the 63rd minute, skipper and centre Amika Samarasinghe finished off a well-worked move to score under the posts. Fly half Shimak Shafeek converted, narrowing the margin to 24-12.
The comeback intensified in the 67th minute when replacement Dinuka Perera sprinted through to score in the left corner after collecting a long cut-out pass. However, the conversion was missed, leaving Royal seven points adrift
with the clock against them, Royal pushed hard, but Isipathana’s defence held firm until the final whistle. It was heartbreak for Royal, whose hopes took an early blow when key fly half and place kicker Idris Farook left the field injured in the first half. Tournament medical officer Dr. Namith Sankalpana later confirmed Farook will be sidelined for 21 days, a huge loss for the Royalists.
At full time, Isipathana celebrated securing a shot at back-to-back President’s Trophy titles. They will face Trinity College, Kandy, in the grand final on Sunday, May 18.
“Our first-half start made the difference,” Isipathana coach Dhanushka Boteju said. “Royal fought hard in the second half, but we held our nerve when it mattered
By – Daily News