79th Bradby Shield: Trinity to take on Royal in the first leg at Pallekele

The much-anticipated first leg of the 79th Bradby Shield between Trinity College Kandy and Royal College Colombo is scheduled to be played at the Trinity College Rugby Stadium, Pallekele this evening (23).
 
The game will kick-off at 4:00 p.m.
 
Trinity College, who are the reigning Schools League Champions, will be captained by Usman Shafraz.
 
They lost only two matches in the season so far with one coming in the final of the President’s Trophy tournament against Isipathana College.
 
The boys from hill capital are seeking back-to-back Bradby wins against their traditional rivals.
 
With a superior set of backs and the home advantage, Trinitians enter today’s game as favourites.
 
Meanwhile, the Royalists will be captained by Amika Samarasinghe.
 
Royal, who lost to Trinity in an encounter earlier this year, finished the schools league in third place and will be looking to reclaim the Bradby Shield this year.
 
Although the Royalists have a balanced squad, they failed to live up to their expectations in the 2025 schools league and knock-out tournaments.
 
In the traditional encounters, the Royalist stepped up and as result claimed the Angie Trophy, Michael Gunaratne Trophy, and Major Milroy Fernando Trophy this season. 
 
They have also strengthened the coaching set-up ahead of the Bradby which is expected to add another twist to the encounter.
 
The blue-ribbon encounter of the local rugby calendar will draw massive crowds to the Pallekele Stadium this evening with two equally-matched teams locking-horns to claim the coveted shield.
 
The 1986 Bradby winning Trinity captain Senani Gunaratne will be the Chief Guest today.
 
 
79th Bradby Shield (2025)
 
Trinity College Kandy:
 
Captain – Usman Shafraz
 
Coach – Fazil Marija
 
Last win – 2024 (Thisanga Dissanayake)
 
Longest win streak – Six (1952–1957)
 
Schools League – Champions
 
President’s Trophy – Runners-up

 
Royal College Colombo:                                                                                                                           
 
Captain – Amika Samarasinghe
 
Coach – Dushanth Lewke
 
Last win – 2023 (Randul Senanayake)                                              
 
Longest win streak – Five (2017–2023)
 
Schools League – Third Place
 
President’s Trophy – Semi-finalists
 
 
Bradby Shield Tally (since 1945)
 
Trinity – 40
 
Royal – 36
 
Drawn – 2