Clinical Green Machine scrape through gritty Trinity
View(s):A game that could have tarnished their unbeaten tag was clinically turned over by Isipathana College, as they scraped through to their fourth successive win of the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2024, with a 15-13 win against Trinity College at Havelock Park yesterday. The underfoot conditions caused by heavy downpours and constant showers prevented both teams from going for their usual brands of play, but the Green Machine managed to gradually gain momentum as the game progressed. Both teams equally committed mistakes due to the weather factor, as they failed to handle the ball under slippery conditions, but Trinity took the initiative to play with their forwards, a tactic Isipathana adopted after the turnaround.
Eventually, following a try from prop forward Kavin Tharusha, Isipathana managed to regain the lead in the 52nd minute, and maintain the stronghold right up till the end. Eventually they ended the game victorious with a tally of two tries, a conversion and a penalty.
Trinity, who looked well set for third win, had to surrender to their second defeat in four games. But they gained bonus points for losing within the margin of five points or less, after scoring from a converted try and a penalty.
Isipathana forward Kavin Tharusha challenged by Trinity defenders in a close and challenging game at Havelock Park - Pic by Akila Jayawardena
With Isipathana being forced to withhold their usual style of running play, they took the early advantage of a penalty, to which centre Shaahid Zumry successfully responded in the eighth minute to gain a 3-0 lead. But Trinity adopted to the conditions and the situation that favoured them with the opponents being forced to commit mistakes, as they equalised through a penalty in the 22nd minute from fullback Yevan Hulangamuwa.
Trinity kept on with their onslaught, and was rewarded with a try in the 34th minute braced by scrumhalf Udaan Weerakoon, with the successful conversion to follow from Hulangamuwa. With that Trinity took the lead by 10-3 by halftime.
The visitors continued their newfound strategy, which proved successful as they managed to further expand the lead to 13-3 off a Hulangamuwa penalty in the 43rd minute. No sooner Isipathana gradually adopted the same strategy of their opponents to respond with an unconverted try off centre Avishka Hiran three minutes later, but still Trinity were in the lead 13-8.
However Isipathana kept on attacking their opponent’s territory, until they found a passage to breach the Trinity defence in the 52nd minute through a collective forward move. After Tharusha braced the try to level the scores, fullback Abdullah Faizer did the unthinkable by putting over the conversion from a rather difficult angle under challenging conditions to put Isipathana back in the lead by 15-13, a margin they shielded until the final whistle.