Fierce competition on cards as Schools Rugby League 2023 kicks off tomorrow

It’s the end of the pre-season of the Schools Rugby in Sri Lanka, and most teams are now ready and eager after rigorous training sessions and practice matches to finally enter the playing fields this week.

After lacklustre and inconsistent performances last season by most schools in comparison to the pre-COVID seasons, all the schools are expected to return with utmost enthusiasm, fitness and consistent skill plays that we all love to see in Schools Rugby.

This season is expected to be tightly contested in the upper division, with the majority of the teams being upskilled and beefed up adequately; hence one can expect fierce competition for every single spot in the points table in the Schools Rugby league.

Most Rugby Camps have been quite secretive this year, and no one really knows what they have been cooking up for us, behind closed gates of their respective practice fields. All we could do is speculate, based on last year and whatever information we have thus far.

Defending Champions, Isipathana College will be adamant to keep their last year’s unbeaten record intact, and end up as the table toppers in the League, once again. It will be interesting to see if any team would be strong enough, or most importantly, brave enough to challenge the Green Machine this season. Isipathana College Head Coach Saliya Kumara would be expected to sustain the superiority of the Greens, for the second consecutive year.

Last year’s League and President’s Trophy runners up St. Joseph’s College (double crown runners-up, if you will), will be all out to dethrone the defending Champions, and strive to claim its first League title this year! “Will be all out” should be read in all-caps. With a comparatively unusual and shaky season last year, the Joes are expected to come out with all cylinders blazing this season, with sufficient Nitro to last until the knockouts. Head Coach Nilfer Ibrahim shall be hell bent on redeeming Joes from the near-humiliating defeat at the hands of the defending Champions Isipathana, at the knockout final last year.

Royal College Rugby, which has been on a very slow but steady decline since the departure of Coach Sanath Martis, would still be one of the top contenders for the League Title. Finishing up in 3rd place last season, they will look forward to making amends, and make a comeback to regain the League Title, that they last won in 2019. An old boy and Head Coach Dushantha Lewke would have to work smarter (than harder), to outclass his fierce peers. 

Wesley College fielded a team last year that was celebrated as the junior Champions Team, but this team managed to reach only the no. 4 position in the League last year. This year, they face the challenge of grooming and upskilling a rather young team, and getting them ready to face half a dozen Lions, and half a dozen Wolves in a hypothetical Coliseum. An old boy of the school, Head Coach Hendry Terence is tasked with a seemingly impossible and challenging mission this year.

Trinity College, missing the 4th spot by a slight margin last year, will look to fix all shortcomings to reach greater heights this season, by calling upon sensational Fazil Marija to take up the reins as their Head Coach. This would be the first time Marija takes on the responsibility of coaching schools 1st XV Rugby. It is expected to be the most anticipated combination of school vs coach, and the Rugby fans should be extremely eager to find out what magic this formula can produce for the game.

The surprise package of last season was Vidyartha College Kandy, who made a comeback to the upper division after seemingly forever, but made amends by dishing out some spectacular moves in fast and open play. Veteran coach Ananda Kasthuriarachchi will look forward to strengthening their game and ascertaining their place in the upper division this year, whilst ensuring that they become piercing Thorns on the sides of the big guns! 

S’ Thomas College, the school by the high winds and constantly roaring bellows, is expected to dish out exactly the same effect to their opponents this year! Head Coach Shamlie Nawaz, who brought Zahira College to the upper division before the pandemic, is on his 4th year with the Thoras but only the 2nd year in action. It is expected to be the year of renaissance for the Blue, Black and Blue

Legendary Coach Sanath Martis and the Bamba Brigade had a distasteful 2022 with highly inconsistent performances that led to a year that they would rather forget quickly. However, they are well prepared and ready for 2023, as observed in their performance in the traditional “Legends” encounter against the old boys of St. Peter’s College, in which they showed splendour, class and superiority! Sir Martis is all set to rejuvenate his league legacy after a period of 5 years, and sends out an amber alert to all his opponents.

Science College has been having several disappointing years, lacking their usual venom, style of play and element of surprise. Old boy and former Head Coach Amila Chathuranga (a.k.a. Kandy) returned to his Alma Mater last year, to help build up their game, once again. One could observe that the Science game improved with each match, and this year, one could expect them to live up to their hard-earned stage name, “Giant Killers”! Hence Giants… beware.

Despite fielding a reasonably good team, St. Anthony’s College failed to perform adequately well last season. However, it appears that they have made necessary corrections and improvements, with help from their new Head Coach Srinath Sooriyabandara, to be a force in the upper division this year. Let’s wish and hope for the best for Antho Rugby.

Having lost all their league matches, Kingswood College, the pioneers of schools Rugby, had a disastrous year in 2022. After a narrow escape from being demoted to the lower division, they stand strong this year, resurrected by the capable and proven Head Coach Ronny Ibrahim, who took Kingswood Rugby to the helm by winning the Triple Crown for 3 consecutive years, back in 2003-05. Can he repeat this marvellous feat after exactly two decades? We will only find out after their first match against the Green Machine on 18 June.

The surprise packages for this season may come from the two teams that were promoted to the upper division, viz. D.S. Senanayake College and Zahira College. While D.S. remained unbeaten in the lower division last season, it was interesting to note that their goal line was never crossed throughout the league. They are expected to make an impact in the upper division this season, but the question is, to what extent?

Zahira College, returning to the upper division after a few years, now seemingly more potent than before, would be able to offer some resistance to the top guns, and should make the other teams toil for their wins. Nilfer’s former assistant at Isipathana, Anuranga Walpola has taken on the role of Head Coach for Zahira, and an upset is definitely not out of the question for the Maradana Lads.

After having a closer look at each squad, you may now realise that this season packs the utmost entertainment, unexpected upsets, twists and turns, nerve-wrecking thrills, but hopefully without the spills, as knock-ons would be a definite turn off for Rugby lovers. It doesn’t matter which school we support or remain neutral, the festivity at hand is Rugby.

Each match gives us the opportunity to see something rare or unusual for the first time, regardless of who is playing, and it doesn’t even have to be the top teams. As we progress savouring and cherishing these little and big Rugby moments, towards the end-game in the Super Round of the league, it shall come down to the wits, tactics and counter tactics by the Coaches. In essence, the battle of the Coaches in the grand finale.