In another thrilling chapter of the Cup segment of the ongoing Dialog Schools Rugby League 2026, Isipathana College staged a remarkable second-half resurgence to defeat Royal College 31-12 at the Havelock SC grounds yesterday (6th June). The match, which ended as a 12-all stalemate at the halftime break, turned decisively in Isipathana’s favor following a collapse in discipline from the Royal side, who received a staggering five yellow cards.
From the outset, it was Royal College that looked the more dangerous side, utilizing their early momentum to strike first. During the 10th minute, Royal College came up with a brilliant attack and crossed the whitewash. But the referee spotted that the ball was held up in the in-goal area.
After another 10 minutes of play, Royalists launched a fierce attack by reaching the red zone of the opposition. The visitors searched for the first score of the game by working the ball in sideways and then from a pick and drive option. But Isipathana did well to prevent the hosts from scoring. Suddenly, Royal College’s open-side winger Dinuka Perera created a gap from the right corner and exploited it with a deceiving side step and did well to reach the try line, signaling their intent to dominate the encounter. Then Mohammed Mawsuf made a peach of a conversion to add the extras. (IC 00 – 07 RC)
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After a couple of minutes, the try scorer was sin-binned by the referee for a deliberate knock-on. Fueled by the extra player’s advantage, Isipathana displayed resilience and character and responded immediately with a strong attack. There, Isipathana received an offside penalty just five meters from the whitewash. To exploit their numerical advantage, they called for a scrum. After a few pick-and-drive phases the front rower Newith Mewnaka did well to push a few tacklers and barge into the try line by keeping a good body position with his powerful leg drive. Nimantha Sandeepa made the easy conversion to square the game. (IC 07 – 07 RC)
During the final phase of the first half, the visitors, Royal College, put up a valiant effort near the try line. During the period Isipathana gave away back-to-back penalties. Royalists exploited the advantage well and earned a couple of 5-meter lineouts. Royal College managed to wrestle the lead back once more, executing a textbook rolling maul that resulted in a try where they were excellent over the years. Hence, there was nothing that Isipathana could do as the hooker Akira Yatawara crossed the whitewash from behind the maul. (IC 07 – 12 RC)
At the brink of halftime, the Isipathana fly-half put up a timely punt kick, and fullback Nimantha did well to chase and collect it and cross the 22-meter mark. Then Isipathana continued their fierce attack and crossed the whitewash. However, the reply indicated that the ball was held up. Meanwhile, the Royal vice captain was sin-binned for not retreating 10 meters at a penalty. With the numerical advantage, Isipathana College sent the ball wide across three-quarters line. Just as the halftime whistle approached, Isipathana College struck back by showing great composure under pressure to equalize the score as winger Dilum Senadheera easily crossed the whitewash from the left corner. (IC 12 – 12 RC)
Half time: Royal College 12 (2T, 1C) – 12 (2T, 1C) Isipathana College
During the second half, the Green Machine looked dangerous and ambushed deep into the royal half. While the ball was working in sideways, the fullback Nimantha Sandeepa spotted a gap in the middle and exploited it. With a fancy side step, he got away from the first tackle, and then with a powerful leg drive, he crossed the whitewash to bring Isipathana into the lead for the first time in the game. Thenula Costa nailed the easy conversion to extend the lead. (IC 19 – 12 RC)
Then the Royals received their third yellow card as Senuja Ranasinghe was sin-binned for a head clash while attempting a tackle. Later, the Royal outfit was again penalized for tackling in the air in a dangerous manner. Through that penalty, the Green Machine earned a five-meter lineout. With the extra players’ advantage, Isipathana attacked with a powerful maul as Rayal had to taste some of their own medicine. But just inches short of the whitewash, Royal did well to stop the maul. Then the emerging Sri Lankan rugby talent Shaakib Zumri took the business into his hands and attacked with a nice side step and reached the tryline to score another try by staging a massive moment in the game. The kick that came from a difficult angle missed the target by a margin of a whisker. (IC 24 – 12 RC)
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Things went bad to worse for Royal as Hiruka Jayaweera was also yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle by limiting their side to 13 men on the field. Hence, Isipathana attacked by sending the ball corner to corner to exploit an extra two men’s advantage. Then, Tharuka Jayaweera made a splendid break through the defense from the left corner and almost reached the whitewash with his brilliant sidestepping by deceiving the tacklers. Finally, the Royal defenders managed to bring him on to the ground before crossing the try line. During the next move, Isipathana skipper Shaakib Zumri made a statement try by dragging a couple of tacklers. Ninantha Sandeepa made another stunning conversion to add the extras. (IC 31 – 12 RC)
During the final seconds of the game, Isipathana’s loose head prop forward was sent to the sin bin, and the late drama didn’t make a significant impact on the victory of the Green Machine or the fate of Royal as the game was already in the bag. But the Royalist put up a valiant effort at the brink of the full-time whistle to plant a consolation try and to finish the game on a high note. But the rock-solid Isipathana defense was unshaken again, and the effort went in vain.
While the first half was a tight arm-wrestle, the second half turned into a demonstration of the consequences of ill-discipline. Although Royal College showed flashes of the superb rugby they are capable of playing, their progress was repeatedly hindered by a series of infringements. The referee had no choice but to issue yellow cards, with Royal ultimately receiving five in total, a statistic that played a major role in their downfall.
The victory carries significant weight for Isipathana, allowing them to reclaim the coveted Milroy Fernando Trophy. The win serves as a strong statement of intent in this year’s league and provides a measure of redemption for the team, who had suffered a narrow and heartbreaking three-point loss to Royal in the previous year’s encounter. As the final whistle blew, the scoreline read 31-12, reflecting Isipathana’s dominance in the second stanza. For Royal, it will be a match to forget, as their ill-discipline turned a potentially close contest into a rout, while Isipathana walks away with the trophy and a morale-boosting victory.
Full time: Isipathana College 31 (5T, 3C) – 12 (2T, 1C) Royal College
- Swisstek Perfect Player of the Match – Nimantha Sandeepa (Isipathana College)
Points Breakdown
Isipathana College, Colombo – 31
Newith Mewnaka 1T, Dilum Senadheera 1T, Shaakib Zumri 2T, Nimantha Sandeepa 1T, 2C, Thenula Costa 1C,
Royal College, Colombo – 12
Dinuka Perera 1T, Akira Yatawara 1T, Mohommad Mawsuf 1C,
Match Referee – Ishanka Abeykoon
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