Trinity and Joes in must-win encounter

By Shamseer Jaleel

The title race for the Singer League Under-20 rugby tournament 2017 will take a crucial turn this week when St. Joseph’s College host Trinity College at Havelock Park. 

The losers will be shown the exit and will run out of steam for a title run. Trinity were stunned by an underrated St. Peter’s College while the Joes suffered an unexpected defeat to Wesley College.

Trinity not only remained unbeaten but also kept a clean sheet coming into round two. They were only troubled by Zahira College in Maradana but there too their experience got them through. They won the Canon de Saram Trophy encounter against the Thomians after dismantling Wesley College and Prince of Wales with 50-plus scores in one-sided affairs. Though Nathan Yee’s outfit did not underestimate their opponents they made a number of handling errors which cost them the game. 

Further, the game went on for 100-plus minutes with the physio of the Peterites almost occupying the field whenever Trinity gained momentum. 

Former New Zealand Sevens player and Trinity Head Coach Lote Raikabulla will be under pressure to perform well in Colombo this time around. But in the first round Trinity did play well, adjusting to the change in climate in Colombo on more than four occasions. 

From the look of it, the one-month rest from rugby has done more damage than good for the Kandyan outfit. Trinity will depend heavily on Shaveen Ekanayake, Dilusha Dange, Anuk Boyagoda and skipper Nathan Yee to take them through in a battle which both teams will hope to clinch. 

Joes coach Nilfer Ibrahim is a shrewd tactician. Sometime back he was in charge of the Trinity outfit. The team has got some star players in its line-up such as Chathura Seneviratne, Gemunu Cheethiya and Sachith Silva who all possess lightning pace and can create gaps.

St. Peter’s will be full of confidence when they meet Wesley. If they play to their potential the lads from Bambalapitiya should have things their own way with their classy three-quarter line. But consistency will play a key part in their success. Players such as Dayath Fernando and Selvaraja are omnipresent on the field. Wesley too, after their win against the Joes, will depend heavily on Lee’s brother’s form to take them through. 

Royal College could face an acid test in Maradana when they meet the wounded Zahirians. Playing at home Zahira is a different beast. For the Reid Avenue lads, Shabith Feroze, skipper Askey and Hamza Reeza are all at their peak this season. The Zahirians will expect Sinhawansa and Lantra to come on top with their running and kicking accuracy to gain much-needed points which could reduce the deficit. 

In the last game of this week Isipathana will meet S. Thomas’ College with the green shirts showing a good pair of legs and holding a clear edge over their opponents. 

The nippy Harith Bandara and Sumudu Rankothge are brilliant players for the Havelock Town lads. The Thomians will need national Under-18 Skipper Naveen Heenakankanmge to lead them from the front to take them through for a win.

Cup 

May 5

St. Joseph’s vs. Trinity        Havelock Park

Referee Dinka Peiris

May 6

Zahira vs. Royal            Maradana

Referee Aruna Shantha

Isipathana vs. S. Thomas’        Havelocks Park

Referee Rohan Fernando 

Wesley vs. St. Peter’s        Longdon Place

Referee Irshard Cader

Plate

Kingswood vs. St. Anthony’s, Vidyartha vs. Dharmaraja, Science vs. D.S. and Prince of Wales vs. Lumbini