Trinity College Kandy crowned a remarkable season by defeating Royal College Colombo 39-10 in the second leg of the 80th Bradby Shield at the Trinity College Rugby Stadium in Pallekele this evening (25), completing a dominant 72-20 aggregate victory.
History Made
The Shan Althaf-led outfit completed a clean sweep over their traditional rivals, defeating Royal in all four meetings this season. In the process, Trinity reclaimed the prestigious Bradby Shield, having already secured the 2026 Inter-Schools Rugby League title and the President's Trophy to complete a memorable treble.
Holding a commanding 33-10 advantage from the first leg in Colombo, Trinity entered the decider with a 23-point aggregate cushion and quickly stamped their authority in front of a capacity home crowd.
80th Bradby Shield: Trinity outclass Royal to open 23-point Bradby lead
The Lions dominated possession and territory from the outset, combining aggressive defence with their trademark expansive attacking game to keep Royal pinned inside their own half for long periods. Trinity's superior pace, physicality and flamboyance proved too much for the visitors as they dictated the tempo throughout the contest.
Fittingly skipper Shan Althaf opened the scoring with a penalty in the ninth minute to extend Trinity's aggregate lead to 26 points. He added another penalty in the 24th minute as Royal continued to struggle to gain any grip in the match.
Trinity Dominance
Trinity crossed for the opening try in the 31st minute when Evin Jayasena finished off a sweeping move. Amher Faizal added the conversion as the Lions took a 13-0 lead into halftime, extending their aggregate advantage to 46-10.
Royal produced their best spell immediately after the restart when captain Disas Pathirana crashed over for the visitors' first try in the 39th minute. Although the conversion was missed, Royal reduced the deficit to 13-5.
Trinity responded almost immediately. Faizal finished off a superb backline move combining with his skipper with a try under the post in the 42nd minute before Althaf added the conversion to restore complete control at 20-5.
Maduranga de Silva powered over for Trinity's third try five minutes later, with Althaf again converting to stretch the lead to 27-5.
The hosts continued to pile on the pressure as Althaf got onto the scoresheet with his first Bradby Shield try in the 52nd minute. Faizal converted to make it 34-5 before Achintha Jayasena added Trinity's fifth try in the 59th minute, sending the home supporters into celebration at Pallekele.
Royal’s Star
Royal enjoyed the final say when the tireless Pathirana after a determined individual display crossed for his second try of the evening in the 67th minute, providing a consolation for the visitors who made the long journey from Reid Avenue.
Despite that late score, Royal struggled to find sustained rhythm against a disciplined Trinity side that dominated the breakdown, controlled possession and capitalised on their scoring opportunities.
Referee Yusaku Murata from Japan allowed the high-pressure encounter to flow with very little stoppages.
The 39-10 victory sealed a comprehensive 72-20 aggregate triumph and marked Trinity's 41st Bradby Shield victory. It also capped one of the finest campaigns in the school's recent history, reaffirming their status as Sri Lanka's premier school rugby team in 2026.
Trinity College Crowned Unbeaten Schools League Champions
Trinity also retained the C.E. Simithraaratchy Trophy, defeating Royal 29-0 in the second leg to complete a convincing 44-8 aggregate victory.
