S. Thomas’ College host St. Peter’s College in the season opener of the 2019 Schools’ Rugby League as the two teams battle it out for the Archibald Perera Memorial Trophy.
The wait is almost over. Schools’ Rugby returns and does so with a bang as St. Peter’s make the short trip to Mount Lavinia to take on S. Thomas’. Will STC manage to hold on to the Trophy they won back in 2016?
Date: 28th February 2019
Venue: S’ Thomas’ Grounds, Mount Lavinia
Kick-off: 4pm
History of the encounter
Last year the two teams did not meet, as the Lads from Mount Lavinia kept a hold of the trophy they won back in 2016.
The last time they met, in 2017, there was nothing to separate the two teams at full time. However, Thora kept hold of the trophy, virtue of them being the defending champions.
Read More : Second half blitz from S.Thomas’ secures a nail-biting draw
2015 & 2016 saw S. Thomas’ dominate this encounter, winning in both years, leaving St. Peter’s in desperate need of a win at the 5th year of asking.
2015: St. Peter’s 17-25 S. Thomas’
2016: S. Thomas’ 36-13 St. Peter’s
2017: St. Peter’s 25-25 S. Thomas’
2018: No Match
Players to watch out for
Power packed No 8, and captain of the Peterite outfit, Bilal Hilmy will be the main man to have a close eye on as he leads his charges against the Thomians. The captain’s combination with halfback Raveen Fernando will be pivotal to the team’s success this time around, and the nippy no.9 will no doubt be licking his lips in anticipation of making a comeback, following a serious ankle injury which saw him miss a large part of the last season.
Read More : Bilal Hilmy to lead the Peterites
Deputy skippers, the centers for St. Peter’s, Sunera Fernando and Sandesh de Mel will be another combination to have a close eye on as they face the Thomians on Thursday.
Front rower Adeesha Hadunpathirana and captain Harith Senanayake will be the heart of the Thomian forward pack this season as the two will no doubt look to stamp their authority early on in the season.
Read More : New Captain to lead the Thomian legion
Brain trust
Shamly Nawas has been instilled at the helm for the Thomians and much will be expected from the head coach following his success at Zahira College and Police Sports Club. A coach with the ability to revitalize his charges, Nawas will face a stern test in his opener against the master tactician Sanath Martis.
The past few days have not being the best for Martis, however, known for his ability to get the best out of his players and with knack of finishing on the right end, this will be a tougher test for Nawas and his boys.
What to expect
Both teams have finished off their pre-season with friendlies in convincing fashion.
However, season openers are known to be games in which teams brush off rust from their performances.
A forward dominant performance could be on the cards for St. Peter’s, but with a history of great runners to have graduated from Bambalapitiya, we could be caught off guard with what they have in store for their season opener.
The Thomians on the other hand comprise of a balance between their forwards and backs. This may very well test the Peteries as they seek to end the Thomian dominance for the past 4 years.
Predictions
This being the first competitive outing of 2019, the team which gets out of the block the quickest will have the greater opportunity of getting the ‘W’ in front of their name.
