St. Thomas’ Dominates: Retains Rugby Trophy with Thrilling Win

News Today: St. Thomas’ College rugby victory 2024 retains prestigious shield

St. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia retained the prestigious Lady Jayathilake Memorial Shield with a hard-fought 43-31 victory over traditional rivals St. Joseph’s College Maradana in their season-ending match of the Dialog ‘A’ Division School Rugby Tournament. The game, played yesterday at Havelock Park, was marked by heavy rain, creating a wet and soggy field that added to the intensity of this high-scoring encounter. St. Thomas’ dominated the game, while St. Joseph’s College put up a strong fight.

The Thomians opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a try from Akith Cooray, who joined from the blindside wing. Cooray’s brilliant run broke through the Josephian defence, and Mayanka Dias followed up with a precise kick, converting the try to give S. Thomas’ an early 7-0 lead. St. Joseph’s suffered a setback in the eighth minute when one of their players was yellow-carded for a tackle, reducing them to 14 men.

Despite the setback, St. Joseph’s responded quickly. Prop forward Shehan Malinda powered his way through the Thomian defence, scoring a try in the 11th minute. However, the conversion attempt by fullback Beeshma Jayasekara was missed, leaving S. Thomas’ in the lead at 7-5.

St. Thomas’ captain, Yehan Bulathsinhalage, extended their lead in the 16th minute with a try under the posts, which was converted by Dias, making it 14-5. St. Joseph’s fought back with a try from Malshan Dewmin after a clever pass from Venuka Kithnuka, and Jayasekara’s successful conversion brought the score to 14-12 in the 25th minute.

The Thomians continued their dominance, with Mayanka Dias scoring another try in the 29th minute, evading the Josephian defense. Bulathsinhalage added the extra points, pushing the lead to 21-12. Just before halftime, Bulathsinhalage struck again, scoring under the posts and Dias converting to give S. Thomas’ a commanding 28-12 lead at the break.

After the resumption, S. Thomas’ added three more points with a penalty kick, extending their lead to 31-12. St. Joseph’s Malinda continued to impress, scoring his second try of the game, though Jayasekara missed the conversion, leaving the score at 31-17.

St.Thomas’ responded swiftly, with Number Eight Akash Fernando scoring a try, and Bulathsinhalage converting to extend their lead to 38-17. St. Joseph’s prop forward Induwara Rodrigo kept his team in the game with a try, which was converted by Jayasekara, narrowing the gap to 38-24.

In the final minutes, St. Thomas’ sealed the victory with a try from Kaveesha Lenagala, though the conversion was missed. St. Joseph’s added one more try in the dying moments through Jayasekara, who also converted, but it was not enough to overcome the Thomians’ lead.

With this 43-31 win, St. Thomas’ College successfully retained the Lady Jayathilake Memorial Shield, ending their season on a high note. St. Joseph’s College, despite a spirited performance, could not close the gap and faced another defeat in this traditional fixture.