Trinity Triumph As Royal Return The Big Favour!
A Drop Goal made the difference for Trinity while Royal retain the Gunaratne Trophy in the final minute with a Try, helping to end the 38 year long wait for their Bradby Rivals!
It's not like we foresaw what was coming but with one week left in the Dialog School's Rugby League, Trinity College have secured the League Title for the first time since 1987 and with all teams in the Cup segment losing at least twice, owing to the Royalists making a stunning comeback to defeat the Thomians whose joy of leading for the first time to be shortlived with a last minute Try!
The Sidelines
The Drop Goal That Sealed The Title
While Trinity owes a huge favour to their Bradby Rivals, whom they are to face later this month, the game in Pallekale really went down the wire with Wesley College coming at clutch to almost take away Trinity's unbeaten tag with two coverted tries, but Shan Althaf's Drop Goal made the difference as the final scores read 23-21.
While the Trinitians were unaware of what was happening down in Mount Lavinia, they were obviously under a lot of pressure right from the start as the Double Blues struck first to take the lead and Trinity took a long time to get back into the game. Surprisingly, this is the only game in the League where Trinity didn't get the 4 try bonus, owing to some stout Wesley defence.
Nevertheless, Trinity weathered the storm despite Wesley's late charge. Usman Shafraz and his men, coached by Fazil Marija finally broke the 38 year hoodoo which saw many generations of Trinitians pass through the gates without seeing a League Title in a sport that's embodied in their school culture.
Last Minute Drama At Mount Lavinia
Didn't we tell that this match was going see something happen in the final minute of play? Instead of a Penalty kick, it was a Try, but if you look at the scoreboard, the Penalty kick at the stroke of halftime really did make the difference!
Despite coming on the back of a 2 point win over the Peterites, the Thomians had a start to forget as an aimless kick against the win paved way for Royal to dominate the game right from the start with a try, followed by a penalty to extend their lead to 8. It took the home team some time to find their groove but only had themselves to blame, once again for aimless kicking and losing possession inside the 22.
Going into the second half with a 10 point deficit, the Thomians finally decided to show what they are made of with 3 tries in the second half and at one point, led 29-25 until one erroneous move gave Royal back possession from a comfortable distance, maul their way with their heavier forwards and plant the winning try to keep the Michael Gunaratne Trophy for yet another year, which coincidentally did Trinity a favour by preventing the Thomians with a win and declaring their Bradby Rivals a League Champion with a week to spare.
What's Left For Next Week?
While the Isipathana-St.Peter's game which saw another close tussle ending 14-07, the result had no effect on the Cup standings as neither team are in contention of the Runners Up place, much to the dismay of the teams that played the finals in both 2023 and 2024. Similarly, the Anthonian Eagles swooped in over Thursthan College for a 40-07 win for the Bowl Championship with a week left just like their big match rivals on Friday.
The Plate Segment however, is yet to see a winner as D.S. edged past the St. Joseph's in a thrilling 37-36 win and we hope to cover the winning scenario next week. So as for the Cup Segment 'Second Place Race' where both the wounded Thomians and Wesleyites, even the Royalists are still fighting for a place as next week will see three Trophy fixtures, making it something to look forward to in terms of Silverware and to keep the suspense on who finished second best!