Gutsy Joes break Thomian grit to regain Lady Jayathilake Shield
St. Joseph’s College staged a grand finish to regain the prestigious Lady Jayathilake Memorial Shield, edging out traditional rivals S. Thomas’ College by 40-36 in a pulsating traditional rugby clash at Mt. Lavinia yesterday. St. Joseph’s scored six tries and five conversions to total 40 points, while S. Thomas’ scored five tries, four conversions and a penalty to finish with 36 points.
The Darley Road lads, trailing 14-19 at half-time, showed grit and flair to turn the tables in the dying stages, with their forwards and backs combining like clockwork to produce a famous win. It was a rollercoaster encounter where the lead changed hands several times, keeping the packed stands on their feet until the final whistle.
A last minute try from the Joes took away the game from the Thomians - Pic by Eshan Fernando
The Thomians drew first blood in the 10th minute when winger Mayanka Dias sliced through the left corner for an unconverted try, giving the hosts an early 5-0 edge. But the Joes struck back through flanker Ashen Kumara, who crashed under the posts in the 16th minute, and skipper Beeshma Jayasekara made no mistake with the conversion, swinging the lead 7-5.
No.8 Hemish Gamage, the powerhouse of the Josephian pack, added another try in the 25th minute, with Jayasekara converting to stretch it to 14-5. However, the Thomians replied in kind — centre Seneshka Liyanagunawardena and burly No.8 McKyle Karunaratne bulldozed through for tries in the 30th and 33rd minutes. Dias converted both, sending the home crowd wild as S. Thomas’ snatched a 19-14 lead at the break.
After the turnaround, the Joes came back roaring. Gamage, unstoppable off a rolling maul, dived over just two minutes into the second half, and Jayasekara’s boot put the visitors ahead 21-19. But Thomian winger Avishka Perera lit up the ground in the 40th minute with a solo stunner from 50 metres out, cutting through defenders like a hot knife through butter for an unconverted try that pushed the home side ahead 26-21.
The tug-of-war continued as Gamage completed his hat-trick in the 43rd minute, and Jayasekara adding the extras made it 28-26. The Thomians, never ones to back down, hit back when flyhalf Udan Bulathsinhalage galloped over in the 52nd minute. Dias nailed a difficult conversion to restore the Thomian lead, 33-28.
The pendulum swung again when Jayasekara himself crossed the whitewash in the 55th minute, converting his own try to hand the Joes a 35-33 advantage. A penalty by Dias in the 64th minute nudged the Thomians back in front, 36-35, setting the stage for a nerve-jangling finale.
In the dying moments, the Joes dug deep. Off sustained pressure, the forwards found the gap and scored the decisive try — breaking Thomian hearts and sealing a 40-36 triumph at the final whistle. With the win, St. Joseph’s extended their win tally to 18 against Thomians’ 45 with three encounters ending in draws.