St. Peter’s College overcame a second-half red card and produced a courageous display to secure a hard-fought 27-22 victory over Royal College in a crucial Dialog Schools Rugby League 2026 Super Round Cup Segment encounter played at Royal Complex.
The visitors made the perfect start to the contest after Royal College were penalised for an offside infringement early in the game. St. Peter’s kicked deep into the corner and patiently built pressure through several forward carries around the fringes. With the Royal defence drawn in, scrum-half Shirash Perera shifted the ball to playmaker Jamal Wahab, who sold a clever dummy before stepping back inside to crash over near the posts. Ashok Krishan added the straightforward conversion to hand the Peterites an early advantage.(RC 00-07 SPC)
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Royal College responded immediately with a well-constructed attacking move. Their backline sliced through the Peterite defence before earning an offside penalty inside the 22. Opting for the corner, the Royalists unleashed one of their trademark rolling mauls, and Hooker Akira Yatawara emerged from the back of the drive to score the opening try. (RC 05-07 SPC)
The match then settled into a stop-start rhythm as both teams struggled with handling errors and turnovers. A missed touch finder from Mohamed Simak initially appeared to relieve the pressure for St. Peter’s, but scrum-half Shirash Perera fumbled the resulting collection, gifting Royal another attacking opportunity. The hosts capitalised from the ensuing scrum, spreading the ball quickly to the left wing where Kavan Ekanayake produced an excellent cutback run to beat his defender and cross over for Royal’s second try of the afternoon. (RC 10-07 SPC)
St. Peter’s were then dealt a setback when skipper Shenuka Perera was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle in the air. However, despite enjoying a numerical advantage, Royal repeatedly handed possession back through costly mistakes, allowing the Peterites to build pressure deep inside opposition territory. After being denied twice through a series of pick-and-drive attempts, St. Peter’s eventually broke through at the third attempt as Revone Perera, who had been their primary ball carrier throughout the passage of play, powered over the line. Krishan maintained his perfect record from the tee to restore the visitors’ lead. (RC 10-14 SPC)
The Peterites finished the half in outstanding fashion. Pinning Royal deep inside their own territory, Shirash Perera’s tactical kicking game proved decisive. A perfectly placed box kick forced a Royal handling error, and moments later Perera repeated the tactic to great effect. As Praveen Nimsara retreated to gather the ball, he attempted to move possession wide to Dinuka Perera. However, Jamal Wahab anticipated the play brilliantly, stepping into the passing lane to intercept the ball before racing away to score his second try of the afternoon and hand St. Peter’s a commanding lead heading into the break.
Half Time: Royal College 10 (2T) – St. Peter’s College 19 (3T,1C)
The opening exchanges of the second half saw both teams trade possession without troubling the scoreboard before the game’s biggest turning point arrived. Peterite forward Revoune Perera was shown a red card for a high tackle without the use of his arms, leaving St. Peter’s to battle the remainder of the contest with 14 men.
Royal immediately looked to capitalise on their numerical advantage. Their first rolling maul was successfully halted, but the Peterite resistance could not deny them a second time as Akira Yatawara crashed over for his second try of the afternoon. (RC 15-19 SPC)
Despite being reduced to 14 players, St. Peter’s responded superbly. Ashok Krishan calmly slotted over a penalty to extend the lead to eight points before the Peterite forwards produced a tireless shift, patiently working through several phases around the fringes. The ball was then moved to Jamal Wahab, who spotted space in the defence and powered over for his third try to complete a magnificent hat-trick. (RC 15-27 SPC)
Royal managed a consolation score with the final play of the match when Uthsara Wijerathne crossed the line, with Mohamed Simak adding the conversion. However, it proved too little too late as the Peterites held firm to record a crucial victory as they regained the B.C.Anghie Trophy and keep their championship ambitions firmly intact.
Full Time: Royal College 22 (4T,1C) – St. Peter’s College 27 (4T,2C,1P)
Swisstek Player of the Match: Jamal Wahab (St. Peter’s College)
Points Breakdown
Royal College 22
Akira Yatawara 2T, Kavan Ekanayake 1T, Uthsara Wijerathne 1T, Mohamed Simak 1C
St. Peter’s College 27
Jamal Wahab 3T, Revone Perera 1T, Ashok Krishan 2C,1P
