Royal College delivered a comprehensive and crushing victory against Thurstan College with an extraordinary 97-16 win in their Dialog ‘A’ Division Schools League Rugby Tournament match at the Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday.
Leading 40-7 at halftime, Royal displayed their supremacy throughout the game making a mockery of the promoted Thurstan team that on many occasions merely watched their opponents run circles around them or out-run them like doing the 100 metres sprint.
Royal scored a total of 11 goals and four tries to amass their mammoth 97 points as Thurstan managed to score one goal and three penalties, securing 16 consolation points in the one-sided affair.
The star of the match was Royal’s wing three-quarter, Didula Jayasuriya, who scored a marvellous six tries.
His teammate, winger Amika Samarasinghe, also had an excellent performance with four tries. Winger Thivain Lakdiv contributed with two tries and burly prop forward Yehan Bandara added one try to the tally.
Thurstan opened the scoring in the eighth minute when flanker Chanithu Perera intercepted a pass and ran some 20 meters to score under the posts.
Nethupul Lasanda’s successful conversion put Thurstan ahead 7-0.
Royal quickly responded in the 11th minute with Amika Samarasinghe scoring their first try. Fullback Nabil Yahiya’s successful conversion equalized the score at 7-7.
Samarasinghe struck again in the 15th minute, brushing off defenders to score under the posts and Yahiya’s conversion put Royal ahead 14-7.
In the 21st minute, winger Didula Jayasuriya scored under the posts and Yahiya’s conversion extended the lead to 21-7. Jayasuriya scored again in the 27th minute, with Idris Farouk converting to make it 28-7.
Jayasuriya’s hat-trick came in the 33rd minute, with Farouk missing the conversion, but Royal still led 33-7.
Samarasinghe’s try and Farouk’s brilliant conversion before halftime had Royal leading 40-7.
After the resumption, Samarasinghe completed another try in the 38th minute, with Farouk’s conversion making it 47-7. Thurstan’s Nethupul Lasanda added three more penalty points in the 41st minute, reducing the gap to 47-10.
Winger Thivain Lakdiv scored a try in the 42nd minute and Royal led 52-10. Jayasuriya’s impressive form continued as he scored another try, extending the lead to 57-10.
Samarasinghe’s try and Farouk’s conversion made it 64-10 in the 48th minute. Jayasuriya’s sprinting and Yahiya’s drop kick put Royal ahead 71-10 in the 50th minute followed by Hiruka Jayanidu scoring and converting his own try in the 54th minute making the scores leading 78-10.
Thurstan’s Lasanda added a 22-meter penalty in the 57th minute, making it 78-13 but Lakdiv’s try and Farouk’s conversion extended Royal’s lead to 85-13 in the 60th minute followed by Jayasuriya touching down for his sixth try in the 64th minute with Farouk missing the conversion but still leading 90-13.
Yehan Bandara’s try and Farouk’s brilliant touchline conversion made it 97-13.
Thurstan’s Lasanda put over a penalty in the 69th minute making the final scoreline 97-16.
