St. Joseph’s College did not have it all their way against a hearty Science College outfit as the lads from Mount Lavinia played their hearts out, falling short 20-14 in the opening game of the 2019 Schools’ Rugby Season match played at Longdon Place.
On a humid sunny evening, St. Joseph’s College brought about their strongest XV, fielding the likes of Santhush Algama alongside Rashen Gunawardena as the halfback pairing while Tarindu De Alwis strengthened the forward pack from the no.8 position.
The experienced Sanjula Pinnduwage slotted into the no. 14 jumper while the power packed Denuwan Silva lined up opposite the Josephian captain for Science College.
Tharindu Maduranga got St. Joseph’s off to a flayer as he pounced on an early error by Science College and made the visitors rue their mistake. He touched down in the corner to open the scoring in the game with just 3 minutes gone on the clock. Santhush Algama failed to add the extras from the touch line. (Joes 05-00 Science)
Prince Ravising and Hasaranga Akmeemana punished the Josephians for indiscipline at the breakdown, grabbing the slightest of leads within the first 10 minutes of the game.
The second five-eighth and the five-eight slotted over two penalties, to snatch a solitary point lead as the game heated up in the opening exchanges. (Joes 05-06 Science)
The trend of soft penalties continued as this time Science College were penalized for indiscipline at the breakdown. Pasindu Perera was caught offside as the Josephians once again put their foot down on the accelerator.
Santhush Algama was on target yet again from the kicking tee as the lead changed hands once again in the topsy-turvy battle. (Joes 08-06 Science)
Photo Album : St. Joseph’s College vs Science College – Schools Rugby League 2019
The Blue and White army were potent, punishing Science errors and defending with force. A Science mishap at the line-out time yielded a scrum for the Josephians, who brought about the Razzle-Dazzle they are known for, ending the training ground move with Maduranga bagging his second of the evening.
Maduranga cut an angle from a short pass from Rashen Gunawardena, bumping and shrugging off would-be tacklers to crash over for his second. Algama added the extras, extending the Josephian lead further. (Joes 15-06 Science)
St. Joseph’s were lacking with execution, failing to finish on multiple occasions after entering the Science red-zone and went into the shed for half time with their lead reduced by a further 3-points off the boot of Prince Ravising.
Half Time: St. Joseph’s College 15 (2T 1C 1P) lead Science College 09 (3P)
Entering the Science red-zone and coming away empty handed continued in the first few exchanges of the second half, and the game twisted in favor of Science College when double try-scorer Maduranga was sent to the bin for a silly penalty.
The playing field was leveled out as Thrusha Silva was sin binned for a ‘grass cutter’ tackle which was defined as a block tackle by referee Dinka Peiris.
Santhush missed only his second kick at goal from the resulting penalty, however, the Josephians made the lads from Mount Lavinia pay for a terrible 22-meter drop out.
Prop forward Theeraka Santhush showed slight of hand, popping a lovely pass to skipper Tharindu De Alwis after the Josephians strung along a great passage of play, finishing it off with a try from the captain. Santhus’ day turned sour as his kicks continued to stray wide, however the Josephian stranglehold on the game got that much tighter with their third try. (Joes 20-09 Science)
Joes defended their heart out, putting their bodies on the line and keeping out wave after wave of Science attack as points were hard to come by in the second half of the game.
This hold was finally broken by the lads from Mount Lavinia as they ultimately strung a few passes, displaying eye catching running Rugby that they are known for, to score in the corner through Tharusha Silva.
Prince Ravising failed with the extras as the game ended handing the Josephians a hard-fought victory, however the coaching staff would have plenty of aspects to work on before they make their way up to Nittawela to play St. Anthony’s College.
Full Time: St. Joseph’s College 20 (3T 1C 1P) beat Science College 14 (1T 3P)
ThePapare.com Player of the Match: Rashane Gunawardena
Points Breakdown:
Joes: Tharindu Maduranga 2T, Tharindu De Alwis 1T, Santhush Algama 1C 1P
Science: Thrusha Silva 1T, Prince Ravising 2P, Hasaranga Akmeemana 1P
