Costa brothers are all set to ignite the rugby field

The de Costa brothers - Lasintha and Ashan - are a much sought out duo on the rugby field these days. The brothers are the best set of centre three-quarters in the island and their performance for the CR&FC alone speaks volumes of their speed and skills.

Hailing from Isipathana the pair played together for the ‘Green shirts’ in 2004 under the watchful eyes of Sanath Martis. In 2005 and 2006 former Sri Lanka skipper Hisham Abdeen, himself an Old Boy of Isipathana, coached their rugby team. That year Isipathana emerged Schools Seven-a-side champions and were placed second in the League.

Lasintha too came under the expert tutelage of Sanath Martis from 2002 to 2004 as a fly half and fullback until Sanath Martis sought greener pastures with St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya as their coach.

Ashan joined CR in 2007 and the Longden Place Club knowing well his talents fitted him as a centre and he did extremely well to catch the eyes of the Rugby Selectors and was an automatic choice for the Hong Kong Sevens. That year CR was coached by Laga, the Fijian coach, who later went on to train Kandy SC.

Before that Ashan represented Sri Lanka at the Doha Sevens and was the only schoolboy to be included in the National team.

Ashan says that he acquired his rugby skills and knowledge at Isipathana and polished them after joining CR&FC. Lasintha - the quieter of the two - before becoming a blazing center for the CR and the National team - worked as a layout designer for the Wijeya Newspapers. He recalls his days at Wijeya Newspapers with a lot of satisfaction and immediately went on to inquire about his old colleagues.

Both brothers were full of praise for CR’s vibrant President Jehan Canageratnam and coaches Bilal Yusuf and Viraj Prasanna. They were quite saddened by the state of Sri Lanka’s international rugby exposure and hoped that the AGM would be held soon and they will be able to play rugby at international level soon. “Gaining foreign exposure is very important for rugby. Otherwise we are like frogs in a well,” they said in unison.

Speaking about CR&FC’s chances in rugby this year they said that they too were fed up by playing second fiddle to Kandy SC and were just rearing to get their hands on the Kandy team. Kandy watch out!
According to them the CR team is a fine blend of youth and experience. “CR will be a good strong side. They are being put through their phases by Bilal and Viraj. They are physically and mentally tough,” said the brothers in unison.

Both are attached to MAS Holdings, a firm that is giving all possible breaks to sportsmen and women in the country.

SundayTimes 14th Feb, 2010

Isipathana - under 12 rugby champions

The Isipathana ‘A’ under 12 showed their class in rugby, by beating the formidable Trinity College Kandy by 14 points (2 goals) to nil in the All Island under 12 10-a side tournament staged at the Royal Sports Complex recently.
This tournament was played for the first time inviting all schools in the Island which was organized by the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA).
The Pathana lads played a grand game and planted two tries by T. Shamil and Diluka Widuranga before lemons.
After the turn around the Trinity lads played admirably to prevent Pathanians crossing the try line.
The Pathanians were able to do all their scorings before half time.
More than 450 participants from 28 leading schools in Sri Lanka took part in this inaugural tournament which was sponsored by Nestle Lanka Ltd.,
The chief guest was Mohan H. De Silva (Brand Manager Nestle Lanka Ltd., while the guest of honour was Dr. K.A.D. Punyadasa (President SLSRFA).
Kumar Rodrigo (Secretary) and A.K.B. Dodanwela (Treasurer) also graced the occasion.
The highlight of the day was, the performance by Maliga Gunaratne of Mahanama College Colombo 3, who planted 12 tries in the entire tournament.
Results: Cup - Isipathana ‘A’ College beat Trinity College Kandy, 14 points to nil. Plate:- Wesley College beat Isipathana ‘B’ 7 points to nil. Bowl - Mahanama College beat Dudley Senanayake M.V. Col. 5, 29 points to nil. Shield - Vidyartha College Kandy, beat Lalith Athulathmudali M.V. 7 points to nil.
The final was officiated by Asela Muthumala.

DailyNews - November 3rd, 2009

'' U - 16 '' Rugby Western Province Knockout ..........!!

Isipathana U-16 boys kicked off their official tournament fixture by emerging joint champs at the Western Province Knockout Tournament played Yesterday at the Royal Complex.

We met Royal at the final and the score were 7 All at the long whistle.

Isipatana in final

Isipatana College entered the final of the 'Milo' all Island schools under-20 Rugby Championship by beating Wesley College 29 points (3 goals, 1 penalty, 1 try) to 5 (1 try) in the second semi-final which worked off yesterday at Royal College Sports Complex.
Isipatana College was leading 17 points to Nil at half time.
Umayanga Sooriyabandara and Wishwamitra Jayasingha scored two tries each. Prasad Devinda obtained 1 try and 1 conversion and Malik Jumad completed a penalty for Isipatana.
Jude Rodrigo scored the solitary try for Wesley College (Referee - Pradeep Fernando)
In the final encounter, Isipatana will meet S. Thomas' College Mt. Lavinia at Royal sports complex on July 18 Saturday at 4.30 p.m. Education Minister Susil Premjayanth will be the Chief Guest at the occasion.

Daily News :Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Sampath Bandara

Future PATHANA RUGBY won D .S . Senanayaka Invitational Tournament ....!!

Future of Pathana Rugby', at the DS Senanayaka Invitational Tournament conducted on the 11th of July 2009 at DS Grounds. Pathana clicked all the honors,

U-12 A team- Cup Champs,
B team- Bowl Runners up,
U-10 A team-Cup Camps,
B team Plate Champs,
C team- Bowl Champs.

