The Young Lion Cubs of Trinity College, Kandy, led by Udan Wijekoon, clinched the all-island rugby plum, defeating dark horses D.S. Senanayake College in a cliffhanger which ended 5-0 at the Trinity Stadium in Pallekele on Sunday (1).
A last-gasp effort by the Player of the Tournament Dimath Ambepitiya saw the boys in Red, Gold, and Blue clinch the pinnacle of Sri Lanka’s junior rugby arena. It is commendable to note the rise of D.S. rugby in the recent past with brilliant performances against traditionally strong teams. They are now surely a force to reckon with in the schools’ rugby arena.
Royal College, Colombo won the Plate championship beating Anghie Trophy rivals St. Peter’s 15-7. Isipathana, beating Ananda 10-7, clinched the Bowl. In the Shield final, Science beat Lumbini 17-00.
U16 All-Island Knockout Stage Roundup:
Shield quarters: Lumbini beat Sumangala (P) 5-0; Mahanama beat St. Sylvester’s 19-0; Science beat St. Aloysius’ Galle 12-0; Prince of Wales beat Maliyadeva 19-5
Shield semis: Lumbini beat Mahanama 17-0; Science beat POW 19-0
Shield final: Science beat Lumbini 17-0
Bowl quarters: Dharmaraja beat Richmond 17-5; Isipathana beat Wesley 12-10; Ananda beat St. Anthony’s 10-7; Sumangala Kandy beat Kingswood 14-12
Bowl semis: Isipathana beat Dharmaraja 24-5; Ananda beat Sumangala (K) 10-5
Bowl final: Isipathana beat Ananda 10-7
Cup/Plate quarters: Vidyartha beat Joes 12-5; DSS beat St. Peter’s 10-5; Zahira beat Royal 21-14; Trinity beat STCML 5-0
Plate semis: St. Peter’s beat Joes 22-5; Royal beat STCML 29-0
Plate final: Royal beat St. Peter’s 15-7
Cup semis: DSS beat Vidyartha 17-14; Trinity beat Zahira 17-5
Cup final: Trinity beat DSS 5-0
Earlier this year, Trinity clinched the championship at Sri Lanka Rugby invitational rugby tourney beating Isipathana 12-7 in the finals at Pallekele. Meanwhile, Trinity College named third-year player Anuhas Kodithuwakku as captain for the year 2024 along with Thisanga Dissanayake and Ravin Ilangaratne as co-vice captains, which is a first in their century-old rugby history.