Stage set to kick off school rugby season
The mush anticipated, the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2023, will be staged beginning from June 14 with the game between St. Anthony’s and St. Joseph’s at the Bogambara ground in Kandy.
This game welcomes seven weeks of excitement as six games are scheduled to take place each week with defending champions Isipathana College coming out as firm favourites among the rest of the contenders.
The title holders of both League and Knockout competitions – Isipathana – are lined up with St. Joseph’s, Wesley, S. Thomas’, St. Anthony’s, Kingswood and D.S. Senanayake colleges in Group 1 of the Division 1 Segment ‘A’. The Group 2 is formed by Royal, Trinity, Vidyartha, Science, Dharmaraja, St. Peter’s and Zahira, who are equally formidable as their counterparts in the first group as the top 14 schools gear up to claim the highest plum of schools rugby, the Dialog Schools Rugby League Championship of 2023.
The 14 teams have been divided into two groups of seven each according to the final standings of last year’s competition. Last season Isipathana romped to claim the league title with an unbeaten record, winning all their five group stage games. They marched forward in the Super Round, where the top two teams of each group competed. First they narrowly beat St. Joseph’s by 16-13 to face off the other contender, Royal College, in the decisive game. Despite trailing 6-10 at halftime, Isipathana bounced back to overcome a 14-men Royal side after recording a win by 21-15, with a tally of two converted tries and three penalties. Royal managed to score from two tries, a conversion and a penalty, but after losing one of their key players on a red card offence, the fortune switched towards Isipathana, who became the only side to win the title without losing a single game. Royal had lost to Trinity earlier in a close battle, and tasted their second defeat at the hands of Isipathana in the crucial game. The other two teams to reach the Super Round – St. Joseph’s and Wesley had lost a game each in the group stage, but failed to impress. Eventually, Isipathana led the final standings after seven games with 37 points followed by St. Joseph’s (30), Royal (29) and Wesley (22).
The recap of last year’s league competition makes the upcoming season more interesting as the 12 teams from 2022 are joined by the top two sides from the lower division, Zahira and D.S. Senanayake. However all eyes will be on the top four sides from last season, as well as other contenders who came close to qualifying for the Super Round.
As last season, the top two sides of each group will move up to play the Super Round, after the completion of the seven-week group stage games. One team each from both groups will enjoy a week off during this hectic period of seven weeks, before the Super Round, where the top two ranked teams of the opposite group will play against each other to determine the winners of the Schools League 2023 by mid of August.
The league games will also include some of the key traditional fix played between school sides, such as the coveted Bradby Shield, the Lady Jayatileke Shield, Canon R.S. de Saram Trophy and the Blaze to name a few. Accordingly the first leg of the Bradby Shield will be played on July 22 at Pallekele, and August 5 has been reserved for the second leg to be played at the Royal Complex in Colombo.
Simultaneously, the Division 1 Segments ‘B’ and ‘C’ will also take place alongside the top division competition. In the Division 1 Segment ‘B’ 12 teams are divided into two groups of six each in which the Group 1 is made of Thurstan, Maliyadeva, Lumbini, St. Aloysius, Ananda and Piliyandala Central. Its Group 2 includes Sri Sumangala Kandy, Prince of Wales, Mahanama, St. Benedict’s, St. Sylvester’s and Carey colleges.
The Division 1 Segment ‘C’ has the similar number of teams where St. John’s Nugegoda, Sri Rahula Kandy, C.W.W. Kannangara, Moratu MV, Dharmapala and Lalith Athulathmudali MV form the Group 1. Its Group 2 is formed by Nalanda, Devapathiraja, Sumangala Panadura, Siri Piyarathana, Richmond, Bandaranayake Central colleges.
Division 1 Segment ‘A’
Match Schedule
Division 1 Segment ‘B’
Division 1 Segment ‘C’
| |