Congratulation for future of Pathana Rugby .....!!

The Juggernaut Vs the Dark Horse. Whose game will it be?

Another exciting game of rugby is predicted to be dished out at the Royal College Sports Complex this Saturday (27th June) when the frontrunners to the league title, Royal College take on a talented and unpredictable outfit of Isipathanians.
The two teams will be contending for the Milroy Fernando memorial trophy.

Match facts
Date: 27th June
Venue: Royal College sports complex
Kickoff: 04:30pm

Big Picture
The outcome of this game, like many other games of high quality rugby we have seen throughout the season, will be a tough one to predict. Royal College, coming in as favorites to this game will be looking to take this game as seriously as last week’s encounter as the Isipathanians have earned an unendorsed title of being the Dark Horse or Wild Card of the ongoing season. Many might look forward to this encounter as both teams have managed to defeat the mighty Kingswoodians in their respective encounters against the boys from Kandy. The high quality of rugby dished out by these two great institutions throughout the years makes this a spectacle that could compete with the standards of an international game.
For the Isipathanians, the Royal encounter is one of the most important games of the season. Throughout encounters in the recent past, the Isipathanians have approached this game with a fierce determination to overcome the Royalists and it has been so for the most part of the last decade as we have seen games that have left many spectators at the edge of their seats. The Isipathanians have traditionally approached this game with a killer focus and we can expect nothing less for this clash as the boys from Greenland Avenue led by Niroshan Chathuranga will undoubtedly put their bodies on the line to regain the coveted trophy. After last week’s defeat to Trinity, the green shirts will be looking to make amends and show their supporters that the Isipathana rugby machine is far from the realm of mediocrity.
The Royalists on the other hand, have a reputation to maintain, and judging by their impressive victory over the Kingswoodians last week, they certainly look up to the challenge stepping onto the plate to withstand a potent attack from the toughest of oppositions. Naren Dhason’s side has been unbeaten this year and look like the favorites to stake claim to the league title and they have come too far and have worked too hard to let it slip away.
The Royal forwards have been outstanding this season, and their play in this game will be a decisive factor in the outcome of the game. Although the Royal eight have an upper hand over the Isipathana forwards in weight and reputation, the Isipathana eight pose a major threat to the Royal forwards at the line out, which will be a vital part the game as the Isipathanians have employed deep, penetrating kicks in their strategy throughout the season and seem to be very comfortable and extremely threatening at the line out. Isipathana coach Shamlee Nawaz is sure to have made a note about the weakness of the Royalists at the line outs and will be looking to expose it right from the beginning. The charismatic flanker for the green shirts, Saranga Uthpala, who has been tremendous force in the Isipathana outfit, will have to work hard to hold the Royal Number Eight Hamza Hassen, who has been in outstanding form this season, at bay. The Royal third row has worked wonders throughout this season and will face stiff opposition from the Isipathanians.
The contest between the three quarters will be the most interesting aspect of the game as both teams boast of talented players that have made headlines this season. The Royal threes have simply outclassed much of their preceding opposition but will encounter an intimidating challenge from the Isipathana line. Royal’s captain and Fly Half Naren Dhason has been having a glorious season thus far and will be eagerly anticipating a challenge in his opposite number Niroshan Chathuranga, who has also been tagged as one of the players to watch this season. The reliable Royal fullback Shabeer Mohamed will have to be alert as the Isipathanians put their kicking game into effect as speedster Vishwamithra Jayasinghe will be looking to pounce on a loose ball to use his blistering pace to score for the greens. Isipathana Fullback Devinda Prasad has been in top form this season and will make a huge difference in play when he joins the line to run the ball and make the most of his boot.

Spectators can expect to see a fierce battle against these two institutions at the Royal College Sports Complex on Saturday. The outcome of this encounter will most probably decide the winner of the league title and both Royalist and Isipathanian rugby supporters alike will be able to witness a dynamite game prior to the conclusion of the season.

www.thepapare.com
Written by Yasas Ratnayake
Friday, 26 June 2009 12:32

Trinity outplays Isipathana 27-12

by S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Corr.
Trinity College upset all predictions and pulled off a sensational 27 points (3 goals, 2 penalties) to 15 (1 goal, 1 try, 1 penalty) win over Isipathana Vidyalaya in their schools under 20 `A' Division rugby tournament match played at Pallekelle yesterday.
At half time Trinity led 10-8.
This match turned out to be a hotly contested affair with the Lions making a sustained attack through their forwards which flustered the Pathans to some extent and they never came to terms with it completely.
Trinity took an early lead when winger Kennan Armstrong put over penalty awarded for high tackle.
Trinity went further ahead in the 24th minute when prop Murad Ramzean peeled off a line out and Kennan Armstrong added the extra points.
Isipathana reduced the lead in the 28th minute when a Trinity player was penalised for killing the ball and Malik Jumath put over the penalty.
In the 31st minute Isipathana moved the ball and centre Ashan Gallage scored and this went unconverted. Isipathana 8-10.
After lemons Trinity extended their lead to 13-8 through a penalty fixed by Kennan Armstrong.
But soon after Isipathana took over the lead for the first time in the match when Prathap Devinda intercepted a pass and made a blazing 70 metre against a virtual open field and scored mid right. Jumath did the conversion. Isipathana 15-13.
In the 28th minute after a sustained attack by the forwards Trinity's flanker Idiris Omar barged over. Kennan Armstrong added the extra points.
Trinity completed their first win when winger Kennan Armstrong scored off a three quarter movement and added the extra points himself.
Aruna Jayasekera refereed.

Sunday Observer June 21st 2009.