Kingswood’s second half rally stops Ananda

Rugby action from Kandy (Pic: Shane Seneviratne)

By Shamseer Jaleel in Kandy

Kingswood College kept their Plate title hopes alive with a gritty 22 points (4 tries, 1 conversion) to 16 points (1 try, 1 conversion, 3 penalties) win over Ananda College in their Schools Rugby Plate segment encounter which was worked off at the Bogambara Stadium last evening.

The match was a tale of two halves, with Ananda holding a narrow 6/5 lead at the short breather. However, Kingswood regrouped strongly in the second half to produce some enterprising rugby and secure an important win.

The first half was riddled with handling errors from both sides, disrupting momentum and fluidity. Ananda dominated possession and territory but failed to capitalise on their chances due to poor finishing and inability to convert territory into points and put pressure on the home team.

Ananda full back Dineth Chamuditha was the standout performer for the visitors. He was exceptional in both attack and defence, putting over a left corner flag conversion and three penalties for the Maradana outfit. He contributed 11 points.

The home team came alive in the second half with their full back Rivin Bahudeen and fly half Thamodya and skipper and scrum half Thaveesha Ekanayake leading from the front. 

Bahudeen in particular had an outstanding outing both skill and composure. On attack he split the Ananda defence all over the park with some spectacular moves.

Kingswood scored their tries through Sachintha Naveesha, Thaveesha Ekanayake, Rivin Bahudeen and Thushan Madugalla with one conversion successfully put over by Bahudeen. 

Ananda’s lone try came from Nethmina Wijewardena.

With this win Kingswood strengthen their claim as one of the favourites in the Plate segment, having shown consistent improvement with each outing. Their ability to bounce back in the second half under pressure will be a key factor going forward.

Referee Aruna Shantha controlled the game very well.

In another Schools Rugby League Bowl encounter Thurstan College beat Dharmaraja College by 37 points (6 tries, 2 conversions, 1 penalty) to 22 points (4 tries, 1 conversion) at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium last evening.

At the short breather Thurstan led 20/15.

Referee Nipuna Amarathunge