MEETING KUTHUS – THE SKIPPER OF THE CELEBRATED 1968 ANTONIAN RUGBY SIDE

Melbourne is home to a large community of Antonians—arguably the biggest concentration of old boys outside Kandy and Colombo. It comes as little surprise, then, that a remarkable succession of rugby captains from the years 1963 to 1970 have made Melbourne their home. The visit of the 1998 skipper, Abdul Kuthus, from Sri Lanka provided a fitting opportunity for his fellow former captains to reunite and extend a warm welcome. Michael Macky (1965), Paddy Guneratne (1966), Basil Hyde (1967), John Henry (1969) and Peter Corteling (1970) were among a small group of Antonians who hosted Kuthus to lunch today. Notably, four of them—Basil, John, Peter and Meri Guneratne—were members of the celebrated 1968 side led by Kuthus.

Antonian Rugby Captains, L-R: Peter Corteling (1970), John Henry (1969), Abdul Kuthus (1968), Basil Hyde (1967), Paddy Guneratne (1966) and Michael Macky (1965) - pictured in Melbourne on 22/01/2026

Kuthus with a group of Melbourne based Antonians (22/01/2026)

Rugby was first introduced to St. Anthony’s College in 1955, and in 1956 the First XV played its inaugural “friendly” fixtures under the captaincy of Bruce Winter. Two members of that pioneering side, Robin Koelmeyer and Nimal Fernando, now reside in Melbourne. André Titus, who lives in Queensland, was also part of that team and later captained the 1959 side—the year in which St. Anthony’s was officially recognised as a full First XV and admitted to the inter-school rugby tournament, competing against the leading rugby schools of Colombo and Kandy.

1968 – AN YEAR TO REMEMBER

However, it was the team captained by Kuthus that is widely credited with taking Antonian rugby to the next level. That side recorded six victories, including maiden wins against the much-fancied Royal College and St. Peter’s College, and also became the first Antonian team to avoid defeat against Trinity College. Meri Guneratne, a member of the 1968 rugby side and later captain of cricket in 1970, fondly recalled that memorable season: “We got off to a flying start, beating the more fancied Peterites in the opening game 11 points to 9. We then lost narrowly to Isipathana and drew 3-all with St. Benedict’s in a mud pit at Kotahena. Prior to the Trinity match, we played Royal at Nittawela, and in a very close contest emerged winners by the slender margin of one point, the final score being 13 to 12.”

Meri continued: “Trinity, meanwhile, had recorded emphatic victories over Wesley, St Joseph’s and Zahira, and as reported in the press—and even by the Trinitians themselves, who had promised a 72–nil drubbing—it was said that a 15-point loss would be considered a moral victory for the Antonians. The match at Peradeniya was played before a packed house and, after a bruising encounter, we emerged with a 3–all draw. St Anthony’s scored a try to Trinity’s penalty, becoming the first team to cross the Trinity line that year. We also recorded convincing wins over St Thomas’ and St Joseph’s during the season.”

1968 Rugby Side:

Standing back row L-R: Mahinda Nanayakkara, Meri Guneratne and E.Rajendra.

Standing second row L-R: PT Instructor, Fr A Samarakoon, Anthony Bede Ranasinghe, John Henry, Srilal Mendis, Terence Sims, Fr Stephen Abraham, Maurice de Silva (coach)

Seated L-R: J.M Ramzan, Randy Sims, Gamini Fernando, Abdul Kuthus (captain), Basil Hyde and Errol Nugawela.

On ground L-R: TP Samsudeen, Steve de Zilwa, Piyasena, Peter Corteling and Ajith Fernando.

The success of the 1968 side did not end there. For the first time, five players were selected to represent the Outstation Schoolboys Team, while fly-half Basil Hyde earned the rare distinction of representing the Ceylon Schools.

That same year, Basil Hyde, Gamini Fernando, and Kuthus were also awarded the EAGLE—marking the first occasion the honour was bestowed for rugby.

KUTHUS – A PROUD RUGBY LEGACY

Kuthus’ son Salman made his father proud when he captained the Antonian rugby side in 1999, and the legacy continues with his grandchildren — Umair (First XV), Ubaid (Under-16) and Ulfath (Under-10). All three are currently playing rugby at College at different levels, with the eldest, Umair, widely tipped to captain the side in the near future.

1968 Trinity-Antonian encounter as reported in the newspapers