S. Thomas’ College kept their unbeaten season alive after a thrilling and bruising battle against the equally unbeaten Isipathana College side, pulling off a hard-fought 36-24 victory in their final first round clash of the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2025 played for the inaugural Rizvy Suhayb Memorial Trophy at Mount Lavinia yesterday.
After leading 21-14 at the breather, the Thomians — backed by their home crowd at the ‘fortress by the sea’ — showed nerves of steel to hold off a strong second-half fightback from the Green Machine. The match was a thrilling encounter from start to finish, with both sides trading blows like two heavyweight boxers in the ring.
The home side wasted no time making their intentions clear. In just the sixth minute, centre Seneshka Liyanage burst through a gap to touch down under the posts. Mayanka Dias, the reliable winger, added the extras with ease to take an early 7-0 lead.
But Isipathana, known for their attacking flair, hit back almost immediately. Two minutes later, flyhalf Avishka Hiran brilliantly danced past defenders to score a classy try and converted it himself to level the scores at 7-all.
The game took a twist when Thomian fullback Udan Bulathsinhalage was sin-binned in the ninth minute for a dangerous tackle, reducing the home side to 14 men. Isipathana capitalised on the numerical advantage when fullback Nimantha Sandeepa finished off a clever move on the left wing in the 15th minute. Hiran again added the conversion to take the lead 14-7.
But the Thomians refused to throw in the towel. Prop Vishwa Ariyawansa, showing sheer strength, bulldozed his way under the posts in the 23rd minute. Dias made no mistake with the conversion, making it 14-all.
Momentum swung in favour of the hosts when flanker Tieshiya Aluwihare spotted a gap and galloped through for a try in the 26th minute. Dias, as cool as a cucumber, converted to put the Thomians ahead 21-14 — a lead they held till lemons.
After the turnaround, S. Thomas’ came out guns blazing. A superb passage of play saw fullback Bulathsinhalage returning from the sin-bin and setting up No.8 McKyle Karunaratne, whose quick offload sent young hooker Eyan Pereira over the line. Dias slotted in the conversion to stretch the lead to 28-14 by the 40th minute.
Isipathana, however, weren’t done yet. Flyhalf Hiran once again showed his class with a try in the 44th minute and converted to reduce the margin to 21-28. The Green Machine tightened the noose further when Hiran booted over a penalty in the 56th minute to make it a nervy 24-28.
When S. Thomas’ were reduced to 14 men again in the 59th minute, it looked like the tide might turn. But it was Aluwihare, the lanky flanker, who rose to the occasion. He scored his second try in the 61st minute to give breathing space at 33-24, though Dias missed the conversion. In the dying minutes, Dias coolly put over a penalty to seal the deal at 36-24, bringing the house down at Mount Lavinia.
The match was a classic arm-wrestle, with both sides giving no quarter. The Thomians showed great heart, defensive discipline, and character under pressure, while Isipathana’s flyhalf Avishka Hiran was easily the standout for the visitors, contributing 19 points on his own. The Thomians’ victory means they remain unbeaten in the league and take home the inaugural Rizvy Suhayb Memorial Trophy, celebrated wildly with their loyal supporters.
(Sunday Times)
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