Royal outclass Wesley with a solid second half

Dialog Schools Rugby League 2024

By
Laksisi De Silva
-
34
Wesley College vs Royal College Action

After the one week break Dialog Schools Rugby League resumed yesterday (12th of July) as Wesley College hosted the unbeaten Royal College side at Havelock Park. After a closely contested first half, the Royal Tuskers managed to clinch the win thanks to a solid second half performance. The final scoreline of the game was 27-14.  

Royal College began the encounter conceding back to back penalties as Wesley College who received the second penalty inside the Royal half went for the points with Abdul Haadhi adding the three points with a brilliant kick (WC 03 – 00 RC) 

Wesley College received another penalty just few minutes later and they once again went for the points with Haadhi backing the decision of the skipper with another beautiful kick through the posts (WC 06 – 00 RC) 

>> Photos – Wesley College vs Royal College | Div 1: Seg A | Dialog Schools Rugby League 2024

Royal College conceded a lot of penalties in the first half and Wesley College had plenty of opportunities to find the whitewash but the solid defensive effort from the Tuskers kept the double blues at bay. Going into the latter parts of the first half Royal College finally found some momentum for the first time in the game as Wesley College lost a line-out deep in their own half. Royal initially used their forwards and came close but with the Wesley defenders doing a decent job they decided to work the ball to the left of the field which gave Yuwan Pathirana ample space to go over easily. Nabeel Yahiya converted the try to put his team in the lead going into half time (WC 06 – 07 RC) 

Half-Time : Wesley College 06 – 07 Royal College

Wesley College once again took the lead after they received a penalty for lifting a player infringement from Royal. Haadhi was once again accurate with the kick and the pressure continued to build for the unbeaten Royal unit (WC 09 – 07 RC) 

But the visitors were awarded with a penalty from kickable distance just few minutes later and Yahiya managed to take the lead back for his team (WC 09 – 10 RC) 

Wesley College made a huge blunder from a lineout inside their own half once again as they lost the ball and gave possession to the opposition. The big prop forward for the Tuskers Thineth Gamage then used the blind side and bulldozed over the defenders in front of him to find the whitewash. Yahiya was clinical again with the conversion as the lead grew for the visitors (WC 09 – 17 RC) 

With Royal College increasing their lead to eight points the double blues started to give away too many penalties and they ultimately paid the price for that as another penalty inside their own half meant Yahiya was ready for the job and he finished it with perfection (WC 09 – 20 RC) 

The try that sealed the deal for Royal College arrived through another penalty which Wesley conceded as Royal Skipper Thivein Perera took a quick tap and made a lot of distance from the right hand side of the field. Although the final defender managed to stop him, Perera gave the offload out to Mohommad Nazar who touched down. Yahiya with another great kick converted the try (WC 09 – 27 RC) 

The double blues managed to score a consolation try just a few minutes before the final whistle as Hashan Emmanuel found the whitewash after a long period where the Wesley forwards tried to find some space through a strong Royal defensive line. The conversion went astray and that was the last score of the game as the Royal College Tuskers emerged victorious (WC 14 – 27 RC) 

Just like in the previous game against a strong St. Peter’s College side, Wesley College failed to keep their consistency for the whole 70-minute duration of the game. Royal College who had the better fitness level and had more conditioning to last the whole game walked out victorious. The mistake of going off-feat was repeated by both the teams throughout the game and it will be something the coaches would want to work on going into the latter half of the tournament.  

Thineth Gamage the powerhouse prop forward who scored the momentum shifting try for Royal College and was an absolute menace with the defensive work was adjudged NDB Bank Player of the Match  

Full Time: Royal College 27 (3T 3C 2P) beat Wesley College 14 (1T 3P) 

  • NDB Bank Player of the Match: Thineth Gamage (RC) 

Points Breakdown

Royal College: Thineth Gamage 5 Points (1 Try), Nabeel Yahiya 12 Points (3 Conversions 2 Penalties), Mohommad Nazar 5 Points (1 Try), Yuwan Pathirana 5 Points (1 Try) 

 

Wesley College: Abdul Haadhi 9 Points (3 Penalties), Hashan Emmanuel 5 Points (1 Try) 

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