Royal draws first blood

Trinity loses first leg 22-17:

by Dinesh Weerawansa

A spectacular try in the 36th minute of the second half by hooker Azmir Fajudeen enabled Royal College, Colombo to edge out traditional rivals Trinity College, Kandy by 22 points to 17 in the first leg of their 72nd annual Bradby Shield rugby encounter played at Royal College Sports Complex grounds, Reid Avenue yesterday.

The Reid Avenue boys made the best use of ideal weather conditions to play with their match-winning set of forwards to cross the Trinity line thrice.

They collected their point from two goals, one try and a penalty against two goals and a penalty by the Lions. Royal enjoyed a comfortable 17-7 lead at ‘lemons’ before the Trinity forwards made their presence felt from early in the second half.

It was a neck to neck battle for supremacy but it was the Royal ‘pack’ and their rolling maul that emerged the decisive factor in handling the wet ball after heavy showers was experienced midway of the first half.

Although Trinity came to the big ’un with a slight edge, it was Royal who drew first blood even before the Lions had set their game plan into motion.The Reid Avenue boys scored early in the very first minute. They got off to an inspiring 7-0 lead just 28 seconds after the kick off as Royal center three quarter Janidu Dilshan intercepted a Trinity pass to cover almost 25metres completely unchallenged and score under the posts. Full back Ovin Askey added the extra points.

But Royal’s joy was short lived as Trinity fought back to find the equalizer goal 15 minutes later. Royal were penalized for holding on and Trinity opted a kick to touch.

Although they lost the ball in the ensuing line out, they kept exerting pressure and flanker Rukshan Dhammapala finally managed to go through the Royal defence in the 16th minute. Full back Sanushka Abeywickrema converted to make it seven-all.

Royal however regained the lead in the 20th minute when a Trinity player was penalized for an infringement and full back Askey made no mistake with a 25metre kick to make it 10-7.The heavy downpour turned out to be a blessing for Royal who preferred to play with their heavy and mobile pack, better known for scoring through rolling mauls.

They tried exactly this in the 27th minute to score once more through Royal hooker Fajudeen who fell over near the right corner flag. Askey was on target once again in making the conversion as Royal extended their lead to 17-7.

Trinity got an opportunity to reduce the deficit just seven minutes away from the short whistle through a penalty but failed to make it.

Although many thought Royal would further exploit the wet weather and extend their lead after the turn around, it was not so as Trinity forwards stormed into action to match their counterparts.

They first cut down the lead with a 30metre penalty put over by fly half Lasan Wijesuriya in the 15th minute of the second half, before scoring another magnificent try to level the scores for the second time in the match. The Trinity lions kept on exerting pressure on the Royal defence and were finally rewarded in the 26th minute to equal the score.

Initially, it was not clear whether Trinity winger Diluksha Dange had touched down neatly and referee Dinka Peiris decided to consult his Television Match Official (TMO) before allowing the try. Wijesuriya added the extra points.

Trinity’s regular skipper Rahul Karunathilake was unfortunate to miss their most important game of the season as he was serving a one-match suspension after two yellow cards in their previous match against S. Thomas’ which the Lions lost 20-23.

Following the events that led to the suspension of Karunathilake, a TMO was introduced for the first time not only in the seven-decade-old Bradby Shield history but also in the 91-year-old Royal-Trinity series which runs way back to 1920.

It was anybody’s game after the scores were levelled 17-all with only 14 minutes away from the long whistle.

But Royal forwards masterminded another great try – once again off a rolling maul that ultimately gave the Reid Avenue boys a five-point lead before travelling up to Pallekele in a fortnight’s time for the second leg encounter. Referee Peiris disallowed a certain Royal try and even did not consult the TMO on this occasion. Instead, he decided a five-metre scrum.

Hooker Fajudeen scored his second try off the ensuing rolling maul which eventually brought Royal victory.Royal’s nail-biting win also enabled them to secure second place in the points table of the Under-19 schools rugby league behind S. Thomas’ which has beaten both Royal and Trinity this season. Former Sri Lanka player and ex-CR& FC skipper, Rohantha Peiris who had captained Royal’s champion unbeaten rugby team of 1978 was the chief guest.