Isipatana smash Thora to book slot in schools’ rugby final

Isipatana College cruised through to the final of the President’s Trophy schools’ rugby knockout tournament when they beat S. Thomas’ College by 29 points to 13 in a semi-final match worked off at Havelock Park yesterday (September 2). The winners had it easy in both halves of the game and ran down a total of four tries from which three were converted. The winners also converted a penalty in the first half.

Chamindu Chirath, Rinesh Silva and Sooriya Dodangoda crossed the Thomian line in the first half to ensure their side went into half time with a healthy score of 22 points to six. The Thomians responded with two well-taken penalties in the first half with the points coming off the boot of fly half Yehan Bulathsinhalage.

The Thomians played better rugby after the turn around and matched the Isipatana run and pass game with some stuff of their own. But faulty ball handling didn’t help the losing team to score more than the solitary try they earned in the second half through reserve prop Hakeem. To add to the Thomian woes their kicker and fly half had to spend ten minutes in the sin bin early in the second half.

Isipatana displayed their ruthless accuracy to find the opponent’s try line one more time in the second half when stand-in skipper and winger Praveen Stephan sliced through the S. Thomas’ College defence to plant the team’s fourth try.

The match slowed down to some error ridden rugby late in the second half, but Isipatana opting to spend all their reserves in the last ten minutes of the game gave the message that they were celebrating the win before the final whistle by referee Ishanka Abeykoon.