St.Joseph’s College Colombo 10 after earning a place to remain in the A division will be deemed as one of the highly spirited teams to engage in battle for the converted A division title this season. Joes have produced some great players in the past; Dhanushka, Henry and Chanaka Peters amongst them as well as Pium Jayasinghe , Malintha Soysa and last year’s’ Incredible hulk’Yohan Keyser.
SJC in the last couple of seasons have been formidably recognized for their dominant use of heavy forward play which brought about ticks in the matches won column as well as close encounters that ended in defeat, notably the Joe-Pete and Royal-Joes matches. This year SJC have looked to explore and expand their rugby and it is understood that more of an open game will be played.
The commencement of JOES rugby and the Hornets
Josephian rugby originated after the Joe-Pete cricket tie in 1954. Rumor has it that Lalith de Mel and Anton Mariadasan together with a couple of ‘seniors’ decided to try their hand at rugby with the intention of playing club rugby after leaving school.
“Josephian Hornets” as they were acknowledged asplayed a few ‘friendlies’ against schoolboys mainly from S.Thomas’ College. Incidentally theJosephians and Thomians began their journey in school rugby concurrently. At the time a respected Prefect of Games, Joe Ekanayake, took up the Hornets’ and did lay the foundation in terms of support staff. Mr.AnnesleyAbeyasinghe was also appointed as the master-in-charge. Thus the Hornets paved the way to SJC Rugby. Due to the lack of resources back then practices took place at the College Grounds, with the first goal posts being Arecanut tree trunks!
In 1955, official school fixtures took place against the likes oftop schools including Royal, STC, Trinity and SPC. All matches were lost. Nevertheless the foundation for Josephian rugby was established and that was the start of it all.
Last season’s (2012) results
Last season SJC was led by the colossal forward Yohan Keyser. The Josephians were promoted from the B division after winning the B division title back in 2010 and have not looked back since. The Joes team has been noticed for working very hard to remain in the A division, and that they did with some great performances and almost creating some memorable results last season.
The side was successful in their mission as they were placed seventh in the standings and remained in the A division in 2012. The white and blue brigade was known for their powerful forward march. They also had a beautiful combination of well spirited and solid backs in Rehan Thiyagaraja and Dinesh Lakshan who led the line and scored some stunning tries. Most of the play making took place through the fit Chirath Perera and Jason Melder running powerfully from the base and nippy half back ShamilkaKurumbulapitiya. Everybody in the team looked to bundle their way towards the opposing 22 and then handing the ball to Yohan the skipper who scored countless number of tries with his enormous bursts towards the try line.
SJC played extremely well against all the top guns of the league and they almost defeated Royal College. For the 2nd year running it was a high scoring affair and an absolute nail bitter. In addition The Joe Pete was another cracker but unfortunately SJC lost the encounter in the80th minute of the game after being in a clear cut winning position. The school besides the Biera Lake, were able to notch up 6 wins last term which kept them safe from relegation.
Jason and the brigade
Jason Melder will have the honor of captaining the JOES 1st XV side for the year 2013. Jason will be playing in his sixth year and as a coloursman. Jason last season was appointed as the vice-captain of the side and there was little doubt that he would be the skipper this year. Jason beganhis playing career for SJC at center. He once scored over 5 tries in a single match during his U13 career and that was the start of it all. Jason also scored 8 tries back in 2011 and added another bunch of tries last season to his 1st XV tally. For a second row that is quite a good performance. A feature of his game is his leadership and brutal strength he brings to the table. In addition to that he remains calm and shows a very sensible approach when it comes to making decisions on and off the field. Last season we saw a much matured Jason and a player who was able to handle the pressure put on him at all occasions. His sheer determination to be the best is something all the youngsters should take note of. Last season along with YohanKeyser Jason depicted his willingness to make good yardage and put his team on the front foot. Jason will have to be closely watched thisseason by all opponents as he is a force to be reckoned with.
Jason will get great support from the likes of SchinthaUdumalagala the vice-captain of the side, Last year Suchintha emerged and was a crucial part of the side. This season he will look to assist Jason in the pack and guide the lads to a top 4 position as he proclaims.
The three quarters will consist of the likes of Vishmitha, Hasuru, Janith and Shamilka all who have played in the previous season. Shamilka who will either play at full back or scrum half this season, with Vishmitha, Hasuru and Janith playing on the line and looking to sprint pass their opponents. Vishmitha will be handling the center position this season and will look to concentrate on his speed and tackling which will be all important in the middle of the park. The Josephians also have a strong last line of defense in Hasuru and Janith , The double will play on the wing and look to finish off all the tries for SJC as well as provide good support to Shamilka the full back. .
The Viper and Tikiri, the men behind the tactics
The coaching division will be headed by experienced and one of the most qualified coaches in Sri Lanka Mr. Nihal ‘Viper’ Gunaratne. This season marks his debut as a coach for the school and with his rich playing as well as coaching history the Josephians have to have made a very positive move in appointing him as the head coach.
Viper has also brought in Former SACK captain Tikiri Disanayake who in Viper’s words “is a very underrated coach, he has a very good rugby brain”. The pre-season training and current training have been done in a systematic manner which has included modern methods as well. Viper and Tikiri’s experience can be very crucial this season. They are looking to put Joes on the map and make it a top rugby side again.
Squad for 2013 SJC XV
Jason Melder,(Captain), Suchintha Udumalagala(Vice-Captain), Vishmitha Peiris, Hasuru Gunawardena, Janith Chanaka, Shamilka Kurumbalapitiya, Taariq Salih, Shehan Bopearachchi, Tharusha Perera, Stephen Gregory, Mateesha De Silva, Devon Fernando, Damien Bopearachchi, Iromal Irugalbandara, Roshane Jayampathy, Anton Tulaxshan, Shenal Algama, Osura Ranasinghearachchi, Minura Randula, Nuwan Fernando, Ishane Pietersez, Dulith Fernando, Romesh Priyankara, ShivankaThangiah, Shehan De Silva, Akitha Hendalage, Sandeep Algama, Shasheen Sudaraka, Akhila Perera, Shenan De Silva , Navin Muthuaracchi
