By Roy Denish
A weekend of stunning upsets and dominant displays reshaped the schools rugby title race. Ananda shocked St. Thomas’, St. Peter’s capitalized on Isipathana’s mistakes, but it was Trinity College’s ruthless dismantling of Royal College that sent the strongest message yet. With Althaf orchestrating a near-perfect performance and the Lions firing on all cylinders, the championship now appears firmly in Trinity’s grasp.
The schools rugby weekend delivered shock, drama and a masterclass in one. On grounds where the terraces hummed and the crowd buzzed with expectation, Ananda College produced the weekend’s most sensational upset, putting on a barnstorming display to topple St. Thomas’. The Ananda lads flew out of the blocks with tempo and intent, running hard lines and winning collisions with nerve that sent supporters into raptures. That scalp will be talked about long after the mud has dried.
Elsewhere, the script flipped again. Royal College and Isipathana were chalked down by many as safe bets, but both faltered under pressure. Isipathana’s handling uncharacteristically betrayed them, loose passes and ill-timed knock-ons gifted St. Peter’s the momentum. The Saints showed ruthless game management, sniffed weakness at the breakdown, hammered the gain line and turned possession into decisive points.
Yet even amid the surprises, one story towered above the rest: Trinity College’s authoritative march. Watching the second half of their tie with Royal was like observing a well-oiled machine in motion. The Lions’ pack battered their way up field, the set-piece hummed with precision, and the backline finished with surgical accuracy. Royal looked for answers and found none.
Althaf was the conductor, probing with tactical kicks, darting through the line and marshalling his troops with cold-blooded calm. The forwards supplied the grunt: relentless carries, dominant rucks and scrums that bullied their opposite numbers. Defence was a brick wall, low and organized, and when Trinity moved through phases their ball retention was immaculate.
This campaign has seen Trinity deliver match after match of what supporters’ call “champagne rugby”, high-tempo, entertaining and ruthlessly efficient. At this juncture they are more than favourites; they are the team everybody measures themselves against. The league trophy feels less like a possibility and more like an entitlement.
Big congratulations to Trinity College for a performance that combined textbook technique with sheer verve, and well done to Ananda and St. Peter’s for delivering the weekend’s most memorable moments. The title chase is now Trinity’s to lose.
