In a pulsating encounter at Havelock Park, Isipathana College retained the prestigious Rizwi Suhayb Trophy, edging out traditional rivals S. Thomas’ College in a game that featured breathtaking swings in momentum. What began as a one-sided rout for Isipathana turned into a nail-biting contest, ultimately decided by Thomian ill-discipline and the sheer grit of the Isipathana outfit.
The gritty Isipathana side wasted no time in demonstrating their determination from the kickoff. They were determined to claim the title at any cost. In the fifth minute, Isipathana College earned a scrum near the whitewash, and skipper Shaakib Zumri took a quick tap. He ran around the tacklers but couldn’t gain much ground with his sideways run. However, after being caught, he intelligently threw a long cut-out pass to fullback Nimantha Sandeepa. He fended off the first tackler with a goose-step and burst through a couple more defenders to draw first blood from the right corner. (IC 05 – 00 STC)
After a miscalculated restart kick, Isipathana once again proved their class with a magnificent 50-22 kick to secure an excellent attacking position from nowhere. Following a few powerful carries by the Isipathana forwards, the ball was shifted to the backline and worked across to the left corner. Once again, fullback Nimantha spotted a gap in the defence, joined the line at pace, and exploited it brilliantly to score his second try in quick succession. Thenul De Costa maintained his fine rhythm and nailed a difficult conversion to extend the lead. (IC 12 – 00 STC)
The gritty Isipathana side crossed the opposition’s 22-metre line after some excellent support play featuring fantastic offloads. After a few phases by the forwards, the ball was again shifted to the three-quarters. This time, fly-half Costa backed himself, shrugging off a couple of tacklers with powerful hand-offs before planting the third try for the Green Machine. He then capped off his brilliant play by slotting a superb conversion from the far right touchline. (IC 19 – 00 STC)
Later, the S. Thomas’ fly-half made a cardinal error by knocking on the ball in front of his own goalposts. Isipathana exploited the opportunity like a hungry lion. Prop forward Newith Mewnaka, latched onto by his blindside flanker, charged forward with an excellent body position and immense power. The S. Thomas’ defence could not match the challenge as the duo easily barged through the tacklers for the bonus-point try. Costa was successful once again with the conversion. (IC 26 – 00 STC)
By this stage, Isipathana had delivered an early masterclass, stamping their authority on the game and racing into a commanding lead as they looked set for a comfortable runaway victory.
The door for a stunning Thomian resurgence was opened by their lively three-quarter Udan Bulathsinghalage, who produced a moment of brilliance with a scintillating solo try to get his side on the scoreboard. He sliced through the defence before weaving around six advancing tacklers, using his blistering pace and clever running angles to score an outstanding try that delighted the travelling supporters from Mt. Lavinia. (IC 26 – 05 STC)
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This breakthrough ignited the Thomians. Sensing the momentum shifting, the S. Thomas’ forwards joined the action, relentlessly attacking the Isipathana defence before scoring a superb try from a well-executed rolling maul. After a solid lineout, the Thomian pack drove relentlessly towards the whitewash, with flanker Rometh Wijesinghe grounding the ball at the back of the maul. Fly-half Mayanka Dias added an excellent conversion to reduce the deficit. (IC 26 – 12 STC)
Just as the game looked to be slipping away from them, Isipathana’s championship character shone through. They regrouped under pressure and responded with an excellent attacking move to steady the ship. From a lineout, the ball was quickly transferred to Costa. He escaped the first tackle with a clever show-and-go, creating a huge gap for blindside winger Thuan Aziz. The winger only had the final defender to beat, and a sharp sidestep was enough for him to score another try. Costa added another successful conversion to extend the lead. (IC 33 – 12 STC)
Yet the Thomians had the final say of the half, striking back with another try right on the stroke of halftime to head into the sheds having successfully wrestled back the momentum. Rometh Wijesinghe and skipper Mckyle Karunaratne produced some powerful leg drives to take play close to the whitewash. Eventually, Rometh crashed over with support from his latcher, before the reliable Mayanka Dias added another conversion. (IC 33 – 19 STC)
Halftime: Isipathana College 33 (5T, 4C) – 19 (3T, 2C) S. Thomas’ College
The second half began exactly where the first had ended, with S. Thomas’ striking immediately. After a lineout, the Thomian forwards launched another powerful rolling maul that the Isipathana pack failed to stop. Skipper Mckyle Karunaratne expertly controlled the drive before touching down. Dias converted once again to lift the visitors’ hopes and cut the deficit to just seven points. (IC 33 – 26 STC)
The Thomians’ momentum was halted when Shehan Wanigasooriya was shown a yellow card for a high tackle. Shortly afterwards, Isipathana received a penalty just 10 metres from the whitewash and opted for a scrum. As expected, skipper Shaakib Zumri went on a trademark No. 8 pick-and-go. After a few phases, the gigantic Newith Mewnaka powered through the S. Thomas’ defence to score another crucial try. Thenul De Costa added yet another excellent conversion to extend the lead. (IC 40 – 26 STC)
Matters soon worsened for S. Thomas’ when Roja Karawita was also sent to the sin bin for a dangerous tackle. With the numerical advantage, Isipathana spread the ball wide to exploit the gaps in the defensive line. Eventually, they created a huge overlap on the left flank, and Costa produced a brilliant cross-kick. Although winger Aziz gathered it well, his opposite number did brilliantly to bring him down. However, S. Thomas’ did not have enough defenders to commit to the ruck near the left corner flag. Outside centre Yuwindu Kodithuwakku seized the opportunity, diving over from the blind side of the ruck to score Isipathana’s seventh try. Costa then produced another spectacular conversion from the touchline, much to the delight of the roaring Isipathana supporters. (IC 47 – 26 STC)
Ironically, for a match that had already proven to be a high-scoring affair, the final 20 minutes failed to produce another point. Fatigue and several cases of “butter fingers” prevented both sides from adding to their tallies despite creating numerous scoring opportunities in the closing stages, with crucial passes repeatedly going to ground.
When the final whistle blew, it was Isipathana who stood tall, surviving an almighty scare to retain the prestigious Rizwi Suhayb Trophy for yet another year. It was a dramatic victory that perfectly encapsulated the unpredictable, thrilling, and deeply passionate nature of Sri Lankan schoolboy rugby.
Fulltime: Isipathana College 47 (7T, 6C, 0P) – 26 (4T, 3C, 0P) S. Thomas’ College
- Swisstek Player of the Match: Thenul De Costa (Isipathana College)
Points Breakdown
Isipathana College – 47
Nimantha Sandeepa 2T, Newith Mewnaka 2T, Thuan Abdul Aziz 1T, Yuwindu Kodithuwakku 1T, Thenul De Costa 1T, 6C
S. Thomas’ College – 26
Udan Bulathsinghalage 1T, Rometh Wijesinghe 2T, Mckyle Karunaratne 1T, Mayanka Dias 3C
