Two unbeaten teams S. Thomas’ College and Trinity College are set for a blockbuster clash when they meet in the Inter-Schools Under-19 League Rugby Tournament Cup Championship encounter on July 19 at Mount Lavinia.
This high-profile match will have a great amount of significance as the two teams will be vying for the Canon R. S. De Saram Shield with the Trinitians dominating the series in the last two years.
In fact, last season, Trinity produced a dominant second-half performance to beat S. Thomas’ 31-8 after they were trailing 7-8 at half time at Pallekele, Kandy.
Trinity will also have a psychological advantage going into this game as they defeated the same opponents 24-15 earlier, in the President’s Trophy Knock-Out Tournament second quarter-final fixture played at Havelock Park.
Even then, the Thomians have made vast strides since that setback and they have emerged as a major force following a string of victories in the first round of the League Tournament.
In fact, S. Thomas’ will take the field brimming with confidence following their epic 36-24 victory over the knock-out champions Isipathana College two weeks ago at this same venue.
The Thomians of course started their League Tournament campaign with a thrilling 29-28 win over Kingswood College on their home grounds. But thereafter, S. Thomas’ got their momentum and went on to record impressive victories over Zahira College (43-19), Mahanama College (50-35) and Dharmaraja College (48-5) respectively.
Royal vs St. Peter’s
Meanwhile, the defending champions St. Peter’s College will face a tough task when they confront arch-rivals Royal College in another Cup Championship match at Bambalapitiya on July 19.
This game should turn out to be a fascinating contest as both teams are determined to make a statement after experiencing mixed fortunes during the first round stage of the tournament.
The Peterites suffered a shock 5-23 defeat at the hands of Wesley College at Havelock Park while Royal went down 12-34 to their traditional rivals Trinity at Pallekele, in a dress rehearsal for the Bradby Shield encounter.
The match will also be played for the B. C. Anghie Memorial Trophy and St. Peter’s will be determined to retain it having defeated Royal 31-22 last year after more than a decade at the Royal Sports Complex in Colombo.
Isipathana vs Wesley
Isipathana College will look to bounce back when they take on Wesley College in another Cup Championship match at Havelock Park on July 19.
The reigning knock-out champions are determined to get their act together as soon as possible following their bitter 24-36 defeat at the hands of S. Thomas’ at Mount Lavinia.
Even then, the Wesleyites will be a tough opposition for the Green Machine after their highly successful campaign in the first round of the League Tournament.
Wesley were clinical on the field as they cruised to convincing victories against Science College (63-15), D. S. Senanayake (29-10), St. Anthony’s (24-3), St. Peter’s (23-5) and Ananda (43-11) respectively.
