Dharmaraja College produced a stunning display of resilient attacking rugby to claim the Cup Championship of the SLSRFA Under 19 Elite Rugby 7s Tournament 2026, defeating St. Peter’s College 38–19 in a thrilling final at the Trinity College Rugby Stadium in Pallekale.
The two-day tournament, held on September 15 and 16, brought together 16 teams from across the country for a fiercely contested battle for honours in the U19 sevens format.
While the Rajans ultimately walked away with the main silverware, the tournament was filled with dramatic encounters, impressive individual performances and several major talking points, none bigger than St. Peter’s College ending Trinity College’s hopes of completing an unbeaten triple-championship season.
Trinity entered the tournament after securing both the Dialog Schools Rugby League Championship and the Dialog Schools Rugby Knockout Championship in 2026, with the hosts looking to add the U19 Elite Rugby 7s crown and complete a memorable triple.
However, the Peterites arrived at the Trinity den and spoiled the party in dramatic fashion, defeating the hosts in sudden-death extra time in the Cup semi-final.
It was Dharmaraja, though, who ultimately had the last word, defeating the Peterites in the Cup Final to complete a memorable tournament and secure their first 7s title since 2012.
A total of 16 teams were drawn into four groups for the tournament.
- Group A: St. Peter’s College, Prince of Wales College, Dharmaraja College, St. Sylvester’s College
- Group B: Nugawela Central College, Lumbini College, Maliyadeva College, Sri Rahula College
- Group C: St. Anthony’s College, Thurstan College, St. Benedict’s College, St. Aloysius College
- Group D: Trinity College, Vidyartha College, Richmond College, Sri Sumangala College, Panadura
Prince of Wales College did not attend the tournament.
After an exciting opening day, Dharmaraja College, Lumbini College, St. Peter’s College, Maliyadeva College, Thurstan College, Vidyartha College, St. Anthony’s College and Trinity College advanced to the Cup quarter-finals.
Day One
The opening day immediately produced some eye-catching performances, with several sides making their intentions clear while others fought hard to secure qualification for the Cup segment.
St. Peter’s College began their campaign in ruthless fashion, registering a massive 59–00 victory over St. Sylvester’s College.
Maliyadeva College also got off to a winning start, defeating Lumbini College 25–07, while Trinity College announced their intentions with a commanding 68–00 victory over Sri Sumangala College, Panadura.
St. Anthony’s College recorded a convincing 31–00 victory over St. Benedict’s College, while Vidyartha College defeated Sri Sumangala College, Panadura, 40–00.
Lumbini College responded strongly in their next outing, overcoming Nugawela Central College 28–21, while St. Aloysius College defeated St. Benedict’s College 31–05.
St. Anthony’s continued their impressive run with a 50–00 victory over St. Aloysius, while Vidyartha once again produced a dominant performance, defeating Richmond College 52–00.
Maliyadeva then secured a narrow 17–12 victory over Nugawela Central College before producing one of the day’s most convincing displays, defeating Sri Rahula College 59–00.
Trinity continued their march with a 35–05 victory over Vidyartha, while Nugawela Central and Sri Rahula fought out a 19–19 draw.
Thurstan College also established themselves as serious contenders, defeating St. Aloysius 52–00 before recording another clean-sheet victory against St. Benedict’s, winning 41–00.
However, the biggest talking point of Day One came when the spirited Rajans outfit edged the mighty Peterites, with Dharmaraja College securing a memorable 21–12 victory over St. Peter’s College.
The result immediately added another layer of intrigue to the tournament, with the Rajans showing that they had the pace, composure and attacking ability to challenge the tournament favourites.
Dharmaraja later continued their impressive run with a commanding 43–00 victory over St. Sylvester’s College.
Meanwhile, Thurstan College edged St. Anthony’s College 17–14 in one of the day’s more closely fought encounters.
Trinity finished their group-stage campaign with another emphatic performance, defeating Richmond College 42–00, while Richmond ended their campaign with a 19–07 victory over Sri Sumangala College, Panadura.
Day One Results
St. Peter’s College 59–00 St. Sylvester’s College[Text Wrapping Break] Lumbini College 07–25 Maliyadeva College[Text Wrapping Break] Trinity College 68–00 Sri Sumangala College, Panadura[Text Wrapping Break] St. Anthony’s College 31–00 St. Benedict’s College[Text Wrapping Break] Vidyartha College 40–00 Sri Sumangala College, Panadura[Text Wrapping Break] Nugawela Central College 21–28 Lumbini College[Text Wrapping Break] St. Benedict’s College 05–31 St. Aloysius College[Text Wrapping Break] St. Anthony’s College 50–00 St. Aloysius College[Text Wrapping Break] Vidyartha College 52–00 Richmond College[Text Wrapping Break] Nugawela Central College 12–17 Maliyadeva College[Text Wrapping Break] Thurstan College 52–00 St. Aloysius College[Text Wrapping Break] Maliyadeva College 59–00 Sri Rahula College[Text Wrapping Break] Trinity College 35–05 Vidyartha College[Text Wrapping Break] Nugawela Central College 19–19 Sri Rahula College[Text Wrapping Break] Thurstan College 41–00 St. Benedict’s College[Text Wrapping Break] St. Peter’s College 12–21 Dharmaraja College[Text Wrapping Break] Lumbini College 38–07 Sri Rahula College[Text Wrapping Break] Trinity College 42–00 Richmond College[Text Wrapping Break] Dharmaraja College 43–00 St. Sylvester’s College[Text Wrapping Break] St. Anthony’s College 14–17 Thurstan College[Text Wrapping Break] Richmond College 19–07 Sri Sumangala College, Panadura
Day Two: Knockout rugby takes centre stage
With the group stages complete, Day Two began with the Bowl/Shield quarter-finals as the teams that missed out on the Cup battled for consolation honours.
