Three former Trinity College ruggerites Pradeep Basnayake, Kavinda Jayasena both Lion winners and Thusitha de Silva a Coloursman who were named by the Old Trinitians Rugby scrummage to handle coaching for another season at their AGM, have accepted to do the job.
Trinity College played its first inter-school game in 1906 against Kingswood College which game ended in a 6-all draw. Currently the players are in gym workouts and looking ahead to a new season.
At the last AGM Old Trinitians Rugby Srummage named Rodney So’oialo the former All Blacks as the Consultant head coach while Thusitha de Silva was named as the Backs coach while Basnayake was named as the Coach and Advisor.
He is a double International having represented the country in rugby and Basketball and is a world rugby level II course holder. He played for Kandy SC for ten years and many years for the country.
Jayasena was named as the manager cum forwards coach. He is an IRB rugby commissioner and the present overall rugby manager of Trinity College rugby. At national level he represented the Sri Lanka Youth team in 1999 and in 2001 played for the Sri Lanka team in the World Cup qualifying matches. He was team manager of Havelock Sports Club and was recently awarded the match day commissioner workshop certificate by Asia Rugby.
Tusutha de Silva is also an IRB Level I and 2 qualified coach.
Trinity College has been known as the cradle of Sri Lanka schools rugby for well over a century as the college from the hill capital produced many outstanding ruggerites and champion sides, including five unbeaten teams.
However, since the Lions’ last all-conquering First XV side of 1987, under the inspiring captaincy of Tyrrell Rajapakse and legendary coach Alex Lazarus, there has not been another champion team.
That is a 29-year gap and was a case of so near yet so far for Trinity on a few occasions since ’87 and the Trinitians will have to pull up their socks to ensure their championship hiatus does not extend beyond three painful decades.
This is quite a startling and unenviable record for a proud institution that has a supreme legacy in rugby, having dominated the field from the 1920s through to the ‘80s.