D.S Senanayake College hosted the unbeaten Isipathana College at the Sugathadasa stadium in a game which can be dubbed as the best game of the season so far. After trailing by 15 points at one point, Isipathana College managed to come from behind and end the hopes of D.S Senanayake to beat the Green Machine after 36 years as the final scoreline read 27-24.
D.S. Senanayake drew first blood in the game after a pass from Isipathana was intercepted by Thatheera Perera, who had too much pace for any chaser from the opposition to catch up with. However, the conversion didn’t go through for the Donz (DSS 05 – 00 IC).
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After taking the lead early in the game, D.S. Senanayake managed to put Isipathana under immense pressure as nothing seemed to go their way. To make things worse for the Green Machine, the hosts entered their half once again through a territory-gaining kick after a penalty. From the lineout, a powerful rolling maul from DS was too much for the lads from Havelock to stop as they almost went all the way. DS then took the ball out and worked it to the right, with Janidu Wijerathne finishing the move with a try. Wijerathne converted the try himself, increasing the lead for the home team (DSS 12 – 00 IC).
Trailing by 12 points, more mistakes started to creep in for the visitors, and an offside penalty from a kickable distance gave DS skipper Sehanda Umagiliyage the opportunity to extend their lead to 15 points (DSS 15 – 00 IC).
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Going into the last 10 minutes of the first half, Isipathana decided to make an early change as Kalindu Silva, who was not starting the match, surprisingly came off the bench. The Green Machine showed more composure with that replacement, finally building up more phases and continuity of play. This laid the foundation for their first try from skipper Nisaja Jayaweera. Shahid Zumri converted the try for Isipathana (DSS 15 – 07 IC).
With Isipathana finding their feet again, D.S. Senanayake started to concede penalties, leading to another try for the boys in green. Isipathana came closer with each penalty, and skipper Jayaweera once again broke the opposition’s defensive line. With Zumri’s conversion going over, the Green Machine supporters found their voice at Sugathadasa (DSS 15 – 14 IC).
Half-Time: D.S. Senanayake College 15 – 14 Isipathana College
Isipathana got ahead of D.S. Senanayake for the first time in the game just a few minutes into the second half via a line-offside infringement from the hosts. Zumri was once again accurate with his kick to gain the all-important three points (DSS 15 – 17 IC).
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But the lead was short-lived for the Green Machine as the boys in black and gold also received a line-offside penalty from Isipathana, and Umagiliyage added the three points (DSS 18 – 17 IC).
The back-and-forth nature of the second half continued when Isipathana was awarded a penalty advantage inside the 22m territory of D.S. Senanayake, and Zumri obliged by adding the three points, giving his side the lead (DSS 18 – 20 IC).
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Just like last time, the points buffer didn’t last long for the visitors as a tackler-not-rolling-away advantage to DS gave Wijerathne the opportunity to kick it through and retake the lead (DSS 21 – 20 IC).
The back-and-forth penalty pattern finally ended when the hosts received a penalty with just 5 minutes left on the clock. Thinethra Dodangoda was sent to the sin bin, giving DS the numbers advantage, but rather than playing the clock out or going for a try, they went for the three points to increase the lead to four points (DSS 24 – 20 IC).
With around 3 minutes to go, Thivein Perera went for a clearance kick from their 22m territory, and Zumri, who made the collection, went for a high hanging kick of his own. Rasindu Bandara was safe underneath the ball, but Silva, who gave a terrific chase, timed his tackle on Bandara to perfection and quickly stole the ball before the ruck was formed as Bandara was isolated. Just a few phases later, while Silva was trying to give the ball out from the ruck, it hit the referee, resulting in a scrum for the Green Machine. From the scrum, Isipathana targeted the left side of the field with Benthotage almost going over before a terrific tackle stopped him. But Zumri, who joined in as the halfback, gave the pass out to his younger brother Shakib Zumri, and he managed to touch the ball down to retake the lead with just 1 minute to go. The older Zumri converted the try again, leaving three points between the two sides (DSS 24 – 27 IC).
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With time running out, D.S. Senanayake College tried a last throw of the dice, but it was prevented by the younger Zumri, who positioned himself perfectly over the ball carrier and won a holding-on penalty for his team. With the referee signaling no more time left, Abdullah Faizer kicked the ball out as the Sugathadasa stadium erupted with the cheers of Green Machine supporters.
Kalindu Silva was adjudged NDB Bank Player of the Match, as his introduction played a huge part in changing the fortunes around for the Green Machine. He was also the catalyst behind the match-winning try for Isipathana and deserves a lot of credit for the brilliant chase and turnover. His team needed something special to beat the phenomenal boys from DS, and he provided exactly that.
D.S. Senanayake College will consider themselves really unlucky for losing this game after having a 15-point lead. Isipathana, on the other hand, will be extremely proud of the immense character they showed to pull things back and keep their unbeaten record intact. All in all, it was a terrific game of schoolboy rugby, and both teams can be really happy with the heart they showed during the 70 minutes. At the end of the day, one team lost, and the other one won, but Schoolboy Rugby was the real winner.
Full Time : Isipathana College 27 (3T 3C 2P) beat D.S Senanayake College 24 (2T 1C 4P)
- NDB Bank Player of the Match : Kalindu Silva (IC)
Points Breakdown
Isipathana College : Shahid Zumri 12 Points (3 Conversions 2 Penalties), Nisaja Jayaweera 10 Points (2 Tries), Shakib Zumri 5 Points (1 Try)
D.S Senanayake College : Janidu Wijerathne 13 Points (1 Try 1 Conversion 2 Penalties), Sehanda Umagiliyage 6 Points (2 Penalties), Thatheera Perera 5 Points (1 Try)
