Clinical St. Joseph’s down brave Kingswood
Visiting St. Joseph’s College played smart rugby to beat Kingswood College 31-22 in their Plate Segment match of the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2025 at the Bogambara Stadium in Kandy yesterday. The Joes led 21-17 at halftime and held their nerves in a slippery, muddy second half to walk off with a well-earned win.
The boys from Maradana scored five tries and three conversions to complete their tally of 31 points. Kingswood replied with four tries and a conversion, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Josephians. The visitors opened the scoring early when captain and centre Beeshma Jayasekara powered through under the posts in the second minute, converting it himself to make it 7-0.
KIngswood almost stunned the Joes in Kandy - Pic by Shane Seneviratne
Kingswood answered through flanker Themash Thilakaratne, who crossed the line in the 19th minute, though his try went unconverted. The score stood at 7-5. St. Joseph’s struck again just three minutes later. Fullback Akash Gomes sliced through the defence to score, and once again, skipper Jayasekara added the extras to make it 14-5.
Kingswood’s lock forward Pansilu Bandara muscled over for their second try in the 29th minute, narrowing the gap to 10-14. The Joes, staying calm and clinical, hit back in the 35th minute when flanker Ashen Kumara dotted down after structured forward play. Jayasekara kept his perfect record with the boot, making it 21-10. Kingswood replied right before the break. Big lock Pansilu Bandara scored his second try and fly-half Ashik Azmi converted, reducing the margin to 17-21 at halftime.
The home team struck first in the second half when centre Sachintha Naveesha finished off a smart inside pass from Azmi in the 48th minute. However, Azmi’s difficult conversion attempt missed the mark. Still, Kingswood led for the first time, 22-21.
But the Joes didn’t panic. They stuck to their basics — winning the lineout, forming a textbook driving maul, and scoring in the mid-left in the 58th minute for an unconverted try. They took back the lead at 26-22.
Then came the finishing blow. In the 60th minute, prop Thisath Thewnila crashed over from another well-executed lineout maul. Skipper Jayasekara nailed the tough conversion to seal the game at 31-22.
This match was a showcase of disciplined rugby. St. Joseph’s relied on structured lineouts, coordinated mauls, and sharp conversions to pull through. Their clinical finishing and smart kicking game helped them outplay a strong, physical Kingswood outfit.