DSS warm up for rugby knockouts with Sevens win

D. S. Senanayake College Under-20 Sevens Rugby Squad.

D. S. Senanayake College added another feather to their cap when they emerged unbeaten champions at the Western Province Inter-Schools Under-20 Seven-A-Side Rugby Tournament held at the Zahira College Grounds in Maradana.

The newcomers to ‘A’ Division rugby this season, have already left a mark by finishing among the top-five in the Under-19 Division One League Rugby Tournament, conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association.

Their latest heroics will certainly inspire them to achieve more success this season, as they prepare for the upcoming President’s Trophy Knock-Out Tournament and for the 15th annual Battle of the Golds Big Match against the traditional rivals Mahanama College on August 18.

“I think this is the first time in the history where a ‘B’ Division promoted team, had secured a top-five finish in the elite league tournament,” D. S. Senanayake Head Coach Asela Deshapriya told the Daily News yesterday.

“This victory in the sevens tournament will be a huge morale booster for the entire team and our ultimate goal is to make a lasting impression in the knock-outs,” Deshapriya stressed. “We were a little disappointed that we could not make it to the Super Round segment of the ‘A’ Division League Tournament having worked hard throughout the season,” he explained.

D. S. Senanayake ended up with a tally of 22 points after recording four magnificent victories over St. Anthony’s College (23-19), Wesley College (29-20), Kingswood College (31-27) and S. Thomas’ College (13-10) respectively.

They went down against the defending champions Isipathana College (6-22) but it was their shock 16-29 defeat at the hands of the last year league runners-up St. Joseph’s College that really spoiled their chances of advancing. “We had some injuries to a couple of key players, including our captain, while going into the St. Joseph’s game and as a result the boys could not perform to their potential,” Deshapriya lamented.

Some of the top schools in Colombo, of course, kept away from participating in the Western Province Sevens Tournament yet, D. S. Senanayake grabbed the opportunity and went on to beat Ananda College 35-5 in the final after leading 21-0 at half time.

Earlier, in the quarter-finals, D. S. Senanayake ran down as many as eight tries during a dominant performance in the quarter-finals against Moratu MV and followed up with a 38-0 win over Zahira in the semi-finals.

The champion D. S. Senanayake Under-20 Sevens Rugby Team was a combination from the First XV, Second XV and a couple of promising players from their Under-17 Squad.

The side was Captained by dynamic scrum half Manura Peiris, who will be more remembered for his three-try heroics in the must-win league fixture against S. Thomas’ at Havelock Park. Some of the other standout players in this sevens tournament were full back Menura Perera, winger Janidu Wijeratne, Nadil Paranamana and Sandaru Lokuge.

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