Schools’ Rugby Week 9 – The Thomian Legion or the Green Machine?

Two unbeaten teams are set to clash in a fitting finale at Longdon Place this Saturday afternoon whilst Royal and Science will be fighting it out for a 3rd place finish.

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 Last year’s score IC 62 – 15 STC

The question that’s on everyone’s mind is whether S. Thomas’ College will have the fire power to defy the powerful ‘Green Machine’, who seem to have made winning Cup Championships a habit.  Having sacrificed their 7s crown early this year to the ‘school by the sea’, Isipathana understands the gravity of the encounter, having lost two final encounters last year as well. Crowned triple-champions in 2014, the ‘Green Machine’ were only able to finish as runners up in all three major tournaments last year.

The Isipathana forwards were excellent last week against the mighty Royal maul. They did not allow the Royal forwards to score a single try and they need to perform just as well or even better to beat the composed Thomian forwards. Big No8 Sachitha Jayatilake, who also captained the Thomian cricket team, is back after his injury last week against Science College.

Watch Live: S. Thomas’ vs Isipathana

Flanker Christian De Lile and Lock Harith Senanayake are also well-tuned for the decider. If the Greens’ flanker Adeesha Weerathunga and No8 Vageesha Weerasinghe can counter their opponents in the breakdown and open play, it will certainly create problems for the Thomian legion.

The real battle in the encounter will be between the back lines of the two teams where the two top-notch wings meet head to head. The scintillating Naveen Henakankanamage will meet his nemesis Ravindu Padmasanka while Ashwantha Herath and Praveen Ferdinando will come up against their Isipathana counterparts, Kushan Indunil and Sumudu Rankothge, who have been by far the best Center pair on display this season.

If the game ends as a tie, Isipathana College will be crowned champions since they have 1.5 bonus points in the bank and lead the try count 52 to 35.

The Royalists will have one more tester before the season winds up when they meet a depleted Science College team. After their dream start, hopes kept deteriorating for the lads from Mount Lavinia as they hit a new low last week, losing to neighbours S. Thomas’ College 31-0. Science will be fighting it out for the third-place spot in the league and a win against the Royalists will guarantee them the position. This will be Science’s best ever finish and they are sure to give it their all in their final challenge this weekend.

Watch Live: Science v Royal

Royal have their rolling maul to counter the fast runners of the Science outfit but their key to success will be their defense, especially towards the final 10-15 minutes of play. The defending champions do not have the privilege of retaining the silverware at Reid Avenue but a third place finish will be rewarding.

The Peterites will travel to the hills in a bid to retain the Major. Gen. Dennis Perera trophy after a successful weekend, where St. Peter’s won 31-22 against Wesley College. The season has not been the best for the team from Bambalapitiya with them in 6th position in the league table, having gotten 4 wins under their belts. A win at Pallekelle will cement a 5th place finish for the Peterites

Watch Live: Trinity v St. Peter’s

Trinity College, who are having their worst season since 2010, will desperately want to win this weekend’s encounter and look at finishing on the 5th spot above St. Peter’s. The Lions have had a tough season this year and a win in their last encounter of the season will only serve as a consolation.

Last year’s Plate finalists will be meeting each other in the final week of the league at Nittawela. The two teams who will take the 7th and 8th spots in the league table would love to finish off their campaigns with a win. Wesley have been unlucky for a larger part of the season losing out on important wins by small margins. It will be an opportunity for Zayan Sabah’s team to try and go for glory.

The Anthonian lone warrior Samuel Maduwantha led St. Anthony’s from the forefront last week against Trinity and it will be vital that the Eagles regroup and play as a team to win the encounter against Wesley. Maduwantha is responsible for 96 points; which is almost 2/3 of the points scored by St. Anthony’s as a whole. The game will decide who finishes at the bottom of the Cup segment.