Ananda wins William Gopallawa Shield after 11 years

Bringing some exhilarating Rugby to the spotlight, the 54th William Gopallawa Shield clash between Ananda College and Vidyartha College concluded today (16th August) at the Ananda College Grounds, Rajagiriya. After a fierce battle followed with a nail-biting finish, Ananda beat Vidyartha by just a single point to break the hoodoo and conquer the shield after 11 long years. 

The hosts, Ananda College, kicked off the things with a deep kick, and the visitors, Vidyartha, got out of jail as they managed to make a good clearance kick. Then Deneth Chamuditha of Ananda College made an excellent kick from their own half, and the defensive players of Vidyartha made a fumble of it. Ananda counterattacked with the loose ball, and after a few pick-and-go phases, Ananda’s powerful prop forward, Bhanuka Dilshan, crossed the whitewash to score the first try of the match. Deneth Chamuditha added the extras to extend the lead. (AC 07 – 00 VC) 

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Later, Ananda came into the opposition territory after making good ground with a driving maul. Ananda had another penalty inside the opposition 22-metre area. They then formed a maul out of it as usual and the rolling maul gave the second try for Ananda as Srimal Wimalasooriya went over the line. (AC 12 – 00 VC) 

After a few minutes, Vidyartha was able to pull things back and apply some pressure on Ananda’s defence. Their valiant effort was supported by a couple of offside offences by the hosts. Surprisingly Vidyartha went for a tap and went near the tryline, instead of a kick at touch. However, their decision was paid with the dividend as the Vidyartha forwards managed to plant their first try through the flanker Pasindu Rajapaksha, after a few phases of pick and goes. Kavindu Hewage made a valuable conversion to cut the deficit. (AC 12 – 07 VC) 

After scoring, the Tigers looked ferocious, and they not only attacked well, but also managed to keep the high-riding Ananda at their bay. Later, Vidyartha had a couple of golden opportunities to score, but they went begging as they knocked on the ball once and were found guilty of handling the ball in a ruck on the other occasion. 

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Subsequently, the Vidyartha Outside Centre managed to break the defensive line with a brilliant run, and he advanced near the tryline with another magnificent side step before being brought down by the reliable Ananda player, Deneth Chamuditha. Near the whitewash, the Tigers used a pick-and-go strategy against powerful Ananda forwards. However, the Skipper of Hill Country Tigers, Kenula Wijethunga, went over the line just left of the goalpost. Reliable place kicker Kavindu made no mistake with the conversion kick, and Vidyartha took a slender lead for the first time in the encounter. (AC 12 – 14 VC) 

 Half Time: Vidyartha College 14 (2 T, 2 C) – Dharmaraja College 12 (2 T, 1 C) 

In the second half, Vidyartha had another golden opportunity to score as they advanced to the tryline with a fine maul. After bringing it down, Vidyartha attacked with a pick-and-go phases and unluckily knocked on the ball.  

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After a couple of minutes, the Tigers invaded Ananda’s 22-metre area with the help of a few penalties that were given on a platter. Near the tryline they put their utmost best to cross the line, but the Ananda defence was equally good. After giving a tough run to Ananda, Yashmitha Hiran crossed the whitewash by making a bold reply after being pulled back during the initial 10 minutes of the game. Kavindu Hewage nailed the conversion to uplift the hopes of the visitors. (AC 12 – 21 VC) 

After the restart, the hosts launched an attack from their own half and marched into the deep of Vidyartha territory. During the phase, Vidyartha was penalised for not rolling away at a tackle. Then, Deneth Chamidith executed an excellent kick at touch to earn a 5-metre lineout. Subsequently a maul was formed, and the Tigers had no answers to the immense power of the hosts. No. 16 planted the try by staying back of the maul, and Deneth missed the difficult conversion attempt by a whisker. 51.00 (AC 17 – 21 VC) 

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When Ananda was in search of another score to regain the lead, the Referee, Gihan Yatawara, spotted a misconduct, and the hosts were reduced to 14 men through a yellow card. However, the miserable season of Vidyartha continued as they made a complete mess with the kick at touch and gave a good scoring opportunity to their rivals. Then Ananda crossed the 22-metre mark and went deep into Vidyartha’s half through a well-executed maul. After numerous phases with picks and drives, Ananda forwards crossed the tryline but failed to ground the ball. However, the hosts were lucky enough to have an offside penalty advantage, and they went into touch for another time. Then Ananda attacked with a powerful maul, but the Tigers were equally good at that, and managed to stop the force. Hence, the ball was switched to the line, and after working the ball brilliantly, Ananda winger Nethula Wijewardane managed to score a diving try at the left corner. (AC 22 – 21 VC) 

During the final 10 minutes, despite having a few chances, both sides failed to score, and most importantly, Ananda managed to stick on to their one-point lead in this thrilling encounter. With this landmark victory, Ananda have won the William Gopallawa Shield for the 22nd occasion, while Vidyartha have won it 32 times. 

Full Time: Ananda College 22 (4 T, 1 C) – Vidyartha College 21 (3 T, 3 C) 

• Swisstek Perfect Player of the Match: Sadew Dasanayake (Ananda College) 

Points Breakdown

Ananda College, Colombo – 22 

 Srimal Wimalasooriya 1 T, Bhanuka Dilshan 1 T, L. Dilshan 1 T, Nethula Wijewardane 1 T, Deneth Chamuditha 1 C 

 

Vidyartha College, Kandy – 21 

 Pasindu Rajapaksha 1 T, Yashmitha Hiran 1 T, Kenula Wijethunga 1 T, Kavindu Hewage 3 C,  

• The Match Referee – Gihan Yatawara