Traditional fixtures that ‘shield’ camaraderie at school rugby

By A Special Sports Correspondent

The traditional rugby matches between schools have added spice to the ongoing competitive inter-school League rugby tournament and also opened a window for lesser-performing teams in the top and lower divisions to earn vital mileage.

St. Joseph’s and S. Thomas’ set the stage for such encounters this season with their traditional rugby game which is played for the Lady Jayatilake Shield. The Thomians did well and beat their rivals from Darley Road in a gripping encounter in which the score read 26-24 in favour of the hosts. The Thomians are led this season by Viyaan de Silva and have recorded three wins this season despite losing to Isipatana.

Looking back at the history of this traditional game it originated in 1955. That year the Thomians led by versatile sportsman Kumar Anandan beat the Josephians 8-6 and thus began a much looked-forward-to rugby encounter in the inter-school rugby scene. However, it was much later and in the year 1965 that the shield was introduced to this game. An old boy of St. Joseph’s Lucian Jayathilake donated the shield for the match in memory of his mother. Another factor is that shields are much rarer in usage compared to trophies and that makes such pieces of silverware much attractive when given away to the winners at a podium.

We also have the Bradby Shield given away at the Royal vs Trinity rugby encounter; which is a two-match affair. The Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association takes the result of the first encounter of the Bradby for the compilation of points for the school’s league rugby tournament. In fact, this encounter- which first attracted a few hundred spectators at first- has grown with the years and now promises a capacity crowd when the two teams clash. Former Royal College Principal E.L Bradby must be remembered for donating the shield for the game in 1945. The game is such a big event in the schools rugby calendar thanks to the sponsors of the rugby teams of the two schools, parents of the players, and well-wishers. The Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association would never have handled such a massive rugby event alone if it was given the organizing rights for the two-match rugby fixture. This season Royal are playing well and promise champagne rugby when they clash in the big one against traditional rivals Trinity on the 22nd. The previous week Royal beat Dharmaraja 36-18 while Trinity recorded a run-away 55-10 win over Science College; as both teams used these matches to warm up for the Bradby.

We also have the Abdul Jabbar Shield on offer when Isipatana clash with Thurstan. However, it must be pointed out that it’s these traditional encounters that give teams like Thurstan an opportunity to play against top teams despite playing in a lower division. The lads from Bullers Road are working their way up for promotion and battling in Division 1 Segment B after a relegation process that took place some years ago. Thurstan have done well this season winning all their matches in Division 1 Segment B this season and are knocking on the door for a promotion along with Sri Sumangala College Kandy, which has one more fixture left this season.

Thurstan was a top team in the Division 1 Segment A or top Division as we called it many years ago. We remember the side calling the shots in the years 1996 and 1997; Thurstan entering the knockout final and winning it in 1997 under the guidance of Coach Ajith Fernando, who today runs a successful rugby academy. Thurstan’s last rugby win this season was against Maliyadeva College. Meanwhile, Thurstan’s traditional rivals Isipatana had a close call against St. Anthony’s before recording a close 37-26 win in Colombo last Saturday.

We also have the Fr. Basil Weeratunga Shield which is on offer for the game between St. Peter’s and St. Joseph’s. The Peterites are aiming high this season and have remained unbeaten thus far. Their last win was against Zahira at Maradana where they recorded a run-away 56-7 win.

Traditional rugby games in the schools scene are the ones that draw a special crowd to venues. The ones who watch these games have pleasant memories of past matches and know the value of the spirit of the game and the importance of continuing friendly ties with everybody after the final whistle is blown in a game. Some female spectators have even found their future partners at these rugby matches. These pieces of silverware that are on offer at these matches are the ones that produce rugby memories that remain etched in the minds of both players and spectators for a very long time.