COLOMBO : Trinity College Kandy beat Wesley College 23-21 after 70 minutes of nail-biting Rugby in the penultimate week of the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2025. With this victory, and a victory for Royal College against S. Thomas’, Trinity win the Dialog Schools Rugby League after almost 4 decades.
Wesley College kicked the game off and kept Trinity under pressure in their own half early on. Trinity were playing with fire, and were guilty of kicking the ball away to the dangerous back three of Wesley.
It took 23 minutes for the scorers to be troubled. A deliberate charge down from Trinity resulted in a penalty. A quick tap taken by the Wesley scrum half Akesh Rayan and a barging run from the center Danush Dasanayake got them their first score. Abdul Haadhi knocked over the 2 points to get Wesley the early lead. (Trinity 00 – 07 Wesley)
It didn’t take too long for Trinity to respond. Trinity changed their tactics from a kicking game to an attacking one. A well-orchestrated back line move got them around 5 meters away from the try line. The Wesley defense was slow to track back and gave away an offside penalty. A quick tap from Udan Wijekoon and a big tackle busting run from their Skipper Usman Safraz saw them opening their account. Althaf’s conversion hit the upright as Trinity bridged the gap. (Trinity 05 – 07 Wesley)
The arm wrestle continued. Both teams looked fierce with the ball in hand. Wesley’s ruck work and kicking game were on point, and Trinity were managing the game with patience.
Half Time – Trinity 05 (1T) vs Wesley 07 (1T, 1C)
Whoever scored first after the turnaround was going to take the momentum into the rest of the half.
It was Trinity who seemed to want it more. They did well to put the kick off deep, and kept applying pressure. After an error from Wesley, Trinity turned the ball over and kept hitting the defense with their forwards. Eventually Akash Fernando spotted a gap and picked the ball up and dotted it down over the white line. Althaf put the extras through to get Trinity a 5 point lead. (Trinity 12 – 07 Wesley)
Trinity went bang bang! Next, it was a number 8 break from the ever reliable Shrayan Satheeshkumar that got them their 3rd score. The kick went astray. (Trinity 17 – 07 Wesley)
Another try would have secured Trinity the bonus point, and the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2025.
However, the temperament shown by the lads in Red, Gold and Blue has to be commended. After winning a penalty off a maul, Trinity opted for the 3. Shan Althaf thumped the kick through the uprights and put daylight between them and the boys from Campbell Park. (Trinity 20 – 07 Wesley)
As if the 3 from the Penalty wasn’t enough, Shan Althaf collected a goal line kick from Wesley. It fell right into his hands on the full. The Wesley chasers seemed miles away. Althaf had a look at the sticks, took his time, and put in a 43 meter drop goal – a moment that would be etched in the history books. The ball flew through the goal posts, as the jubilant Pallekele crowd erupted. Trinity seemed to have gotten the game in the bag. (Trinity 23 – 07 Wesley)
However, you could never write off this Double Blue Machine. The intent from the restart was certain – they wanted this more than anything.
With 10 minutes to go, a huge tackle busting run from Danush, and a darting run from Naham Hemachandra got them within touching distance of the line. The On-Field-Review came into play, as Trinity’s Kevin Weerakoon was caught giving a high tackle in a possible try scoring area. It left the officials with no other choice but to award a Penalty Try to the Wesleyites and show a card to the offender. (Trinity 23 – 14 Wesley)
The game was still not over. Wesley had more in the tank. They turned to their big forwards after around a 15 meter rumble off a maul. They kept knocking the door, until it opened up for Hamdhan Safraz to go over for a try. Abdul Haadhi got the extra points.
After a hard fought game, Trinity’s early burst in the second half, and once again the mercurial magician of Trinity, Shan Althaf, came to the party with his kicking boots to knock over a drop goal for the ages.
Full Time – Trinity 23 (3T, 1C, 1P, 1DG) beat Wesley College 21 (3T, 3C)
Swisstek Perfect Player of the Match – Shrayan Satheeshkumar (Trinity)
(the Papare)
