The 49th edition of the Joe-Pete Rugby encounter kicked off at Havelock Grounds sharp at 4.30 pm today which also was the second game for both the respective teams in the Singer league 2014 round two.
It was a sloppy start with a lot of unforced errors on either side, however the Joesphian defence line had to hand over victory to the Peterites for yet another famous comeback during the second half to bring back the Rev.Fr. Basil Weeratunge trophy back to Bambalapitiya. The full time scores read as 16-11.
The game between the two brother schools started when the ball sailing high in to the air with the blow of the whistle by Referee Pradeep Fernando. Joes were right under pressure during the first few minutes of the game when the Peterites gained territory and were attacking the defence line of the opponent side. Peterite flanker Nishon Perera intercepted a pass hoping to bag the first points but failed when referee blew it off side giving Darley road a respite.
Another chance was offered to the Peterite place kicker Shamri Burah on an early penalty but missed out as the breeze was blowing across the lawn and it was difficult for the lad who was suffering from an injury to overcome it. Dulith Fernando was given a chance during the seventeenth minute of the game and the ball fell just inches near the uprights.
First points for the Joes came when Dewan Fernando drew first blood in the nineteenth minute of the game giving his side the early lead when he rolled over the try line. The scoreboard settled for five points when Dulith Fernando missed out in the conversion. (SPC- 00 SJC -05)
Peterites levelled the scores in the twenty fifth minute of the game when Avsishka Ranasighne dashed forward and drew two defenders to himself and in the blink of an eye he offloaded the ball to the Peterite Scrum Half Steve Dharmarathne who later on passed it to Ramesh Fernando who covered the ground and opposition skipper Vsihmitha Peris missed on the defence and the Peterites dropped anchor. Conversion failed. (SPC -05 SJC-05)
The pressure was building up in the minds of both sides which witnessed basic errors in the game from both the sides. However the Darley road boys were playing in to their strengths and were attacking the Peterite defence line with good continuity in their rugby by using their forwards to drive on and draw the Blue, white and gold defenders. The pressure was eased up by Dulith Fernando when he managed to bisect the uprights twice just few minutes before lemons for two penalties awarded off referee’s whistle. It put the Joesphians in control of the game with a lead of six points. The whistle concluded the first half predicting signs of a close finish and an end mile away.
Half Time– St. Peter`s College -05 St. Joseph`s College – 11
The Darley road boys gaining a bad start to the second half gave away a penalty to the Peterites in the forty-fifth minute also handing giving Bambalapity a sniff-in The Peterite place kicker Shamri Burah sailed the ball through the uprights mounting pressure back on the opponents and drawing the crowd to the side lines. (SPC -08 SJC – 11)
The Colombo-04 lads were up to the task and were doing exactly what the doctor had ordered; finding touch in the game they were gaining territory inch by inch when Sandesh Jayawikrema worked the line playing basic rugby and passed the ball on to Kevin Dixon who affect with usual aplumb leaving the defenses just mere spectators touching in the fifty ninth minute of the game to get back the lead by two points, but Burah failed to bisect the uprights. (SPC –13 SJC – 11)
The signs were on. It was itching up on to a close finale with spectators rising up on their feet to support their sides.Yyet again the Joes proved the fact that they were a side only dominant during the first half of the game when they depicted fundamental errors in the game. The substitutions of Stephan Gregory and Hasaru Gunawardhana were a huge blow. Peterites were given another shot at victory but Burah failed to bisect the uprights to the penalty offered during the seventieth minute of the game.
The Peterite outfit are famous for their comebacks and they proved it right as in the seventy-eighth minute, when Shamri Burah bisected the uprights for a penalty awarded for them and hitched the winning mark to their side. (SPC -16 SJC -11)
Peterites ended up being the better side on the day as they brought back the Rev. Fr. Basil Weeratunge Trophy to safe lands of Bambalapitiya for the fifteenth consecutive time when referee blew off eighty minutes of competitive rugby.
Full time – St. Peter`s College – 16 St. Joseph`s College – 11
Refereed by – Pradeep Fernando
ThePapare.com player of the match – Ramesh Fernando (St. Peter`s College)