St. Sylvester’s College faced Sri Rahula College, while Nugawela Central College received a bye. St. Aloysius College met Sri Sumangala College, Panadura, while St. Benedict’s College faced Richmond College.
The Cup and Plate quarter-finals followed, with Dharmaraja College taking on Lumbini College, St. Peter’s College facing Maliyadeva College, Thurstan College meeting Vidyartha College and St. Anthony’s College taking on hosts Trinity College.
Dharmaraja comfortably overcame Lumbini 33–05, while St. Peter’s produced a commanding 33–00 victory over Maliyadeva.
The Thurstan–Vidyartha encounter was much tighter, with Vidyartha College securing a narrow 17–14 victory to book their place in the Cup semi-finals.
The final Cup quarter-final saw Trinity College defeat St. Anthony’s College 22–00, setting up the dramatic semi-final clash with St. Peter’s.
Day Two Results
Bowl / Shield Quarter-Finals
St. Sylvester’s College 27–07 Sri Rahula College[Text Wrapping Break] Nugawela Central College received a bye[Text Wrapping Break] St. Aloysius College 07–05 Sri Sumangala College, Panadura[Text Wrapping Break] St. Benedict’s College 00–58 Richmond College
Cup / Plate Quarter-Finals
Dharmaraja College 33–05 Lumbini College[Text Wrapping Break] St. Peter’s College 33–00 Maliyadeva College[Text Wrapping Break] Thurstan College 14–17 Vidyartha College[Text Wrapping Break] St. Anthony’s College 00–22 Trinity College
Shield Semi-Finals
Sri Rahula College 12–31 Sri Sumangala College, Panadura[Text Wrapping Break] St. Benedict’s College received a bye
Bowl Semi-Finals
St. Sylvester’s College 28–12 St. Aloysius College[Text Wrapping Break] Nugawela Central College 22–19 Richmond College
Plate Semi-Finals
Lumbini College 05–34 Thurstan College[Text Wrapping Break] Maliyadeva College 05–12 St. Anthony’s College
Cup Semi-Finals
Dharmaraja College 19–10 Vidyartha College[Text Wrapping Break] St. Peter’s College 24–19 Trinity College AET
Shield Final
Sri Sumangala College, Panadura 29–12 St. Benedict’s College
Sri Sumangala College, Panadura – Shield Champions
Bowl Final
St. Sylvester’s College 21–26 Nugawela Central College AET
Nugawela Central College – Bowl Champions
Plate Final
Thurstan College 24–19 St. Anthony’s College
Thurstan College – Plate Champions
Cup Final
Dharmaraja College 38–19 St. Peter’s College
Dharmaraja College – Cup Champions
Rajans march into the final
The first Cup semi-final saw Dharmaraja College take on Vidyartha College in a closely fought encounter.
The Rajans, who had already impressed on Day One, were forced to work hard against a determined Vidyartha outfit.
Dharmaraja eventually prevailed 19–10, securing their place in the Cup Final and keeping their championship dream alive.
But the second semi-final was where the tournament reached another level.
Peterites spoil Trinity’s triple-championship party
Trinity College entered their semi-final against St. Peter’s College looking to continue their remarkable 2026 season.
Having already secured the Dialog Schools Rugby League and Knockout titles, the Trinitians were chasing an unbeaten triple-championship campaign.
Playing at their home ground, the Lions were expected to make the most of home advantage.
The Peterites, however, had other ideas.
The two sides produced an extraordinary battle, trading tries throughout the contest before finishing regulation time locked at 19–19.
With neither side willing to surrender, the match moved into sudden-death extra time.
One moment would decide the fate of Trinity’s triple-championship dream.
That moment belonged to Nethshan Manthusha.
The Peterites found the opening they needed, with Manthusha scoring the golden try to send St. Peter’s College into the Cup Final.
The Peterites had come into the Trinity den and spoiled the party for the Trinitians.
More importantly, the victory set up a rematch with Dharmaraja — the very side that had defeated them on Day One.
Sumangala take the Shield
Sri Sumangala College, Panadura, went on to claim the Shield Championship after defeating St. Benedict’s College 29–12.
