Trinity Rugby 1st XV 1984: The Guts and the Glory.

by Z. Kamil Mohamed

A global cricketing icon once said “At Trinity; Rugby players are special, and I… was only a cricketer”. Such is the pedestal upon which Rugby stands at Trinity that playing Rugby for the 1^st XV becomes the ultimate dream for most young Trinitians. And this is the story of that dream shared by a group of young Trinitians, culminating in the Bradby Shield encounter against Royal College in 1984.

Early in 1974, C. Y Ching Snr’s Trinity were playing St Anthony’s. “Accompanied by two older brothers, a few Trinitians and Anthonians , I witnessed my first Rugby match at Nittawela” recalls 1984 Lock Kamil Mohamed. Trinity destroyed the Anthonians 64-3 in a scintillating display of open running Rugby. “I was enthralled and walked on air all the way home, hooked on Rugby for life” says Mohamed.

Playing fast open Rugby the sublime unbeaten Trinity team next destroyed St Thomas’ 70-8 and defeated all teams winning the Bradby. Trinity teams of 1975 and 1976 under Rohan Sourjah and S.V Ranasinghe respectively produced excellent seasons winning most of the games by record margins. Then Ravi Balasuriya’s exceptional Team of 1977 won all their games and undertook the first ever overseas schools Rugby trip to Thailand.

In this backdrop, in 1978, a few 12-year-olds namely Dilakshan Ratwatte, Senaka Alawattegama, SG Ekanayake, Dushyantha Wijesinghe, Ravi Pillai, Arjuna De Silva, Roger Halangoda, Asela Pilapitiya and Kamil Mohamed turned up at training with fervent Rugby dreams at the Trinity junior school grounds at the foot of the Udawattekale Rainforest. This core group were still together at the end of season 1984.

The season began with an intense training camp in Colombo. Dushyantha Wijesinghe, Ashan Ratwatte’s 1st XV understudy as the senior-most player was appointed Captain and Dilakshan Ratwatte Vice-Captain. Supported by Coloursmen Duraisamy Sivasubramaniam, Ravi Pillai, Arjuna De Silva, Jayanthasiri Perera and Manoj Jayatissa.

First up, Trinity faced Thurstan. Ravi Pillai relates how the game unfolded: ‘Arjuna De Silva and I had been a centres combination since junior days, so had a good understanding, however it was early in the season and were rusty yet managed to overcome Thurstan running in seven tries’. Score 38-7.

Back in Colombo to face St Joseph’s College, Sivasubramaniam remembers, ‘they held us to 3-4 in the first half, we were losing the ball in the scrums, hooker Jayatissa complained that Josephian prop Frank Bopearachchi was trying to gouge out his eyes. So, I took matters into my own hands or should I say teeth! Bopearachchi retaliated, only to be ordered off by referee Jagath Fernando. That opened the floodgates, we ran in several tries, defeating the Josephians 32-04. We lost centre Arjuna De Silva to injury in this game’.

Regrouping in Kandy, legendary Coach Colonel Bertie Dias unable to replace De Silva, decided, in consultation with Under 17 coach Alex Lazarus, to promote Senani Gunaratne from the Under 17 team, partly because the coaches felt he was better future captaincy material than the other option, the playful legend Shah Doole.

Next Trinity faced the formidable Isipatana led by Shabeen Sideek comprising several future national players. Dilakshan Ratwatte the scion of a Trinity Rugby dynasty recounts: ‘Trinity’s combinations were working, and the season was looking promising. Home advantage saw Isipatana race to an 8-0 lead. We fought back and scored and with two minutes to go were down 6-8. Ensconced deep in Isipatana territory we won the ball outnumbering them with the line staring at us, but over eagerness got the better of us and we dropped the ball. Our first loss 6-8. This game also exacerbated our injury woes losing Captain Wijesinghe’.

The next three games were scrappy affairs. We beat St Anthony’s 4-0. Their captain, Priyantha Ekanayake, in hospital with a bout of meningitis at the beginning of the week, fronted up and played the unaccustomed position of full back effectively, holding us to one try. Vice-captain Ratwatte also succumbed to injury with Sivasubramaniam now being handed over captaincy duties, which he carried out admirably for much of the season. Trinity then beat Anil Jayasinghe’s Vidyartha 28-0 and Nirmal Dharmaratne’s Dharmaraja 6-0.

