Antonians and Thomians play for Rosati Trophy under lights

Saturday, 23 August 2025 00:08 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The stage is set for another epic battle in schools Under-19 rugby’s rivalries as St. Anthony’s and S. Thomas lock horns for the Rev. Angelo Rosati Trophy which will be played tomorrow at CR & FC ground, Longdon place at 6.00 p.m.

First introduced in 2004, the trophy honours the late Rev. Fr. Angelo Rosati, a revered principal of St. Anthony’s, and carries with it decades of tradition dating back to the 1950s when the two schools first clashed regularly on the rugby field.

St. Anthony’s enter the fixture as underdogs, but history has shown that the Katugastota school can surprise on the big stage. Their unforgettable 34/17 victory in 2023, ending a 12-year drought against the Thomians, remains a powerful reminder not to take them too easy. Further Antonians really put up a brave effort in round 2 which took the, to the Bowl segment win. They’re grouped and played a better brand of rugby in the later stages showing their true potential.

Antonians are led by nippy scrum half, Omitha Dissanayake, and the guidance of their Head Coach Saliya Kumara took the Antonians to Bowl segment win. They have some outstanding players in their camp with Randeer Perera and Kalpa Lakmina been outstanding for the Katugastota lads.

For Thomians the task is to maintain their momentum and reassert dominance. They regained the trophy last year with a hard-fought 24/17 victory and have looked formidable throughout this season. With a dynamic half-back pairing of with skipper, Venura Wickremasuriya and Seneshka Liyanagunawardhana, and hardworking Mckyle Karunaratne and Mayanka Dias to take Thomians through. Though played in Colombo this game could be a closely fought encounter as the Thomians have been going through a bad patch in their last few games.

Referee Ishanka Abeykoon will officiate this encounter. (SJ)