Royal College took on Wesley College in the respective teams second encounters of the 2016 Schools Rugby Season.
In the match that was worked off at the CR & FC grounds the defending champions Royal College made it two wins out of two with a narrow 17-14 point win over the double blue brigade.
Wesley kicked proceedings off and put the Royalists under immediate pressure as they regained the ball and placed an attacking kick into the Royal twenty two. An error off the defensive Royal line out gave Wesley a 5m scrum however the Royal defence came strong as they forced a turnover and cleared their flanks.
After some good play by both teams Royal struck first blood through their reliable front row. The play started off with Royal winning an attacking line out after which their maul drove the 
Wesley defence backwards. Although the maul couldn’t make it to the try line the forwards continued to make good ground as they strung together some strong phases which led to the big prop Ayesh Maduranga who was supported ably by Nikhil Gunadheera, powering over the line to score. Ovin Askey’s conversion sliced the uprights as Royal moved ahead. (Royal College 07 Wesley College 00)
From that point onwards till the end of the first half Wesley had plenty of possession that to the disappointment of the Blue Brigade resulted in no points. Their misery stared when their scrum half Avishka Lee missed a relatively straight forward penalty after the Royal line was caught offside. It was mistakes such as this coupled together with poor ball handling and lack of the killer instinct at the line that let the Wesley team down. However credit had to be given to the Royal defence that defended their try line with plenty of valour always making it seem like they were in control even though it was Wesley that were dominating possession.
Half time score- Royal College 7 (1T 1C) Wesley College 00
Photo Album – Royal College vs Wesley College (Schools Rugby 2016)
Royal started the first half off in great style as they doubled their score courtesy another try through their forwards. After working their way steadily to the Wesley line through some patient rugby comprising a multitude of phases the second rower Harith Lokugamage was able to crash over the line to score. Askey was once again successful with the conversion. (Royal College 14- Wesley College 0)
Wesley once again started to gain and hold possession over the oval ball continuing to exert the same pressure they put on the Royalists in the first half. Their efforts were finally rewarded when the forward Dayan Sabar powered his way over the line to strike for the boys in the double blue. The cries of Zam Zam Zakey rang true around the CR & FC as the scrum half Avishka Lee added the extra points. (Royal College 14- Wesley College 07).
Wesley College were within striking range but they let their foot off the gas as they gave away a careless penalty which was within the kicking range of the dependable Askey who held his nerve as his kick sailed through the uprights with pin point precision. (Royal College 17- Wesley College 07)
With 10 minutes to play Royal looked as if they were going to seal the deal comfortably but Wesley had other ideas as their fly half placed a perfect chip kick over the Royal defence which was 
collected and offloaded perfectly to Avantha Lee who sliced through the Royal defence like a knife through butter to score the second try for Wesley College under the uprights. The conversion that followed by Tariq Jurangpathy was successful and Wesley were only three points behind with everything to play for in the final few minutes. (Royal College 17- Wesley College 14)
With about two minutes left to play Wesley were all set to stage a perfect comeback as they were awarded a straight forward penalty which was well within kicking range. Avantha Lee stepped up to do the honours for his team but the pressure of the big moment seemed to have got to him as he dragged his kick away to the right.
As the final whistle blew it was a case of heart break yet again for the Wesley team and their supporters who suffered their second nail biting loss for the season. If Wesley College can summon the strength and finesse to add the finishing touches to their plays they will undoubtedly be a force to reckon with in the league. On the other side of the coin for Royal College it was yet another victory as they continue along their march to defend the prestigious Schools Rugby League title. However the lads in blue and gold will definitely need to pick up their game as the competition is only going to get tougher and tougher with their first big test likely to take place next week against S. Thomas’ College.
Full time- Royal College 17(2T 2C 1P) – Wesley College 14 (2T 2C)
Royal College – Ayesh Maduranga 1T, Harith Lokugamage 1T, Ovin Askey 2C and 1P
Wesley College – Dayan Sabar 1T, Avantha Lee 1T, Avishka Lee 1C, Tariq Jurangpathy 1C
