40th Blaze Trophy on 18 July

Monday, 13 July 2026 01:21 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Shamseer Jaleel

One of Sri Lanka’s oldest and most cherished schools rugby rivalries will reach a historic milestone when Kingswood College and Wesley College clash in the 40th Blaze Trophy encounter at Nittawela Rugby Stadium on 18 July.

First played in 1986, the Blaze Trophy honours Louis Edmund Blaze, the Founder of Kingswood College and an old Trinitian, the man credited with introducing rugby to Sri Lanka.

The trophy, donated by former National Olympic Committee Chairman Roy De Silva, has grown into one of the country’s most respected annual school rugby fixtures.

Over four decades, the Blaze Trophy has showed some of Sri Lanka’s finest rugby talent, including Nalaka Weerakody, Amjad Buksh, Fazil Marija, Dev Anand, Kishan Musafer, Zulfikar Haleemdeen, Henry Terence, and Rahul de Silva.

Wesley enter the match as defending champions after recording a historic fourth consecutive Blaze Trophy victory last year. However, Kingswood, who last lifted the trophy in 2019, will be determined to end that run on home soil. Despite Wesley’s recent dominance, Kingswood still hold the overall advantage with 23 victories to Wesley’s 10, while four matches have ended in draws.

The day’s program will also feature Under-12, Under-14, Under-16, and Second XV matches before the First XV showdown kicks off at 4:15 p.m.

Referee will be Ishanka Abeykoon.