St. Joseph’s College will lock horns with their traditional rivals St. Peter’s College on 23rd of March ( Saturday ) for the Rev.Fr Basil Weeratunga Memorial Shield at CR & FC starting at 4.30pm.
It’s the 2nd week of Under 20 Division I League Championship and both teams will look to maintain their unbeaten record and register their 2nd win.
History of the Encounter
Since it’s inception in 1955, the Joe-Pete rugby encounter has been a major event in both the school’s sports calendar. The Peterites won the 1st encounter under the captaincy of Desmond Eupharims and Josephians tasted their 1st win under the captaincy of C.I.Rajarathnam in 1958.
In 1968, The Rev.Fr. Basil Weeratunga Memorial shield was introduced by the St. Peter’s College Old Boys union in appreciation of their Rector/Principal and St Joseph’s had the honor of annexing this shield in it’s inaugural year under late Shiraz Fernando.
Josephians last won in 1999 under the captaincy of Laksitha Gunarathne where the Josephians defeated the Peterites by 27 points to 3 and that’s the biggest ever victory margin for the school from Darley Road.
Biggest win for the Peterites was in 2007 when the unbeaten team led by Ranuka Jayasinghe thrashed the Josephians by scoring as much as 101 points against the solitary try scored by the Josephians to leave the scoreboard reading 101-05 at the CR & FC.
Last Year’s Encounter
In 2012, St.Peter’s College went through some nerve wrecking moments before overcoming St. Joseph’s College by 36 points to 24 at Bambalapitiya. The Peterite team led by the dashing center Danushka Ranjan were trailing till the 70th minute of the game by 15 points to 24 until a superb comeback by the Pete’s saw the Josephian team led by Yohan Keyser fall apart in spite of having a great chance to win the Shield back to their alma mater.
Players to Look Out for
St. Joseph’s College
Jason Melder – The skipper for the Blue & White Boys is in terrific form after scoring a hat trick last week against Kingswood College and will look to channel all of his 6 years of experience into the 80 minutes of play. Sri Lanka’s under 20 second-row player who is a very strong tackler will look to dominate the scrums and line outs with the help of his forwards.
Janith Chanaka – With a unique style of play, the wing three quarter for Joes will be itching to entertain the crowd with his speed and agility. Last week he was in prime form against the Kings and was an important factor in setting up few tries for his college. His side steps and safety under the high balls have surely made him a real threat for the opposition when playing against St. Joseph’s College.
Shamilka Kurumbalapitiya – The last man of defense in the side and he has all the qualities to be the perfect No.15. With a cool head over his shoulders the full back of St. Joseph’s College will look to gain territory with his booming kicks. He scored a valuable try last week and will be a key factor for the Josephians to register their 2nd win of the season.
St. Peter’s College
Anuradha Herath – By far the strongest player in the Peterite line up and will be looking to break from the back of the scrums and feed his speedy three quarters. He is a fierce tackler and with the ball in hand, a very dangerous player to be given space to run. He will look to guide his forwards with his experience in the No.8 position.
Dilanka Perera – The six foot center for the Blue, White & Golds was in brilliant form last week against the eagles where he scored two tries within the space of just 10 minutes putting the opposition on the back foot immediately. The lanky three quarters will look to repeat his energetic performance against the Josephians this year as well.
Shan Weerakkody – Leading a prolific team that has already displayed their dominance, the skipper will make it his business to retain the shield at Bambalapitiya. The outside half for the Peterites, he will be keen on giving his speedy three quarters to attack the Josephian line with his quick passing. He will look to gain territory with his boot if needed.
Final Words
Eager fans from both schools will be heading towards Longden Place to see their senior rugby team play a game with twists and turns and in the end win the game for their college. Peterites having an edge over the Josephians after a huge win over St. Anthony’s College last week will look to closet the shield where it was for the last 13 years and the Josephians will go out all guns blazing to regain the Rev.Fr.Basil Weeratunga Memorial Shield.
Can the big burly Josephian Forwards overcome the speedy Peterite backs? Can Joes break the 13 year old Hoodoo? Spectators will surely witness a nail-biting game of Rugby this Saturday!
