Unimpressive yet Royal record 10 tries over Devans
View(s):Defending Singer Schools Rugby League champions, Royal College enjoyed a comfortable 62-6 win against newcomers Malivadeva College, in their opening game of the season played at Royal Sports Complex yesterday.
Despite the final score and the winning margin, the game could be termed as a learning curve for both teams. In particular, for Royal on how to organise themselves as a unit and for Maliyadeva, on how to deal with sides that are far more experienced than they are.
Royal fielded almost their entire squad, giving the players a glimpse of experience against an immature side in the top schools league. Brushing off critics, Maliyadeva did well to make Royal sweat in the first quarter and then up until halftime, before the hosts tactfully made the visitor wornout and feeble to defend.
Royal scored as many as ten tries, with the bulk of them coming in the second half, and converted six of them, as they used the encounter to try out their kicking options as well. The hosts led 24-3 at hlaftime, after being solidly held back by the visitors in the first ten minutes from barging through the try line.
Royal skipper Thulaib Hassen had the honour of scoring the side’s first try in the 11th minute, after their line neatly worked the ball before handing it over to the leader. Fullback Dulan Gunawardena missed the conversion and ended up with a 40 percent ratio after five attempts, four in the first half and one after the turnaround. But he made up for his failure with the boot by scoring the two tries that followed, after the second try by Yasis Rashmila, who braced one in the 16th minute.
Gunawardena was able to slot over this try before he failed in the 25th minute with his own try. But he was successful with the kick that was landed by him in the 33rd minute. None of these tries came as giveaways, as Maliyadeva possessed a strong defence line. They were rewarded with two penalties, one in the 19th minute that failed and the other in the 30th minute that was put over by skipper Kaushalya Gunaweera before halftime.
The second half almost the same, with Maliyadeva holding on to their territory solidly, but as in the first half Royal shackle d their opponents and scored in the 45th minute through replacement flanker Rajindu Jayasuirya. Royal were leading 29-3 by this time, and four minutes later Maliyadeva added another three pointer through a penalty by their skipper Gunaweera.
The visitors carried on with their stronghold until the 54th minute, before Royal used their experience and made Maliyadeva work hard to regain possession of the ball, which they had had until then. Jayasuriya added his second try of the game, as Royal tried out their second kicker Rehaan Gunaratne, who failed his first attempt.
But in the last ten minutes it was Royal all the way, as they used the width of the ground to score four tries, which all of them were converted by Gunaratne. Dilshan Jayah touched down in the 63rd minute, followed by another in the 66th by Nipun Yasanjana, who had the opportunity to do the closing deal with his second try in the 70th minute. Migara Mihisanka scored a try in the 68th minute to see Royal go past the 50 mark.