Second placed Royal College appear to have an edge over arch rivals S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia prior to the clash for the Michael Gunaratne Trophy.
As the second round commences this weekend, segment 1A runners up Royal College will lock horns against old foes, segment IIA third placed S. Thomas’ at Mount Lavinia for the coveted Michael Gunaratne Trophy on 29th (Saturday) April.
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Past encounters
This annual encounter was inaugurated back in 1962 and the first game ended in a stalemate. Adding to this first year draw, there have been a total of 5 draws in 1967, 1976, 1978 and 1997 making it 5 draws in total.
Royal lead the winner’s column with 34 wins in reply to just 18 wins under the belt of the lads from Mount Lavinia.
The highest score for Royal was in 2015, under Bhanuka Gamage, recording a 52-nil win. The 22-0 win under Charya de Saram in 1991 still stands to date as the highest margin of victory for the Thomians.
The last time these teams met: Last year (2016) S. Thomas’ won thanks to a late try from Naveen Henakankanamge. The game was an extremely close encounter in which Royal was 15-14 with time up, but some brilliant work by winger Naveen helped the Thomians to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Previous results:
2007 RC won 22-18
2008 RC won 24-05
2009 RC won 37-33
2010 RC won 38-12
2011 RC won 22-07
2012 RC won 34-24
2013 STC won 29-20
2014 RC won 36 -17
2015 RC won 52-00
2016 STC won 21-15
Current Season
Royal College had an exceptional start to the season and carried their form through the whole of the first round, only losing out against Isipathana College in a closely contested encounter at home.
Royal got the better of St. Joseph’s and St. Peter’s in their opening fixtures of the 2017 season. Two further wins against Dharmaraja and DS Senanayake seemed to gel the lads from Reid Avenue but a shock defeat at the hands of Isipathana brought them back to earth handing Martis and Co. something to think about.
Royal battled it out against St. Anthony’s in the final week with their runner up position on the table at steak. The game was a close encounter from the get go as the Eagles gave the hosts some early headaches. However the hosts prevailed right at the end, cementing their second place in the table.
The game at hand though will be a whole different task as much is at stake for the Royalists. Having lost out last season to a Naveen Henakankanamge try in the dying embers, Royal will be enthusiastic about their chances going into this year’s game.
Players to watch: inform winger, Sabith Feroze will surely be aiming to stamp his mark in this game for Royal, having had an excellent first round for Royal. Fellow backline player, centre Janidu Dilshan has managed to bring on the razzle dazzle in the midfield and will seek to prove his worth this Saturday.
The Thomians began brightly but a shock defeat to Wesley and a close loss at the hands of the Trinitians meant the lads from Mount Lavinia had to settle for a third place in their group.
Thomas’ began with a bang, beating helpless Prince of Wales and narrowly getting over the line against Zahira College.
Week three and four saw the Thomians fall short at the hands of Wesley College, in a shocking defeat and a hard fought loss against Trinity College.
The lads from Mount Lavinia put the two defeats behind them to snatch a win against Science College to make sure they qualified for the cup segment as the third placed team.
Playing after a month’s break, the Thomians will be hoping to emulate last year’s win, however making sure they secure the win early on and not let 2016 repeat itself.
Players to watch: Fly half Hans Walpola will be a key figure for the Thomians as he directs traffic in the important number 10 jersey. Number 8 Christian De Lile is set to return following illness and he will be impatient to make an impression on return.
Predictions
Royal College came back to defeat the Eagles in their final game in round one, but facing the Thomians in their own backyard may be a whole different challenge. Royal to win by five points.
