CHRIS DHAMBARAGE
COLOMBO – St. Joseph’s College and Isipathana College will figure in a grudge battle when they clash in a key Inter-Schools Under-19 Division One League Rugby Tournament match at the Royal Sports Complex in Colombo on Friday. The kick-off is at 4.15 p.m.
This encounter is of great importance for both teams for many reasons as they look to continue their rivalry on the field after they figured in two rousing games in last year’s season.
Isipathana went on to emerge ‘A’ Division unbeaten league champions with seven successive victories while St. Joseph’s were the league runners-up with five wins and two defeats at the end of the Super Round segment.
Thereafter, the two teams extended their rivalry into the President’s Trophy Knock-Out Tournament final as well and once again Isipathana came out victorious 49-22 at the Royal Sports Complex.
In fact, Isipathana had a great escape in the 2022 League Tournament Super Round fixture as they overcame the Josephians by a narrow margin of 16-13 at Havelock Park.
After two bitter defeats, St. Joseph’s will now look to settle scores this year with their rivals while Isipathana will be determined to maintain their unbeaten record in the current season.
Isipathana are currently on top of the points table in Group 1A with two back-to-back bonus-point victories against Kingswood College (32-8) at the Bogambara Stadium and S. Thomas’ College (29-20) at Mount Lavinia respectively.
In contrast, St. Joseph’s have experienced mixed fortunes this season as they suffered a shock 12-22 defeat at the hands of St. Anthony’s College at the Bogambara Stadium and struggled to beat Wesley 3-0 in their second outing last week at the Royal Sports Complex.
No doubt, the Joes will have a huge battle in their hands to contain the Isipathana back division, which have already impressed with nine tries from their two previous outings
