Wesley College retained the Sir Oliver Goonetilleke Shield after producing a dominant second-half display to overcome a determined St. Thomas’ College side 41-24 at Longden Place last evening.
Since its introduction in 2013, the Sir Oliver Goonetilleke Shield has regularly changed hands between the two schools. After falling short in a nail-biting contest last season, the Thomians entered this year’s encounter seeking redemption. With both teams enduring respectable rather than spectacular campaigns in the 2026 Dialog Schools Rugby League, another closely fought battle was widely anticipated. However, it was the boys from Campbell Park who stole the show with a clinical second-half performance.
Sir Oliver Goonetilleke was a towering Sri Lankan statesman who served as the first Ceylonese Governor-General from 1954 to 1962. An alumnus of Wesley College, he was a master diplomat and administrator who worked closely alongside D.S. Senanayake in securing Ceylon’s peaceful independence from British rule. The annual contest for the shield named in his honour adds further prestige to one of Sri Lanka’s most respected school rugby rivalries.
The rugby rivalry between St. Thomas’ College and Wesley College dates back to 1956, making it one of the country’s oldest and most cherished school sporting traditions. What began as friendly encounters during the early expansion of school rugby in Colombo has evolved into a fiercely competitive annual fixture, renowned for its exciting rugby on the field and the mutual respect shared between the two schools.
The Thomians made the perfect start, capitalising on Wesley’s early mistakes to take the lead within the opening two minutes. Their forwards powered over before fly-half Mayanka Dias added the conversion to give St. Thomas’ a 7-0 advantage.
Wesley responded immediately through Keshara Rahul, who crossed over from a well-executed rolling maul. Kaizer Lye converted to level proceedings at 7-7.
The Double Blues’ ill-discipline soon proved costly once again as the Thomians struck from another rolling maul, with McKyle Karunaratne going over. Dias maintained his perfect record from the tee to restore a seven-point cushion (14-7).
St. Thomas’ extended their advantage moments later through the brilliance of Dias. Spotting a gap in the Wesley defence, the playmaker burst through before sending Udan Bulathsinghalage over for another try. Although the conversion drifted wide, the Thomians looked firmly in control at 19-7.
Wesley, however, responded in spectacular fashion before the break. Vice-captain Pawan Thiranagama finished off a beautifully worked move to score before Prathana Rodrigo crossed just minutes later following another slick attacking sequence. Lye’s conversion brought the scores level at 19-19 heading into half-time.
The Wesleyites emerged after the interval with renewed purpose and a noticeably more structured approach. Just three minutes into the second half, star back Mohomed Fawaz sliced through the Thomian defence to score and hand Wesley their first lead of the afternoon at 24-19.
Captain Kaizer Lye, who persisted with tactical chip kicks throughout the match, was finally rewarded. Producing a perfectly weighted kick-and-chase, he gathered his own kick to score a brilliant individual try and stretch Wesley’s lead to ten points (29-19).
The Thomians refused to go away. Once again, Mayanka Dias showcased his outstanding vision and footwork, bursting through the Wesley defensive line, shrugging off three defenders and diving over for a superb solo effort. However, he was unable to convert, leaving the deficit at five points (29-24).
Any hopes of a Thomian comeback were quickly extinguished as Wesley responded almost immediately. Flanker Liam Onasiz finished off another powerful rolling maul, with Lye adding the extras to extend the lead to 36-24.
Pushing desperately from deep inside their own half, St. Thomas’ committed one error too many. Prathana Rodrigo read the pass brilliantly, intercepted it under the posts, and raced away untouched to score the final try of the evening. Lye calmly slotted the conversion to complete a convincing 41-24 victory for the Double Blues.
As St. Thomas’ conclude their 2026 campaign and Wesley prepare for one final outing in next week’s L.E. Blaze Trophy, both sides will look to build on the lessons of this season before returning with renewed ambitions for the 2027 schools rugby campaign.
