ThePapare.com has picked their ‘dream team’ after the end of the first round of the Singer Schools Rugby League 2017. This is after some discussion among ThePapare.com rugby crew and taking into the player’s impact to their team, all-round performance and versatility in the position.
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The second round will commence from 28th April and there will surely be changes coming, however, the below players have been outstanding for their respective schools in the first-round games.
Position : Loose head prop
Name: Shaveen Ekanayake
School: Trinity College
110 kg prop forward was menacing with his pace and power this season. His ball handling and off-loading skills were very good and was not seen from any other loose head props. Also he was brilliant in the attacking and defensive scrums.
Position: Hooker
Name: Hamza Reeza
School: Royal College
Started at No8, moved to his pet position. He marshalled his inexperienced forwards extremely well. He took responsibilities on his shoulders at the lineouts, made some excellent yards in open play and was ferocious at the breakdown in turnovers. Hamza is the top try scorer so far for Royal with 7 tries. Swen Muller (St. Joseph’s) is another player who showed a lot of mobility and strength in this position.
Position: Tight head prop
Name: Aveesha Piyankara
School: Trinity College
Played for Sri Lanka U19 last year but he was left on the bench after a poor game against Malaysia where he started. Since then this boy has developed a lot as a player and was a treat to watch. His defense has improved and he made some menacing meters. He is using is 6’2 height and 105kg weight in to perfection this season.
Position: Lock
Name: Rishane Madena
School: Trinity College
His work rate was phenomenal. A ‘Whitelock’ version of a lock forward, he was brilliant in the lineouts, breakdown and open-play. He also made some good yards and showed some great power with his fend-offs. Has scored 4 tries in 5 games.
Position: Lock
Name: Sudeera Gayanath
School: Isipathana College
Perhaps the strongest man in the Isipathana pack with raw pace and power. He reads the game well and execution in the lineout is good. He only weighs 75kg but looks more than that with his height of 6’1 and this boy has been a rock in defense for the green machine.
Position: Blindside flanker
Name: Mohamed Shabeer
School: St. Anthony’s College
Last year he played as a lock but this year too he was a key figure at the lineouts, although shifted to play at the back of the scrum. His work rate was once again outstanding, brutal in turnovers and showed so much desire to make more yards with the ball in hand. Just cannot leave him out of the team as we didn’t see too many show-pieces coming from flankers this season. Surely, he has all the skills to adopt to play at blind side as a loose forward.
Position: Openside flanker
Name: Shashika Ashan
School: Wesley College
A key player last as well as this year for the double blues. Mostly he plays at No8 but he can also produce that versatility to play at open side flanker. His service will be pivotal for Wesley in the second round games.
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Position: No 8
Name: Gihan Perera
School: St. Joseph’s College
Showed a lot of promise and venom in his runs, uses good technique in the scrums, a fearless runner. The amount of energy he put at the St. Peter’s game was incalculable. He is someone to watch out for in the second round games. Christian De Lile (S. Thomas’) another player who got injured in the second game unfortunately, Thomians missed his service.
Position: Scrum half
Name: Avishka Lee
School: Wesley College
It is a tough decision to make, but Lee’s input had an immense impact for Wesley to finish second in their group. His decision making was good and we saw a lot of confidence with his body language. He has also improved his kicking at uprights and has scored (3T 10C 3P) 44pts. Anuka Boyagoda 15pts(Trinity) and Harith Bandara 26pts (Isipathana) both played for the Sri Lanka U18 sevens team and will say ‘hey mate season is not over yet’ whilst Ravin Fernando of St. Peter’s will also give the national selectors some headache.
Position: Fly half
Name: Zaid Sinhawansa
School: Zahira College
He is currently the highest point’s scorer of the league with a tally of 77pts (6T, 16C, 5P). However, he will like to forget the Wesley match as he missed two juicy penalties where the match could have tied, perhaps not the right technique with his kicks and follow-through. However, Zaid’s game sense is brilliant as he controls it like a matured player. His running game and the supportive play was good as well. He was a pillar of strength for Zahira this season. Chathura Senavirathne (St. Joseph’s), Randy Silva (Isipathana) & Stefan Sivaraj (St. Peter’s) will wait patiently to remind everyone that they too play at fly half positions.
Position: Left wing
Name: Yuzraan Lantra
School: Zahira College
Top try scorer so far in this season (9T), is the player that any coach would like to have in his team. Lantra has been sensational for the resurgent Zahira with his pace and dazzling footwork. He scored in every game in the first round. Perhaps not the strongest winger but he knows how to escape from a slightly bigger and a stronger opposition.
Position: Inside center
Name: Dinuk Amerasinghe
School: St. Anthony’s College
Eagles skipper will be disappointed that his team didn’t play to their potential. But he can be proud of his individual performance; we saw how brutal he was in the attack but he has a lot to work to become a pro no 12. Dinuk scored 6 tries in six games. Warran Weerakoon (Trinity), Thulaib Hassen (Royal) and Theekshana Dasanayake (St. Peter’s) are the other contenders.
Position: Outside Center
Name: Diluksha Dange
School: Trinity College
What a transformation from wing to play at center. His running angle was too good and his presence was a confidence factor the Lions. It’s always good to have the pace and power for a No 13. Without a doubt Dange will be well marked for the second round but surely he and his coach will know this as well. Dange scored 8 tries and stands second best up to now. Chamika Perera, the Dharmaraja captain also showed some great running in the latter part of the first round and Janidu Dilshan (Royal) will have to wait until the Bradby to meet his opposite number Dange.
Position: Right Wing
Name: Sabith Feroze
School: Royal College
Was previously a pencil sized winger who is not anymore a pencil size as he has bulked up substantially. He has improved a lot with his footwork and skill set and has a good awareness in the field scoring some match winning tries. He is playing a lot better than last year taking on some responsibilities this time around. Sachin Silva (St. Joseph’s) is a contender to take this spot. Thomain skipper Naveen Henekankanamage was not on the spot light this year as he mostly plays at center position.
Position: Full back
Name: Chamodh Fernando
School: Isipathana College
Is he the Christian Cullen version? Isipathana wouldn’t mind whatever version as long as this boy scores or assist the scorer. Scored (7T 8C) in six games and every time he gets the ball in hand it was an alarming warning for the opposite teams. Was very good with his footwork and off-loading ability and was a treat to watch his conversions from the wide angle. Diyath Fernando (St. Peter’s) & Vinul Fernando (St. Joseph’s) both played for Sri Lanka U18 sevens last year, yet to play for their potential.
