Isipathana College held off a fierce late comeback from Royal College to secure a 24-17 win in their semi-final of the Dialog Schools Rugby Knockouts 2025 President’s Trophy, played at Sugathadasa Stadium.
Isipathana College dominated the early proceedings as Royal College were forced onto the defensive. A thumping touch-finder by Nimantha Sandeepa pushed Isipathana deep into Royal territory. From the ensuing lineout, they set up a rolling maul, drawing a penalty. Scrum-half Sithupa Bometh reacted quickly with a tap-and-go, sending the ball to Shaakib Zumri, who powered through to score the opening try. Sandeepa added the extras to cap off a perfect start. (RC 00–07 IC)
Buoyed by the early try, Isipathana gathered momentum. Sandeepa again sparked danger, slicing through the Royal defense to take play inside the red zone before being brought down illegally. Fly-half Avishka Hiran took a quick tap, driving play to within five meters. Another penalty followed for not retreating 10 meters, and Bometh once more tapped quickly before offloading to lock forward Nevith Mevnaka, who dragged multiple defenders over the line. Sandeepa slotted the conversion to extend the lead. (RC 00–14 IC)
Isipathana kept applying pressure. A clever kick from Avishka Hiran was left to bounce inside Royal’s 22 by Simak Shafeek, who then tackled the chasing Samiru Disas without securing the ball, conceding a penalty. From the resulting lineout, the Green Machine played several tight phases before Nevith Mevnaka muscled over again for his brace. Sandeepa maintained his flawless kicking with another successful conversion. (RC 00–21 IC)
Just before the break, Isipathana lost both starting wingers to injury, giving Royal a window to respond. Taking advantage of the stoppages, Simak Shafeek won a key penalty after Isipathana chose to run instead of clearing. Disas Pathirana took a quick tap and sliced through the defense, bringing play to the five-meter line. After several pick-and-drives, Royal shifted it wide, where Yuwan Pathirana drew in defenders and delivered a slick back-of-the-hand offload to Didula Jayasuriya, who dived over to keep Royal in the contest heading into halftime.
Half Time: Royal College 05 (1T) – Isipathana College 21 (3T, 3C)
The second half told a different story, with the Green Machine finding themselves on the receiving end of a spirited Royal College comeback. Isipathana got the first points of the half when Nimantha Sandeepa slotted over a penalty following a breakdown infringement to extend their lead. He had another opportunity shortly after, but his second attempt drifted wide. (RC 05–24 IC)
With just 10 minutes remaining, Royal College sparked their revival. The forwards laid a solid platform, grinding through over 10 phases of relentless play. Replacement scrum-half Shaahid Mohideen directed the ball out to the backs, who moved it quickly to the corner, where skipper Amika Samarasinghe powered over to score. Simak Shafeek nailed the conversion from a tight angle to close the gap. (RC 12–24 IC)
Riding the momentum, Royal struck again off a scrum near the 40-meter mark. Fly-half Yuwan Pathirana spotted space in behind and delivered a perfectly weighted kick that Didula Jayasuriya collected. After a few quick phases, the ball was sent wide to replacement winger Dinuka Perera, who stepped inside and crossed the line to bring Royal within seven points. (RC 17–24 IC)
With time ticking down, Royal pushed hard for the equalizer. They retained possession deep in the Isipathana half, but their final play—a high-risk kick-and-chase—was overcooked and rolled dead. Isipathana College held firm to edge out a tense contest and booked their place in the President’s Trophy final, where they’ll face Trinity College next week.
Full Time: Royal College 17 (3T,1C) – Isipathana College 24 (3T,3C,1P)
- Swisstek Player of the Match: Nimantha Sandeepa (Isipathana College)
Points Breakdown
Royal College 17
Amika Samarasinghe 1T, Didula Jayasuriya 1T, Dinuka Perera 1T, Simak Shafeek 1C
Isipathana College 24
Shaakib Zumri 1T, Nevith Mevnaka 1T, Nimantha Sandeepa 3C,1P.
