Sri Lanka, Aug. 6 -- In 1955, S. Thomas' College Mount Lavinia took a bold step into school rugby. Seventy years later, the echoes of those early tackles and tries still resonate through the proud rugby history of the school. Before 1955, STC played only soccer. But that changed thanks to Noel Gratieen - an Old Thomian, Oxford graduate, and later a Supreme Court judge - who strongly believed that rugby could open more doors for Thomians in plantations and mercantile firms. At the time, many top jobs in those sectors went to British nationals or Ceylonese who played rugby, particularly from Trinity and Royal.

Grataien's advice to Warden R.S. de Saram led to STC's first-ever rugby team. The team was coached by Mahes Rodrigo - an Old Royali...