Trinity College produced a superb all-round performance to remain unbeaten and march into the Super Round with a commanding 36-12 victory over Isipathana College in the final week of the first round of the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2026 played at Havelock Park.
Both sides entered the contest unbeaten and already qualified for the Super Round Cup Segment, making this encounter a crucial carry-forward fixture in the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2026 as Abdul Malik got proceedings underway.
The visitors created a few promising opportunities during the early exchanges but suffered a major setback when Ammaar Manzil was shown a yellow card for bringing down Isipathana College fullback Rishmi Jafrad in the air. Matters worsened moments later when Minula Yaddehige was also sent to the sin bin for a high tackle on Jafrad, reducing the visitors to 13 men.
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Isipathana immediately capitalized on the numerical advantage. A powerful rolling maul marched towards the line before splintering near the whitewash, momentarily confusing the defence. Spotting the opening, playmaker Nimantha Sandeepa darted through to score the opening try and then added the conversion himself. (IC 07-00 TCK)
It took 26 minutes for the visitors to finally crack the Isipathana defence. A rolling maul laid the platform before the forwards launched a series of close-range pick-and-drives, eventually allowing Rikitha Weragama to power over from short range to get his side on the scoreboard. (IC 07-05 TCK)
Momentum soon swung in favour of the visitors as Isipathana repeatedly conceded penalties at maul time. The pressure mounted deep inside the red zone, and another dominant rolling maul surged over the line. Although Naheel Jayah initially appeared to have been held up, the referee awarded a penalty try after determining that Isipathana hooker Kaveen Jayasinghe had intentionally collapsed the maul. Jayasinghe was also shown a yellow card for the infringement. (IC 07-12 TCK)
Just before halftime, the visitors struck again to seize full control of the contest. Launching an attack from a goal-line dropout, Evein Jayasena broke the defensive line before offloading to Abdul Malik, who quickly shifted the ball to Hamza Abdeen. Straightening the attack perfectly, Abdeen released Dimath Ambepitiya, whose sharp footwork and acceleration saw him slice through three defenders to score a superb try and hand the visitors a healthy lead heading into the break.
Half Time: Isipathana College 07 (1T,1C) – Trinity College 17 (3T,1C)
The visitors carried their momentum into the second half, with the forwards continuing to dominate through powerful close-quarter play. Although Akash Fernando was initially held up over the line, the pressure remained relentless. From the ensuing goal-line dropout, Kevin Weerakoon gathered possession and linked up with playmaker Abdul Malik, who attacked the short side brilliantly before delivering a floated inside pass to skipper Shan Althaf. The captain raced over for the bonus-point try and then added the conversion himself. (IC 07-24 TCK)
A few minutes later, the Trinity Lions struck again from a scrum just outside halfway. Executing a slick first-phase move, the backs combined superbly through a well-worked loop play before the ball was shifted quickly to Althaf, who ran a perfect line to slice through the defence and score in the corner, extending the visitors’ advantage further. (IC 07-29 TCK)
Isipathana College continued searching desperately for a route back into the game, but their efforts were punished by a costly interception. Attempting to spread the ball wide, Abdul Azeez threw a long pass in search of Nimantha Sandeepa, only for Trinity winger Minula Yaddehige to read it perfectly. The winger intercepted cleanly and sprinted away untouched beneath the posts, with Malik adding the straightforward conversion. (IC 07-36 TCK)
Isipathana finally managed a late consolation try on the brink of fulltime. The Green Machines switched the direction of attack effectively and created space out wide for Rishmi Jafrad, who produced a strong carry before releasing Sandeepa. The playmaker shrugged off the final defender to score his second try of the match, but it proved too little too late as the Trinity Lions secured a crucial victory and valuable points heading into the Cup Segment.
Full Time: Isipathana College 12 (2T,1C) – Trinity College 36 (6T,3C)
Swisstek Player of the Match: Udan Wijekoon (Trinity College)
Points Breakdown
Isipathana College 12
Nimantha Sandeepa 2T, 1C
Trinity College 36
Rikitha Weragama 1T, Dimath Ambepitiya 1T, Minula Yaddehige 1T, Shan Althaf 2T,1C, Abdul Malik 1C, Penalty Try
