Sri Lanka national under 18 captain and St Joseph’s College centre Gamunu Chethiya with three tries single-handedly masterminded his school’s stunning win over S. Thomas’ College Mt Lavinia by 33 points (5 tries, 4 conversions) to 10 (2 tries) in their opening Singer ‘A’ division league rugby first round game played at Havelock Park yesterday. At lemons Joes led 21-5.
With this superb win St. Joseph’s retained the Lady Jayathilake Shield played between the two schools for yet another year.
 St.Joseph College captain Sameesha Viranga receiving the winners Lady Jayathilake Shield. Pictures by Samantha Weerasiri. |
A thriller was on the cards before the commencement of the match and also a ‘surprise’ was expected from the Thomian outfit to pull off this game.
But it was the opposite that took place as the Josephians fought like terriers in the first half giving no room for their opponents and they collapsed after relentless pressure from the Josephian back division.
The Joes under head coach Nilfer Ibrahim used different ploys to penetrate the Thomian defence. They broke the ‘ice’ in the eighth minute of the game and went into a 7-nil lead when winger Cheka Jayawardena touched down after a superb 50 meter dash side stepping five defenders to score. Fly half Santhush Algama added the extra points.
Then in the 20th minute of play Thomians cut down the lead after number eight Lashendra de Silva crashed into score a try from a rolling maul. Centre Aaron Ferdinando missed the conversion and the score read 7-5.
St.Joseph scored again when centre Gamunu Chethiya collected a chip kick off Cheka and sliced through to touch down for a try. Algama made the conversion and Joes took a 14-5 lead. Just before lemons Chethiya powered his way to touch down for a try and Algama made the conversion to go into a 21-5 lead at half time.
After the turn around with pressure mounting on the Thomians, St Joseph added more pressure on the Mount Lavinia boys, when their star center Chethiya covered good ground effortlessly and breezed pass the try line to touch down for his third try of the match. Algama missed the conversion and the score read 26-5.
The Thomians cut down the lead to 26-10 when their prop forward Adeesha Hadunpathirana barged through for a unconverted try as Ferdinando missed the conversion.
Joes sealed the game in style, when their winger K.D. Kavinda scored a try which Algama slotting the conversion to make the score 33-10. It was a resounding win for the Josephian outfit who won the match against all odds.
Referee - Rohan Fernando
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