Royal stages marvellous comeback

Royal College staged a spectacular fight back where they came from being down 10-24 to hold the fighting St. Joseph College outfit to a thrilling 27-all draw in their Singer inter school ‘A’ Division league rugby tournament match played at CR & FC grounds, Longden Place yesterday. The Joes led 24-10 at half time.

Royal’s points came off 4 tries, 2 conversions and 1 penalty while the Joes’ accumulated their points through 3 tries, 3 conversions and 2 penalties.

The match got off to a cracking start with both teams battling it out for supremacy. St. Joseph’s drew first blood in the 5th minute of play when their burly fly half Chathura Seneviratne fired across a 30-metre penalty to go into a 3-nil lead.

In the 18th minute off a famous rolling maul Royal tight head prop forward Ayesh Maduranga barged over for a brilliant try. Fly half and vice captain Ashok Wijekumar made the conversion and Royal took the lead 7-3.

St. Joseph’s went into the lead again in the 27th minute, when off a ruck their hard working number eight and vice captain Devon Fernando went through the Royal defence and fell over for a superb try which Seneviratne converted and the score read 10-7 in favour of Joes.

The Josephians piled on the pressure when they further increased their lead. In the 31st minute off a three quarter move Royal winger spilled the ball and Joes captain cum centre Rumesh Priyankara came like a flash collected the loose ball and scampered through for a try covering nearly 45 metres. Seneviratne made the conversion and Joes went into 17-7 lead.

In the 36th minute Royal cut down the lead with a 30-metre penalty put over by Wijekumar to cut down the lead to 17-10.

Just on the stroke of half time Joes scored again when off a sweeping three quarter move the ball changed hands from skipper Priyankara to Vinul Fernando on to speedy winger Malintha Pinto who sprinted his way over for a superb try. Seneviratne made the conversion to increase the lead to 24-10 at half time.

After resumption in the 47th minute Royal scored through a fabulous rolling maul when their hooker Ashmeer Fajudeen collected the ball and crashed through for a try. Wijekumar missed the difficult conversion and the score read 24-15 in favour of St. Joseph’s.

In the 53rd minute of play off a scrum the ball came to Seneviratne, the hero of St. Joseph’s who fired across a neat 30 metre drop goal to take their lead to 27-15.

Royal cut it down immediately when in the 65th minute, off a quick tap their forwards made a rolling maul once more and unsung hero cum prop forward Ayesh Maduranga foxed the Joes defence to score a fantastic try far left. Wijekumar missed the difficult conversion and the score read 27-20 in favour of St. Joseph’s.

Royal who had a spectacular game in the second half virtually created a unbelievable draw in the jaws of certain defeat when in the 74th minute of play off a scrum their forwards turned it into a rolling maul and this time their lose head prop forward Mohamad Nabeel barged his way over for a brilliant try under the post. Wijekumar this time made the simple conversion to take the final score to a remarkable 27-all draw.

- (WAI)