Local school rugby powerhouse St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya, completed a heroic second-half comeback to secure the Cup Championship of the SLSRFA Under-18 Elite Rugby 7s Tournament 2026, edging out Kingswood College 17–12 in the final seconds of an epic final battle.
The tournament was held in front of an enthusiastic and packed crowd at the Royal Complex, Colombo 07.
A total of 24 teams were expected to participate in this elite event, but a few schools were prevented from participating for various reasons.
Group A: Wesley College, Ananda College, Richmond College
Group B: Isipathana College, Mahanama College
Group C: St. Joseph’s College, Maliyadeva College
Group D: St. Peter’s College, Dharmaraja College, Lumbini College
Group E: Kingswood College, Thurstan College
Group F: Zahira College, St. Anthony’s College, Lalith Athulathmudali College
Group G: Trinity College, Vidyartha College, Sri Sumangala College, Panadura
Group H: D.S. Senanayake College, Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College, Kandy
After some thrilling rugby action, Maliyadeva College, Ananda College, Isipathana College, St. Peter’s College, Kingswood College, Zahira College, D.S. Senanayake College, and Trinity College, Kandy, advanced to the Cup quarter-finals as the top-seeded teams from their respective groups in the preliminary round.
- Photos – SLSRFA Elite Under 18 Rugby 7s 2026 – Day 1
- Photos – SLSRFA Elite Under 18 Rugby 7s 2026 – Day 02
Giant-killing lads from Kurunegala, Maliyadeva College, stole the spotlight on Day One by edging out local rugby powerhouse St. Joseph’s College and knocking them out of the Cup segment.
Day 1 Results
- Wesley College 38–05 Richmond College
- Zahira College 33–10 Lalith Athulathmudali College
- Ananda College 31–00 Richmond College
- St. Anthony’s College 17–10 Lalith Athulathmudali College
- Wesley College 07–31 Ananda College
- Maliyadeva College 12–07 St. Joseph’s College
- Kingswood College 29–00 Thurstan College
- Trinity College 24–05 Vidyartha College
- St. Peter’s College 24–05 Lumbini College
- Trinity College 52–00 Sumangala College, Panadura
- Lumbini College 05–20 Dharmaraja College
- Vidyartha College 63–00 Sumangala College, Panadura
- Isipathana College 35–05 Mahanama College
- St. Peter’s College 24–17 Dharmaraja College
- Zahira College 24–00 St. Anthony’s College
- D.S. Senanayake College 34–05 Sri Sumangala College, Kandy
Early on Day Two, Richmond College, Lumbini College, Lalith Athulathmudali College, and Sumangala College, Panadura, battled it out for consolation honours, with the teams aiming to secure a place in the Shield Final after being sent to the back foot during the preliminary round.
In the Bowl segment, Wesley College, Dharmaraja College, and Vidyartha College secured their places in the semi-finals with comprehensive victories over Mahanama College, St. Joseph’s College, and Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College, Kandy, respectively.
Meanwhile, Thurstan College edged out St. Anthony’s College by a slender margin, securing a 17–12 victory and the remaining semi-final spot.
The Cup segment of the Elite Rugby 7s, particularly the quarter-finals, was a battle for supremacy in the truest sense of the word. St. Peter’s College secured their place in the semi-finals following a one-way traffic performance against Maliyadeva College.
The other quarter-finals went down to the wire, as Ananda College, D.S. Senanayake College, and Kingswood College snatched victories after close tussles against Isipathana College, Trinity College, and Zahira College, respectively.
Emerging powerhouse Lumbini College enjoyed a great game in the Shield Final, securing the silverware with four unanswered tries against spirited opponents Lalith Athulathmudali College, Mt. Lavinia.
Kandyan rugby powerhouse Dharmaraja College posted a statement 26–07 victory over the high-riding Wesley College outfit, while Thurstan College snatched a two-point victory over another Kandyan side, Vidyartha College, to earn their place in the Bowl Final.
In the final, the Rajans kept their composure and executed their game plan brilliantly to carry the silverware back to the Hill Capital.
During the Plate semi-finals, Isipathana College dismantled the giant-killing Maliyadeva College outfit, while Zahira College stunned title contenders Trinity College to reach the final.
Isipathana, who had endured a day to forget following their one-point defeat against the gritty Ananda side, regained their rhythm and produced a commanding performance against Zahira College to secure the Plate title.
With this remarkable victory, Isipathana made a statement that they could not be kept away from silverware, even on one of their worst days.
The high-riding Ananda College came into Semi-Final 1 against St. Peter’s College full of confidence following their morale-boosting victory over Isipathana College.
Although St. Peter’s led the game until the final minute, Ananda College scored a try in the dying seconds to level the game. Unfortunately for Ananda, the conversion attempt struck the upright and went wide, sending the game into extra time under the sudden-death rule.
There, some brilliant supporting play earned the Peterites the winning try, shattering the hopes of the lads from Maradana.
In the other semi-final, Kingswood College secured the pride of Hill Country rugby in the absence of the Trinity Lions by taking revenge against D.S. Senanayake College.
The Cup Final was an acid test for both sides and a pure display of attacking flair, defensive grit, and tactical acumen.
Showing their Hill Country grit, Kingswood College found gaps twice on the left side of the field during the first half. The tries came courtesy of Ashik Asmi and Ranaweera, giving the Randle Hill boys a comfortable 12–00 lead at half-time.
The second half began with an uphill task for the Peterites. However, St. Peter’s Rajitha Dion stood tall and brought his side back into the contest within seconds, producing a magnificent try.
A couple of minutes later, Madugasge produced another spectacular piece of play, powering through with a brilliant hand-off and sprint to score another try and cut the deficit to just two points.
During the final play of the epic clash, St. Peter’s put up a valiant effort, with sprinting star Madugasge crossing the whitewash to complete a remarkable comeback victory in the Elite Final.
St. Peter’s College playmaker Dion Rajitha, who dictated play across the field throughout the tournament, emerged as the Player of the Tournament.
Day 2 Results
Bowl Quarter-Finals
- Wesley College 17–00 Mahanama College
- Dharmaraja College 33–00 St. Joseph’s College
- Thurstan College 17–12 St. Anthony’s College
- Vidyartha College 22–07 Sri Sumangala College, Kandy
Cup Quarter-Finals
- Ananda College 15–14 Isipathana College
- Maliyadeva College 07–33 St. Peter’s College
- Kingswood College 14–12 Zahira College
- D.S. Senanayake College 22–17 Trinity College
Shield Semi-Finals
- Richmond College 07–47 Lumbini College
- Lalith Athulathmudali College 19–05 Sumangala College, Panadura
Bowl Semi-Finals
- Wesley College 07–26 Dharmaraja College
- Thurstan College 14–12 Vidyartha College
Plate Semi-Finals
- Isipathana College 27–00 Maliyadeva College
- Zahira College 21–12 Trinity College
Cup Semi-Finals
- Ananda College 10–15 St. Peter’s College (Extra Time)
- Kingswood College 14–07 D.S. Senanayake College
Shield Final
- Lumbini College 28–00 Lalith Athulathmudali College
Bowl Final
- Dharmaraja College 24–12 Thurstan College
Plate Final
- Isipathana College 17–07 Zahira College
Cup Final
- St. Peter’s College 17–12 Kingswood College
Player of the tournament : Dion Rajitha
