About the
Royal Tuskers
Royal College altered its sporting history forever in 1916 when it took to playing Rugby. By this time Trinity College in Kandy had already started the game in 1906 and on 31st July 1920, the first Royal College vs. Trinity College rugby match was played. This historic match resulted in Royal being grounded by the Trinitians. The same fate followed for most of the early encounters up until Royal first scored in 1924 and had their first win in 1941. The Royal College also won both matches in 1943, the year the two-match series was started. Matches against other schools also commenced such as Zahira College in 1925, St.Peter’s College in 1932, St.Joseph’s College in 1955 and S.Thomas’ College in 1956.
It was the then Royal College Principal Mr. E. L. Bradby who initiated the two-match Colombo – Kandy series with Trinity. In 1945, he offered the Bradby Shield to the team that had the higher aggregate of points in both matches. Today, this is the most prestigious school Rugby match in the country. Although the rivalry between the two schools is extremely tense, it must be mentioned that both the winner and loser are always gracious.
The Centenary match between the two schools was the second leg encounter played in 1983 in which the chief guest was Mr.E.L.Bradby himself. The 2008 second leg match was the 150th match between the two schools. The 2002 Bradby encounter was the highest scoring encounter for Royal, led by Zulki Hamid, winning with a record (39-00) in the first leg held in Colombo and winning the second leg (44-00) in Kandy, thus winning the Bradby Shield with a record aggregate of 83 – 00.
The Royal – Trinity Rugby matches for the Bradby Shield have brought the two schools close to each other in a way that is inexplicable. In particular, after each match in Kandy and Colombo, the old boys of both schools get together for a night of revelry and entertainment in the best of traditions.
In addition to the Bradby Shield match against Trinity College, Royal College also plays annual rugby matches against St. Thomas’ College and Isipathana College.
The annual encounter against St. Thomas’ is contested for the Michael Gunaratne Trophy, which was introduced in 1962. The trophy is named after Michael Gunaratne, a former Royal College rugby player who died in 1961. The match is always a fiercely contested affair, and the trophy has changed hands many times over the years.
The annual encounter against Isipathana College is contested for the Major Milroy Fernando Trophy. The trophy is named after Major Milroy Fernando, a former Royal College rugby player who died in 1986. The match is also always a closely contested affair, and the trophy has changed hands many times over the years.
These annual rugby matches are an important part of the Royal College rugby tradition. They provide the opportunity for the school to showcase its talent against some of the best rugby schools in Sri Lanka. The matches are also a source of great pride for the school, and they are eagerly anticipated by both students and alumni.
Royal College also holds the prestige of having won the Schools’ Rugby League the highest number of times.
