The confrontation between the only two unbeaten teams in the schools rugby scene Royal College and defending league champions Isipathana College for the Major Milroy Fernando Trophy in the schools rugby league match which will be played on the 20th Saturday at the Royal College Sports Complex could be considered as the match of the decade.
Isipathana – Royal played their very first rugby encounter exactly 50 years ago in 1965 and Isipathana led by Ananda Saranapala held the Royalist captained by U.P. Wickramasinghe to a 03 All Draw.
In the year 1986 the Isipathana – Royal rugby fixture was elevated to a trophy match (Major Milroy Fernando Trophy) and it was offered by Colonel Dudley Fernando in memory of his son who died in a landmine explosion in Omanthai in January 1986.
Isipathana won the trophy in the inaugural year 1986 by edging out Royal by 11 points to 9 while Royal won the trophy for the first time in 1988 with a convincing 24-9 win after the 1987 match ended in a 13-all draw. In the 25 trophy matches played so far, Isipathana leads the series with 13 wins to Royals 08 wins. The 04 matches played in 1987, 2001, 2002 & 2013 have ended in a draws. In 1991, 1994, 1995 & 2007 the matches were not played.
Below are the results of the 25 trophy matches played between both the institutions.
1986 – Isipathana beat Royal 11 points to 09
1987 – Isipathana vs Royal – Draw 13 All (Isipathana Retained the Trophy)
1988 – Royal beat Isipathana 24 points to 09
1989 – Royal beat Isipathana 09 points to 06
1990 – Isipathana beat Royal 10 points to 03
1991 – Fixture not played
1992 – Isipathana beat Royal 14 points to 03
1993 – Isipathana beat Royal 12 points to 10
1994 – Fixture not played
1995 – Fixture not played
1996 – Isipathana beat Royal 16 points to 10
1997 – Isipathana beat Royal 30 points to 06
1998 – Royal beat Isipathana 14 points to 10
1999 – Isipathana beat Royal 10 points to 05
2000 – Royal beat Isipathana 18 points to 14
2001 – Isipathana vs Royal – Draw nil All (Royal Retained the Trophy)
2002 – Isipathana vs Royal – Draw 05 All (Royal Retained the Trophy)
2003 – Royal beat Isipathana 19 points to 08
2004 – Royal beat Isipathana 07 points to 05
2005 – Isipathana beat Royal 12 points to 10
2006 – Isipathana beat Royal 22 points to 07
2007 – Fixture not played
2008 – Isipathana beat Royal 17 points to 12
2009 – Royal beat Isipathana 22 points to 03
2010 – Isipathana beat Royal 27 points to 05
2011 – Royal beat Isipathana 11 points to 10
2012 – Isipathana beat Royal 34 points to 22
2013 – Isipathana vs Royal – Draw 20 All (Isipathana Retained the Trophy)
2014 – Isipathana beat Royal 15 points to 14
Matches played – 25
Isipathana Won – 13
Royal Won – 08
Draw – 04
Not Played – 04
Below are the results of the Premada (Presidents trophy) played between Isipathana & Royal.
Premadasa Trophy
1986 – Isipathana beat Royal 07 points to 04 in the Finals
1988 – Royal beat Isipathana 13 points to 03 in the Finals
Presidents Trophy (Former Premadasa Trophy)
1997 – Isipathana beat Royal in the Semi Finals
2013 – Isipathana beat Royal 27 points to 22
Will the Royals rolling maul stop the Green Army? Or will Omalka Gunaratne and his men run all over the Royals and try to retain the league trophy and the Major Milroy Fernando Trophy for yet another year? Be there to witness the clash of the decade.
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