Fresh off the convincing win against Royal College the week before, Science College was expected to put on a good show, especially with the added home advantage.
Credit has to be given to Science College rugby and the persons in charge over the last couple of years for grooming some competitive sides which has put the Mt. Lavinia school well and truly on the school rugby map. Trinity College came into this match after a hard fought tie against Dharmaraja College the previous weekend and desperately needed a win under its belt to avoid slipping further behind the leaders in the points table.
From the kick off, both teams displayed plenty of aggressive three quarter moves, but only to run into some solid opposition defence. The score remained nil all with fairly even possession for both sides for the first 25 minutes after which Trinity received a penalty just right of the posts. To the relief of the Trinitians, it was converted by Tarindra Ratwatte, showing initial signs of him having worn his kicking boots, following a disappointing display with the boots the previous week. Trinity led 3 points to nil.
At the 40 minute mark worn down by continuous pressure from the Trinitians and following a lovely bit of play by the backs, the Trinity wing three quarter crossed the line on the corner flag to score the first try of the match. Ratwatte failed to convert a tough chance at a challenging angle. The scores remained unchanged for the remainder of the half and Trinity went into lemons leading 8 points to nil.
Ten minutes into the second half came a text book No.8 break, off a scrum in the Science 22, and Trinity again scored on the corner flag through centre Lochana Girihagama. Ratwatte was spot on with the conversion this time displaying glimpses of returning back to form with his boots, extending the lead to 15 points.
Almost straight off the restart Science College received a penalty just left of the uprights. This was converted with ease finally putting them on the scoreboard. Following a late tackle on the Trinity skipper Halique Wadood, Science lock forward Viraj was sin-binned, leaving Science College a man down for the next ten minutes. Ratwatte converted the resulting penalty with a beautiful kick from 45 meters away from the posts to extend Trinity’s lead to 18 points to 3.
Trinity College failed to capitalize on having a one man advantage as Science College held on to possession and continued running the ball into Trinity territory. The Trinity defence held solid with some great tackling, but unfortunately they were not able to hold on to possession themselves when presented the opportunity due to some equally great defence by Science College and unlikely mistakes by the Trinitians. The unremitting pressure from Science College resulted in them being awarded a penalty which was converted just left of the uprights, making it 18 points to 6 with Trinity College leading.
Trinity College then lost a man themselves as their scrum-half was sent off for not retreating 10 meters as Science College took a quick tap off a penalty. The Trinity captain Wadood then had to move up to a less comfortable half-back position, resulting in some ugly scrums for Trinity. Science College took full advantage of this and kept running at Trinity for long periods of time, once again testing the Trinity defence. The Trinity flankers and the centers remained solid in their defence throughout the match and managed to keep Science Collage at bay. However, the hard work eventually paid off for Science Collage as G. H. K Sandaruwan managed to cross the Trinity line in the dying minutes of the match for an unconverted try, making it 18 points to 11 in favour of the Trinitians.
The final score remained unchanged and Trinity, though scrappy at times, managed to hold on for a much deserved and needed victory.
Both teams were firm in their defence throughout the match, but will need to improve on the offensive front. Trinity will need to work on their half-backs as their scrum-half and fly-half were very slow of set plays, making it almost impossible for the backs to move the ball wide. Furthermore, they will need to put in some hard work on their scrums, breakdowns and line outs as they conceded several turnovers throughout the match.
Science College unfortunately lacked the services of their regular kicker during this match and, as a result, they were almost always running the ball, even from within their own 22. Science College will look to improve their forward play as they too were found wanting several times.
Credit, however, to both teams for a great display of defence, and fans can look forward to some exciting performances by both teams in the following weeks.
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