After battling through the lower segment of the competition, Sumangala produced a determined display in the final to secure the Shield silverware.
Nugawela steal the Bowl in dramatic fashion
The Bowl Final between St. Sylvester’s College and Nugawela Central College produced another memorable finish.
St. Sylvester’s dominated the early stages and appeared to be heading comfortably towards the Bowl Championship.
However, Nugawela refused to surrender.
A remarkable late charge saw Nugawela score two tries in the final minute, completely changing the complexion of the contest.
With the match hanging in the balance, Achintha Darmasena produced the decisive moment, scoring the winning try.
Nugawela completed an incredible comeback to secure a 26–21 victory and lift the Bowl Championship.
Thurstan secure Plate honours
The Plate Final between Thurstan College and St. Anthony’s College was another entertaining contest.
Thurstan opened the scoring through Akisha Pushpakumara, before skipper Ahaad Saley added another try to put the Thurstanites in control.
St. Anthony’s immediately responded following the restart, with Yehan Gunawardana crossing the whitewash for the Antonians.
Gunawardana was not finished.
In the dying moments of the first half, the Antonian star found his way over the line once again, completing his second try and levelling the contest at 12–12 at half-time.
Thurstan came out strongly after the interval and regained the lead through their skipper.
The Thurstanites then extended their advantage when Nividu Rajasooriya crossed for another important try, putting Thurstan 24–12 ahead.
Gunawardana completed his hat-trick with another try, while the successful conversion reduced the deficit to five points.
However, it proved too little, too late for St. Anthony’s, as Thurstan held their composure to secure a 24–19 victory and lift the Plate Championship.
Rajans complete the job
The Cup Final brought together two sides that had already met on Day One.
Dharmaraja had defeated St. Peter’s 21–12 in the group stage, but the Peterites had earned their place in the final after their dramatic extra-time victory over Trinity.
The final therefore provided St. Peter’s with an opportunity for revenge.
Instead, Dharmaraja produced a sensational second-half performance to complete a tournament-winning campaign.
The Rajans struck first in the second minute, with Hansaka Fernando crossing right under the posts to give Dharmaraja an early 07–00 lead.
St. Peter’s responded almost immediately.
In the third minute, Senuth Dinsara found the opening to score, bringing the Peterites back into the contest at 07–05.
St. Peter’s then turned the game around in the fifth minute when Nethshan Manthusha crossed the whitewash, giving the Peterites a 12–07 advantage.
Dharmaraja responded instantly.
Chemiya Anjana broke through and scored under the posts, restoring the Rajans’ lead at 14–12.
But Senuth Dinsara continued to cause problems for the Rajans.
From the restart, Dinsara created space for Jamal Wahab before producing an excellent supporting run himself. The move resulted in another Peterite try and gave St. Peter’s a 19–14 lead heading into lemons.
Dharmaraja entered the second half with everything to play for.
The Rajans came out with renewed intensity and regained the lead through Sashika Senarathne in the seventh minute.
From there, the momentum belonged entirely to Dharmaraja.
The Rajans began to dominate possession and territory, finding gaps in the Peterite defence and punishing every opportunity.
Four tries came in the second half as Dharmaraja transformed the contest from a five-point deficit into a commanding championship victory.
St. Peter’s battled hard to regain their momentum, but the Rajans had found another gear.
When the final whistle sounded, the scoreboard read Dharmaraja College 38–19 St. Peter’s College.
The Rajans had completed the job.
They were the SLSRFA Under 19 Elite Rugby 7s Champions 2026.
A 14-year wait ends for Dharmaraja
The victory carried enormous significance for Dharmaraja College.
The Rajans had last won a 7s title in 2012, meaning the 2026 triumph ended a 14-year wait for another championship.
Their journey was even more remarkable given that Dharmaraja entered the year from the B Division and will now be promoted to A Division rugby for the 2027 season.
From defeating St. Peter’s on Day One to overcoming Vidyartha in a hard-fought semi-final and then producing a spectacular second-half comeback in the final, Dharmaraja displayed the consistency and character required to become tournament champions.
The Peterites, meanwhile, leave Pallekale with one of the tournament’s most memorable moments after ending Trinity’s hopes of an unbeaten triple-championship season in sudden-death extra time.
But when the final whistle sounded, it was the Rajans who stood tallest.
After waiting since 2012, Dharmaraja College finally had another 7s championship to celebrate.
Chemiya Anjana named Player of the Tournament
Dharmaraja’s outstanding campaign was further recognised when Chemiya Anjana was named the Best Player of the Tournament.
Anjana played an important role throughout the Rajans’ championship run and produced a crucial moment in the Cup Final when he scored under the posts to restore Dharmaraja’s lead after St. Peter’s had taken control.
With the Cup secured and the Player of the Tournament award also heading to the Rajans, Dharmaraja College completed a memorable two days at Pallekale.
For a side coming from the B Division and heading into A Division rugby in 2027, the U19 Elite Rugby 7s Championship represents a significant statement.
The Rajans came to Pallekale looking to make history.
They leave as champions.