Next up was Asanga Seneviratne’s St Thomas’s in Kandy. Ikram Odayar, a third generation Trinity Ruggerite recollects ‘unending rain in Kandy made conditions underfoot less than ideal and we were struggling with injuries. We scored quickly in the first half and led 6-0. After a dour forwards battle in the mud, we defended resolutely to win the Canon R. S De Saram Trophy at 6-4.’

In failing health, the legendary Col. Dias’s storied Trinity Rugby career was coming to an end. With three Bradby victories in previous years, he wanted to retire with another Bradby. Coach Dias, a student of the game preferred to focus on strategy and did not pay much attention to method or structure. Knowing this, he brought in former Trinity and Sri Lanka players Chandra Seneviratne, to work with the forwards and Irwin Howie, to train the backs.

Sampath Agalawatte’s Royalists were unbeaten and favourites to win the Bradby. Full back Jayanthasiri Perera recounts ‘it was a hot and humid day in Colombo, after weeks of playing in cool conditions up in Kandy, we were surprised by how quickly the heat sapped our energy. Both teams probed and prodded but could not breach the other’s line. In the end, all that separated the teams was Royal’s Two penalties against Trinity’s One penalty. 6-3’

Prop Senaka Alawattegama reminisces ‘we were smarting from the narrow loss to Royal, but with the Bradby within reach, training intensity went up another notch. At one stage the Coaches had the forward Eight playing against a full Under 17 team. I remember running endlessly and keeping them at bay for a full 30 minutes. We had practiced a forwards ploy over several weeks, with me swivel passing to Ratwatte, then Dissanayake, then Ranasinghe, then at the end Sivasubramaniam and Mohamed all in close quarters out of opponents view and we did attempt it at the first Bradby without success.

The excellent St Peters coached by Frank Hubert had lost to Trinity for 42 years running. They shocked us with an early try and kept attacking. Midway through the second half the team realised losing was not an option. The tide turned with a penalty but were still down 3-4. We set up camp in Peterite territory but couldn’t quite break through. Late in the game, Referee Tony Amith was glancing at his watch with his refereeing rival Hubert reportedly lying spreadeagled in ecstasy anticipating victory. Winning a free kick, we set in motion our practised ploy and it worked exactly as planned finally breaking through for a try on the stroke of full time. Peterite hearts were broken 9-4.

“Back at training, Col. Dias said in admiration ‘the way you played in the last twenty minutes, why can’t you play like that for the length of the game?’. Anticipating slippery conditions, his strategic Bradby plan was to let Royal win the ball in the set pieces, then attack at the breakdown before the gain line thus advancing field position. Winger S.G Ekanayake narrates ‘our plan worked wonders, Royal were winning the ball but struggled to gain traction with our players all over them in a flash. The score remained 0-0 at half time. After the turnaround, we were winning the ball back and ran our line. As one commentator articulated, – Trinity completely dominated the second half with wave after wave of attacks deep into Royal territory, the forwards winning the ball and working the ball right down the line. But the Royal dam was unbreachable, led by the crack Royal third row of Weeratunga, Lenaduwa and Ex Trinitian Navaratnam they held on for dear life to protect their unbeaten season for a Nil all draw. Thus, Royal won the Bradby on aggregate.”

At the end of the week Trinity comprising Duraisamy Sivasubramaniam, Manoj Jayatissa, Kamil Mohamed, Tony Wimaladasa, Jayanthasiri Perera, Ravi Pillai, Arjuna De Silva, S.G Ekanayake and Upul Herath played in rugby sevens tournament reaching the semi-finals.

At Season’s end Sivasubramanian was awarded the coveted Lion for his dominance while Alawattegama, Tyrone David, Manik Weerasinghe, Kamil Mohamed, Ikram Odayar, Anjana Dissanayake, Tony Wimaladasa, Senani Gunaratna, SG Ekanayake, Upul Herath and Roger Halangoda were awarded Colours.

Tragically Trinitians Arjuna De Silva, Anjana Dissanayake and Royalist Sanjaya Sigera passed away. More recently both captains Wijesinghe and Agalwatte passed on after protracted illnesses.

Over the next two weeks both teams of 1984 will meet again after four decades at the Bradby 2023 and will be felicitated. In the absence of the two captains, 1983 Trinity Captain Ashan Ratwatte, who missed his own opportunity due to the pandemic, has been invited to be the chief Guest at Kandy, and Royalist Feroze Suhayb will stand in for his Late Captain at the 2^nd leg in Colombo. Long may this tradition of Bradby fellowship and camaraderie between the two teams continue!