Scrum and Engage with SriLankaSports.com by Christopher Jordashe, with special views from Tony Amit
Script: Brian Thomas | Edited by: Christopher Jordashe
This was the game of the season. Fascinating rugby was the sole winner, but Wesley pulled off a stunning victory from the jaws of defeat. Spare a thought for the Thomians – it could have gone either way.
The pendulum swung, spectators were on the edge of their seats, and viewers were glued to their TV sets as the Double Blues won 43 points to 38 – tears of joy for Wesley, while the Thomians proved their grit but made some basic mistakes in the dying stages, handing Wesley the runners-up title.
Wesley 5 – STC 0
The Double Blues raided the Thomian territory straight from the kick-off as the deep kick was overcooked past the dead-ball line. From a scrum down in the middle, Wesley tormented the Thomian defence, spoiling three scoring opportunities with knock-ons, until the 8th minute when lady luck favoured them at a breakdown. Wesley winger Rodrigo touched down at the corner flag for an unconverted try.
STC 7 – Wesley 5
The Thomians entered Wesley territory through a box kick by their nippy skipper Wickramasuriya. From a ruck, Number 8 Mickel Karunaratne sent Akib Cooray through the gap to score under the posts. Mayanka Dias converted, giving the visitors a 7–5 lead.
Wesley 10 – STC 7
In the 20th minute, the Thomian defence fell apart as Fawaz Pawan sidestepped, beat the defence, and sent Shifan Intikab to score by the second corner flag. The try was unconverted.
Wesley 15 – STC 7
Wesley drove the Thomian forwards in the 24th minute with a good rolling maul and scored far left for try number three, unconverted.
Wesley 15 – STC 12
With 30 minutes on the clock, it was showtime from Mayanka Dias. He beat the strong Wesley defence, sidestepped, changed direction, scored under the posts, and converted his own try – a moment of individual brilliance that reduced the deficit.
Half-time: STC 19 – Wesley 15
An ugly incident occurred at the stroke of half-time, resulting in two Wesley players and one Thomian being yellow-carded. Unfortunately, spectators also got involved in a scuffle, but the organisers managed to resume play. Legally, two minutes remained in the half. The Thomians had a penalty advantage and wisely took a quick tap. Mayanka Dias went over, with Wesley reduced to 13 and S. Thomas’ to 14 before the break.
Wesley 22 – STC 19
The Thomian defence blundered again. Off a breakdown, player of the match Abdul Hadhi ran almost 25 metres untouched to score under the posts, regaining the lead for Wesley.
STC 26 – Wesley 22
Read for yourselves the swing of the pendulum. A fantastic move by the Thomian three-quarters – after the ball was spread wide from a Thomian loosehead inside the 22-metre Wesley territory – saw inside centre Avishka Perera cross the whitewash mid-left. And remember, young Mayanka Dias rarely misses conversions from such angles.
St Thomas’ 33 – Wesley 22
In the 50th minute, for the first time, a team took a double-digit lead in this nail-biter. A forwards’ rush off the base of a 5-metre scrum saw Mickel Karunaratne barge over by the right flank, with Mayanka converting. At that point, it seemed the Thomians were calling the shots and may have put the game to rest.
STC 33 – Wesley 29
Thomians’ brother school Trinity learned a lesson last week about Wesley’s ploy – if caught napping. A miskick saw Abdul Hadhi run across, set a maul in the Thomian backyard, and the big Hapugala – taking three Thomians with him – scored under the posts. The defence stood off, waiting, as the try line glared. The conversion left Wesley trailing by only four points.
Wesley 36 – STC 33
In the 60th minute, lightning struck again. As with previous phases, the Thomians got into a defensive mode and let Wesley dominate. Gammanpila ran through a shell-shocked Thomian defence to touch down under the posts. The pendulum swung back in Wesley’s favour as they took a 3-point lead.
STC 38 – Wesley 36
The Thomian grit was on full display. With less than five minutes on the referee’s clock, Mickel Karunaratne struck gold off a ruck, carrying two Wesley defenders with him to score what seemed the winning try, putting the Thomians ahead 38–36.
Wesley Win 43 – STC 38
In the run of play, S. Thomas’ became the victim of circumstances from the kick-off. An unforced error led to a scrum with Wesley having the loosehead. Abdul Hadhi turned water into wine, playing like a forward, barging through the fringe defence to touch down under the posts. The try sparked debate but was ruled in favour of Wesley after multiple reviews.
Tony’s Corner
A great game – the best we’ve seen this season. A good win by Wesley, but the Thomians can hold their heads high. I only wish the ugly incident could have been handled better. Schoolboys will have their banter, but spectators, and even match officials, invading the field is, in my book, appalling to say the least.
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