As the boys from Campbell Park made the journey upcountry on July 18, many expected a one-sided affair at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium in Kandy. Wesley College entered the 40th annual L. E. Blazé Trophy encounter riding a wave of momentum, having tested their mettle against the elite during the Dialog Schools Rugby League’s highly competitive Cup segment. In contrast, the Kingswoodians had endured a more challenging campaign, competing in the Bowl segment.
The L.E. Blazé Trophy pays tribute to Louis Edmund Blazé, a legendary educationist and historian who left an indelible mark on the landscape of Sri Lankan education and sport. Born in Kandy in 1861, Blazé founded Kingswood College in 1891 and played a pioneering role in introducing Rugby Football to the island, overseeing the country’s first-ever inter-school Rugby encounter in 1906. While he is forever remembered as the founder of Kingswood College, his deep connection to the Methodist educational tradition shared by Wesley College makes him a fitting symbol of this historic rivalry.
From the opening whistle, Wesley College wasted little time making their intentions clear. Winger Prathana Rodrigo produced a moment of individual brilliance before making full use of his team’s well-structured attacking line, creating the opportunity for star man Mohamed Fawaz to race over the line for the opening try. Wesley took an early 5 – 0 lead.
Despite entering the contest as underdogs, the Kingswoodians were not prepared to surrender without a fight. Following a powerful sequence of pick-and-go plays from the forwards, Captain Sachinta Naveesha barged his way through the Wesley defense to score Kingswood’s first try of the afternoon, bringing the scores level to 5 – 5.
The game then settled into a tense stalemate for the next 15 minutes before Kingswood finally broke the deadlock. Captain Naveesha once again powered over the line for his second try of the match, while Shamith Shafraz added the conversion to hand the boys from Randles Hill a shock 12 – 5 lead.
Wesley College responded in emphatic fashion, scoring two tries in quick succession. Centre Dinaru Lankendra burst through the Kingswood defensive line to score Wesley’s second try before Fawaz struck again moments later, producing a blistering run to cross the whitewash for his second of the afternoon. Captain Kaizer Lye added the conversion, restoring Wesley’s lead at 17 – 12.
With the first half drawing to a close, the Kingswood Skipper remained relentless. Naveesha completed his hat-trick of tries with a determined finish, bringing the scores level to 17 – 17 as the teams headed into the interval.
Half Time: Kingswood College 17 (3T, 1C) – Wesley College 17 (3T, 1C)
Just two minutes after Lye restarted proceedings in the second half, the Double Blues capitalised on a scrambling Kingswood defense. Ehren Ali found a gap and sprinted over the line to put Wesley back in front, with Lye once again making no mistake from the tee to give his side a seven-point cushion at 24 – 17.
Yet, the boys from Randles Hill refused to buckle under pressure. Kingswood maintained sustained pressure deep inside Wesley territory, forcing the Double Blues into conceding two penalties. The resulting pressure saw two Wesley players sent to the sin bin, leaving the visitors with just 13 men on the field. Kingswood seized their two-man advantage and were rewarded with a deserved try, with Shafraz adding the extras to bring the scores level once again at 24 – 24.
However, Kingswood’s ill-discipline ultimately proved costly. Despite being reduced to 13 men, Wesley’s clinical attacking structure once again proved almost impossible to contain. Rodrigo drew the defense before producing a perfectly timed offload to Fawaz, who completed his hat-trick and restored Wesley’s lead at 29 – 24.
With just minutes remaining on the clock, Captain Kaizer Lye extended the Double Blues’ advantage with a beautifully struck drop goal, putting Wesley 32 – 24 ahead.
Kingswood, still fighting desperately to reduce the deficit and set up a grandstand finish, pushed forward in search of a late score. But their hopes were dashed when Rodrigo intercepted the ball and embarked on a stunning full pitch run to deliver the final blow. The winger crossed the line to seal the victory and then calmly converted his own try, putting the finishing touches on a thrilling Wesley College triumph.
In the end, the Double Blues held their nerve to overcome a spirited Kingswood challenge and retain their grip on the L. E. Blazé Trophy in a contest that was far closer than many had anticipated.
Full Time: Kingswood College 24 (4T, 2C) – Wesley College 37 (6T, 2C, 1D)
