Their triumph at the Under-20 school league rugby tournament would not have been one of those best scripted. But the Royal College rugby team of 2011 experienced an epic ride of guts and determination to win the schools league rugby title. From Royal’s point of view their league rugby campaign could be considered as a well executed mission which in the end brought them the deserved dividends.
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| The Royal first XV rugby team and its supporters had every reason to rejoice this season (Pix by Sanka Vidanagama) |
This year’s Royal rugby team resembled their successful and powerful team from 2009 who remained unbeaten to win the league title under the captaincy of flyhalf Naren Dhason. Under the leadership of third-row-forward Shehan Pathirana Royal played 11 matches and remained as the only team to be unblemished at the end (Though they lost their Bradby second leg to Trinity in a friendly). Pathirana who is a fourth year player with the first XV team enjoyed his rare success as the skipper of the side. But in actual fact Pathirana had to lead a side blended with experience and newcomers.
However before the league season commenced Royal was not even considered as one of the favourites in much stronger outfits around. Many rugby followers including experts predicted the league title to end up at Trinity, former champions St. Peter’s or at Isipathana. Royal’s impressive journey towards the league championship highlights none other than the dedication, passion and the willpower of their players. They scored 55 tries, made 34 conversions, 18 penalties and a drop goal to amass 400 points while conceding 204 in 11 games.
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| Asanga Rodrigo (Coach) |
Royal had a rather weaker team in comparison with others who were well set for the league campaign with full swing. They opted to solely focus on their traditional encounters and the Bradby Shield with an ailing three-quarter line in possession. Their opening match of the season against St. Joseph’s turned out to be a thriller as expected but Royal recorded a 38-31 win. Their second encounter against Wesley was also filled with anxiety right till the end but in the end Royal emerged victorious by a wafer-thin margin of 33-32. Royal was blessed with another win; this time against the fast and running Isipathana after yet another thriller at 11-10. It was the juncture when Royal sensed their hidden capability to go for the league title.
“To be honest even we were not that optimistic of our stakes for the league title at the beginning. Though our backs were not that strong at the beginning our forwards were in top form and were better than any other team. So we had to plan our game focusing much on the forwards. Things were not in the best of shape at start but soon after we won the first leg of Bradby Shield, we knew that we were on the right track,” Asanga Rodrigo, the Royal coach elaborated.
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| Shehan Pathirana (Captain) |
Royal went on to beat Kingswood by 33-25, thrashed Thurstan by a massive 72 for nothing and drubbed Dharmaraja by 50-5 but Rodrigo rated the first leg of Bradby as a great hurdle for the team. To be precise the game was an acid test which gave the entire Royal camp great confidence for their season remainders. Eventually they drubbed Trinity by 33-25 after a great fight and the total focus shifted onto the Royal rugby camp for their stupendous performances during the first six games.
“Our forwards had this tremendous ability to resurge especially during the second half. Knowing our weak areas which were our backs, we always patterned the game to suit our forwards and were always triumphant. The model of playing with forwards was adopted by our former coach Theo Serafinm who went back to New Zealand after Royal’s fourth game in the season. He had very good knowledge of each player and I made sure not to change that style midway of a tournament. In addition the great leadership of Shehan Pathirana was amazing. Many a time when Royal was mounted with pressure on the field, he knew how to handle the side and make use of his players,” Rodrigo added.
But Royal faced a major blow when they stood at the receiving end against an improved Trinity outfit who recorded a 40-5 win to regain the Bradby Shield. This loss however did not affect Royal’s unbeaten run in the tournament as it was a friendly fixture. The alarming shock further bonded the determined Royalists as a bunch. Meanwhile in the league tournament Royal continued to record wins against St. Anthony’s by 40-13 and after a break of four weeks and even without the presence of their skipper Pathirana beat S. Thomas’ by 22-7.
“The match against St. Peter’s was one of the best school encounters I have ever experienced. The game produced as much as 15 tries and a combine of 91 points from both teams which spilled the thrills till the final whistle. After our comeback from the loss against Trinity at Bradby, our main concern was to overcome St. Peter’s. That was a game where for the first time our backs opened up and finished up scoring. We pulled out with a deserving win and it raised our hopes of regaining the league title,” Rodrigo explained.
 The final barrier Royal had to clear was the threat of gritty Science who had earlier shocked Trinity, Kingswood and S. Thomas’. However Royal playing a calm game made a last minute comeback to beat Science by 18-15 and in the process to win the league title.
“It was a tough time for us especially during the final ten minutes when they led by 15-11. But in the end one of our backs, Azman Khan made the crucial break with a last minute try. Of course we were under tremendous pressure during that time but the try helped us to comeback and hold the game till the finish,” skipper Shehan Pathirana said.
On the odds for Royal forwards outshone at many occasions right throughout the season. Their key players in the making were props Eroshan de Alwis and Yaaeen Yusuf, hooker Aadil Jabbar, locks Lahiru Pavithra and Wasim Bawa and skipper Pathirana who played as the No.8. Among the three-quarters in top form were scrumhalf Dileepa Jayatilleke, flyhalf Arshad Jamaldeen, centre Tharaka Wijesuriya and fullback Rimzi Jamaldeen. Out of the bunch locks Pavithra and Bawa were outstanding as well as prop de Alwis. The Jamaldeens, Rimzi and Arshad performed above expectations to initiate many ground-breaking moves.
“We lost eight seniors from last year and knew that it was not going to be an easy walk sans big names in our side. As a team we stuck to our game plans throughout the season and the coach was fully aware of our capabilities. There were few occasions when the coach decided to slightly change the plan and the boys adhered well. Our focus at the start was the Bradby but things changed midway. It’s really happy and a great privilege to lead a team that lacked momentum at the beginning towards a fairytale end. The team was more like a family and the support from the coaching staff, the Royal College Union and the Principal was a great motivator for us,” Pathirana stated.
Royal faked many challenges on the ground as well as predictions which came off the field this year with only 11 experienced players in their camp. They simply proved that size and strength is no match to shrewdness on the field, a facet most rugby teams ignore. But next year they will lose five players from the starting line-up and three players from the bench.
“Shehan’s captaincy in inspiring and he’s a great motivator. Though we struck to a common game plan, we always assessed our opponents before a game. Sometimes there were minor changes and at all these times Shehan has a unique way to convey things positively to the team. That is one great quality the entire team adore of him. Next year the team will be much stronger and Royal will have better chances of retaining the title,” intended skipper Arshad Jamaldeen said. |
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