Isipathana crush debutants Sri Sumangala
After a slow initiative, Isipathana College gave an experience that would be in their opponent’s minds on the required quality and pace at top level, as debutants Sri Sumangala College, Kandy, were thrashed 50-3 in their Dialog Schools Rugby League encounter played at Havelock Park yesterday.
With a spree of eight tries and five conversions, Isipathana went on to dominate the game while leading the halftime by 14-3. Sri Sumangala, who gave an initial pressure on their opponent, as well as during the last phase of the game, after Isipathana made bulk replacements, were able to score off a solitary penalty.
The Zumri brothers – Shaahid and Shaakib – were the stars of the day, as the duo made the encounter a perfect hunting ground to test their skills and moves. The brothers combined to contribute 35 points out of the total with tries and conversions, while initiating moves that gave their team mates the passage to score.
The younger of the Zumri brother, Shaakib, scored a hat-trick of tries as well as conversions. With lock Kenula Mihisara’s early try and Shaahid’s conversion Isipathana led 7-0 by the 10th minute, as Shaahid raced to score one of his two tries in the 23rd minute. With his own conversion Isipathana led 14-0, but three minutes later a scrappy move by them offered Sri Sumangala a penalty, to which scrumhalf Aadil Nazar responded well to have his team’s only points.
The moment the game resumed in the second half, Isipathana switched on to their usual brand of rugby, only to add six more tries to their tally. Shaakib, who fired his way into action, scored in the 39th, 46th and 51st minutes, while Mihisara went over to score his second try of the game in the 28th minute.
Centre Nimantha Sandeepa joined the party in the 40th minute with a running try, as Shaahid scored his second and Isipathana’s final try in the 58th minute, before a mass replacement of players occurred.