St. Peter’s prevail to record third win
Defending champions St. Peter’s College prevailed against lowly placed Science College with a close 29-23 win in the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2025 encounter played at Bambalapitiya yesterday to record their third successive win. St. Peter’s, having taken a comfortable 19-0 lead at the breather accumulated their points from five tries and two conversions to the two converted tries and three penalties scored by Science.
The Bamba Brigade, as they are known, underwent some anxious moments though dominating in the first half as their opponents gave them torrid moments while coming under the visitors’ control in the second half. The way that the Peterites began with a first minute try by flanker Sithila Nimsara and lock Rajith Diyon adding the extra points, it looked like they were moving forward for a comfortable win.
A Peterite moves forward - Pic by Eshan Fernando
But it was not to be as they were made to put in all their resources from a fighting outfit to make the next scoring which they did after a lapse of 25 minutes with prop Ashaaz Akram going over for an unconverted try to lead 12-0.
Though the Science outfit was unable to breach the home side defence, they put in stiff resistance before the Peterites succeeded to break loose to increase the lead through a try scored by flyhalf Emith Jayaweera in the dying stages. With Diyon booting over the conversion saw them take a 19-0 before the short whistle was blown.
On resumption it was the Peterites who again made the first scoring in the third minute with lock Diyon going over for an unconverted try. From there on the two sides shared honours as Science ended up making their first scoring in the 50th minute to reduce the deficit from a try scored by centre Rithmaka Dabare as skipper and fullback Dilruwan Perera made no mistake with the conversion.
The Peterites, undeterred, struck back and from a five-metre scrimmage, flanker Sithila Nimsara barged his way to plant an unconverted try, his second of the match, as they lead 29-7.
Science gave the home side some anxious moments and in the melee skipper Dilruwan Perera succeeded to boot over two penalties. That had the Peterites supporters on their toes as Perera added seven more points to their tally from a try and the conversion.
Science, though trailing 0-29, fought back to have the Peteriites in disarray and further reduced the deficit with skipper Perera booting over another penalty. But it turned out to be insufficient as they could not prevent the Bamba Brigades from coming out victorious by 29-23.