It was right Royal domination
It was a mud larker's paradise at Havelock Park, where Royal were in total control - Pic by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
Royal produced a scintillating display, in appalling conditions underfoot, to demolish Isipathana and prevent a hat-trick of wins by the Green Shirts. They had earlier won the Major Milroy Fernando Trophy in 2015 and 2016 under Kushan Indunil and Sumudu Rankothge.
The final score of 41-7 tells a tale of complete dominance by the Royal team. The Royalists were bent on proving that their struggles against Wesley in the previous game were just an aberration. They had to keep faith with their supporters and also to cock a snook at their detractors.
Scrum half Mubeen Faleel started the ball rolling with a try in the left corner within the first five minutes. This was an earnest of their intentions. Gunawardena failed with the kick but Royal had asserted early ascendancy.
The tries kept rolling in at regular intervals as Royal’s prop Sasitha Siyath and centres Janidu Dilshan and Thulaib Hassan made light of the attempts by the Pathana defence to control them. It was 22-0 at the break, after Royal had posted a goal and three tries.
The Pathana lads were a little flustered at this stage and their few attempts to break Royal’s momentum by putting points on the board did not succeed.
A promising g move was nipped in the bud when an attempted long pass sailed out into touch. The Isipathana scrum half C.T. Kalhara was a bit too predictable in his efforts to kick up and unders from the base of the scrum.
Probably, the losers, fared better in the second half in which they conceded nineteen points via two goals and a try. They proved on the rare occasions that they attempted the run and pass game that they were foemen worthy of Royal’s steel. However those attempts were brief and unsuccessful.
The feature of Royal’s play was that they seldom dropped a pass and that there were plenty of players to support the ball carrier. It was a case of Unceasing Waves in embryo.
Inspirational skipper Sabith Feroze joined the party by going over twice in this half. Royal were in their opponents half and a bad mistake by a defender saw Feroze side step one and even jump over another as he saw the gap opening up before him. The second try by the skipper was beautifully converted by full back Dulan Gunewardena from a difficult angle.
To be fair, Isipathana did not stop trying. Pride demanded that they get on the score-sheet. Yet Royal’s defence seemed well- nigh unbreachable. A couple of penalties conceded deep in Royal’s 22 yielded a score for the Green Shirts.
K.M. Gautham was the hero when he forced his way over the line after a melee. Skipper Manelka Ruberu, who never gave up attacking, must have been very relieved when his conversion went over.
On the evidence of this display, their next opponent (probably the Peterites) will find it difficult to live with them. This was, far and away, Royal’s best performance this season.
The ground conditions were quite awful. At the end of the game, every player, save for the recent arrivals, was caked in mud.
Selvyn Sally, the Isipathana captain of 1986, presented the Major Milroy Fernando Trophy to the Royal skipper.
Referee: Rohan Fernando