Trinity College got the better of their arch-rivals Royal College 34-12, in a game that was dominated by the hosts from start to finish in the final week of the First Round of the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2025.
The game started off slow with both teams looking to fire shots early on. Trinity were cut down to 14 men early on after Trinity Lock Akash Fernando caught himself tackling Naqeeb Mohomed around the neck. He was lucky to not see red, as Naqeeb was mitigating while going into contact.
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Despite being a man down, Trinity were the first to get over to score. Royal College were guilty of knocking the ball on twice, once with their try beckoning and once deep back in their own half. Trinity made them pay for not clearing their lines, as Nisith Kumarasinghe snatched the loose ball and dived over under the sticks. Shan Althaf added the extras to give Trinity the early lead. (Trinity 07 – 00 Royal)
Next came a try from Trinity that screamed brilliance. Royal’s fringe defense was put to the test. A couple of pick and goes from Trinity opened the door for Achintha Jayasena to sneak in for a try. Althaf couldn’t add the extras. (Trinity 12 – 00 Royal)
Royal got their first points next. Trinity were made to pay for being offside as Idris Farook knocked over his first penalty of the game. (Trinity 12 – 03 Royal)
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Trinity didn’t take too long to respond through a try of their own. The Captain Usman Safraz sprinted through a gap, and had his scrum half Udan Wijekoon running a good support line to score Trinity’s third. Althaf got the conversion through and extended Trinity’s lead. (Trinity 19 – 03 Royal)
Royal needed to hit back soon. Trinity presented loads of opportunities for Royal to score. The penalty count from Trinity was rising and they were made to pay. Idris Farook knocked over two penalty kicks and got Royal within touching distance of the hosts.
Half Time – Trinity 19 (3T, 2C) vs Royal 9 (3P)
Whichever team cut down on mistakes, would take the game. Trinity were guilty of giving away penalties once again. This time around it was an Offside infringement. Farook continued his 100% accuracy off the tee. (Trinity 19 – 12 Royal)
Trinity also were presented chances, but Althaf missed a penalty kick that he would generally knock through.
The game looked to be in the balance. But Trinity got into their mojo, and started their rampage. After around 10 phases, they sucked in the Royal defense to open up space outwide. Althaf spotted the opening and put a cross kick in for the incoming winger Minula Yaddehige to collect and score. The kick went astray once again. (Trinity 24 – 12 Royal)
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The tries kept flowing, and Royal’s handling errors kept mounting. Any chance of a comeback seemed a distant dream for the lads from Reid Avenue. The line out was one facet of the game that they had dominated over the years, but it just didn’t seem to work.
Trinity set up a maul from 10 meters out, and put the shove in. Nisith Kumarasinghe who was having the game of his life, broke off the back of it to score and add salt to the Royalists wounds. The conversion from Abdul Malik was no good off the tee as well. (Trinity 29 – 12 Royal)
The attack didn’t stop. Trinity continued their domination. Once again it was a cross kick from Althaf to Yaddehige that got them the score. But the good work of Shrayan Satheeshkumar at the breakdown has to be commended for that try. Abdul Malik’s conversion didn’t hit the mark.
As the long whistle blew, the referee ended Royal’s misery. A game that was dominated by Trinity in attack and defense. Royal will have to look back at their lineouts and ball handling, which really came back to haunt them.
The dress rehearsal for the bradby came to a close. Trinity held on to their unbeaten tag and topped group 3A. It is all to play for come the 2nd Round.
Full Time – Trinity College 34 (6T, 2C) beat Royal College 12 (4T)
Swisstek Perfect Player of the Match : Nisith Kumarasinghe (Trinity)
Points Breakdown
Trinity College
Minula Yaddehige 2T
Nisith Kumarasinghe 2T
Achintha Jayasena 1T
Udan Wijekoon 1T
Shan Althaf 2C
Royal College
Idris Farook 4P
