Isipathana College, with a talented outfit are confident of putting up a good performance in the current inter school rugby season without worrying about their league curtain racer defeat against S. Thomas’ College (28-12) last week.
The team has only five senior players who have represented the school in first XV rugby for at least three years.
Winger Wishwamithra Jayasinghe, flanker Uthpala Senevirathne, centre Ashan Gallage and full back Prasad Devinda have played three seasons while skipper and centre Niroshan Fernando donned the first XV jersey for five years.
Niroshan and Wishamithra also represented the Sri Lanka under 20 side at the last Junior Asaid held in South Korea. This year Pathana, as they are called, retain eleven players from the team that played in the 2008 season.
Head coach of the side is ex Isipathana rugby captain and Sri Lanka player Shamly Nawaz who is using everything at his disposal to lift the side to its past heydays although the task will not be easy in a highly competitive age.
The assistant coach is also a former College player ex-centre Daham Sampath who is handling the three quarters while M. D. Ifthikar is the technical advisor.
This year the side does not sport a heavy pack but make up with some talented and nippy players. Nawaz though contends the side is in good shape ready to meet the challenges.
“The defeat at the hands of the Thomians has made the players more determined to face the season”, said Nawaz.
Isipathana will come out for the second time on Saturday and meet tough opponents St. Peter’s College who thrashed Dharmaraja 61-0 in their opening match.
The forwards are led by flanker Uthpala Senevirathne while the services of experienced prop Dinuka Dananjaya and hooker Thilana Lanka would come in handy.
Isipathana’s strength no doubt lies in their back division with experienced players like fly-half Prashan Attanayake, centres Niroshan Fernando and Ashan Gallage, wingers Wishwamithra Jayasingha and Uresh Fonsekea and full back Prasad Devinda doing duty.
For the record, Isipathana’s best days were in 1985 and 1986 when they ended triple champions followed by the school finishing unbeaten in all age groups in 1992. In that year they had a foreign coach from Japan and since then they have been going through a lean period by way of results even being demoted to the B category in 2005.
Last year Isipathana won four Sevens titles including two senior titles, the all island schools tournament and the Singer-Srilankan Schools Sevens.
Isipathana’s fixtures: May 9 vs St. Peter’s at Bambalapitya, May 16- vs Mahanama at CR and FC ground, May 23 vs– Dharmaraja at Havelock Park, June 6 vs Kingswood in Kandy, June 13 vs– St. Joseph’s at Havelock Park, June 20 vs– Trinity at Pallekele, June 27 vs– Royal at Reid Avenue and July 4 vs St. Anthony’s in Kandy.
Isipathana meet Thurstan at CR and FC on July 11.
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