Isipathana in late rally see off Joes 22-10

Defending champions Isipathana College left it too late before forcing a hard-fought 22-10 victory over a fighting St. Joseph’s College, in an error-strewn Dialog Inter-School President’s Trophy Knockout quarter-final match at Royal Sports Complex yesterday (22).

The reigning champions struggled for fluency in the first half, but managed to get their act together after the turnaround courtesy of unforced errors from the Joes and thus as expected advanced to the last four of the competition.

The green machine ultimately sped to an unconvincing win and booked their place in the Knockout semis against Royal College in a repetition of last season’s edition, next week.

Isipathana will now tackle Royal in the first semifinal encounter with the venue yet to be decided on coming Saturday (28).

The winners who led 7-3 at half time scored from three tries of which two were converted and a penalty goal to which the lads from Darley Road responded with a converted try and a penalty, in a match which failed to dish out sparks as anticipated by the Sunday crowd.

It took Isipathana almost the entire first half to score their first try, when in the 34th minute full back Nimantha Sandeepa went through off a fifth phase sweeping backline move and with his own conversion they led 7-0.

However, Joes had led from the ninth minute onwards through an Adrianno Candappa penalty goal, but did well to cough up possession when in the opposition red zone thanks to unforced errors.

After the restart the greens upped the tempo of their game and a 40th minute try to skipper and hardy number eight Shaakib Zumri and a Yuvindu Kodithuwakku (outside centre) try through sheer individual brilliance where he brushed off three tacklers 23 minutes later, sealed the deal for the title-holders.

In between those two scores by the Pathana, Josephian half back Askshan Rashmidha managed his team’s solitary five-pointer in the 48th minute, but it proved insufficient as a 58th minute penalty knocked over by Sandeepa ensured the former’s position in the semis.