The Green Machine will be licking their lips as they travel to Mount Lavinia to take on S. Thomas’ College as the two schools seek to get back to winning ways following disappointing losses in their respective final matches of round one.
When: 22nd April 2019
Where: Mount Lavinia
Kick-off: 4pm
The Thomians have not got the better out of the Green Machine for 9 consecutive years. Will the hosts be 10th time lucky? Or will the trend continue?
History of the Encounter
The first game between these two schools were played way back in 1965. S. Thomas’ College won the inaugural encounter 6-3 at Havelock Park and it took Pathana 4 years to win against the Thomians, getting over the line in 1969, a year in which Isipathana College remained unbeaten.
Past Results
- S. Thomas’ College won in 2009
- Isipathana College won in 2010
- Isipathana College won in 2011
- No Encounter in 2012
- No Encounter in 2013
- Isipathana College won in 2014
- Isipathana College won in 2015
- Isipathana College won in 2016
- Isipathana College won in 2017
- No Encounter in 2018
Last time they met
Randy Silva inspired the Pathana lads to a massive 41-21 win at the Park. Naveen Henakankanamge’s Thomians were trailing 19-7 at halftime and did not manage to make a comeback, going down at the hands of the Green Machine. 2017 was not the season Pathana hoped for, finishing second in both the League and Knockout.
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Most Recent encounter:
Both Isipathana and S. Thomas’ College come in after 1 and 2 point defeats respectively at the hands of St. Joseph’s and Wesley College.
Close as they might have been, Isipathana had only themselves to be blamed for the single point defeat, having missed plenty of opportunities to win their final game in the first round.
Pathana left to rue missed chances as Joes remain unbeaten
In what was a true battle of the giants, St. Joseph’s College managed to hold their….
The Thomians failed to get out of the blocks against Wesley College and had to make do with their second defeat of the first round. In similar fashion to all their previous games, the lads from Mount staged a late surge, however, it wasn’t enough to see them home, finishing round one in third place.
Thomians struck by Double Blue lightning
Wesley College managed to scrape past the Thomians in a tense encounter of the….
Players to watch out for
Manelka Ruberu and Manula Rathnayake have been a handful for their opponents in the backline for the Green Machine. The duo, with plenty of experience behind them, will be looked up to by the players and coaches to guide the Pathana lads past the Thomians.
Not forgetting winger Ramitha De Silva who has added the finishing touch time and time again. With jet shoes, De Silva will no doubt be a man to watch out for at the start of the second round.
Kaveen Jayasekara will have his work cut out in what is expected to be a quick paced game. The flank forward will put his body on the line as the Thomians seek to get back into winning ways. The forwards and especially Harith Senanayake will have to step up to the plate with a mammoth performance if they are to get the better of Pathana.
What to expect:
Expect the Green Machine to dictate the speed of the game, moving the ball wide and with intentions to run the big Thomian forwards ragged.
The hosts on the other hands will expect to keep the ball as close as possible and will be seeking to punch holes in the Pathana defense through their forwards.
TMO to come into play in the 2nd Round!
ThePapare.com will bring out the best of the Singer Schools Rugby League 2019 with….
Predictions
The visitors head in as favorites, however, writing off the hosts on their own paddock would be a brave move. Despite this, looking past Isiapathana in this encounter is a terribly difficult call.
Isipathana to win by 5-8 points.
