Can red hot CR check Kandy’s dream run in rugby this Saturday?

By a Special Sports Correspondent

The much looked forward to clash between table leaders Kandy SC and Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club (CR&FC) will decide the top team in the inter-club 15-a-side league rugby first round when they clash at Nittawela grounds on Saturday (January 20). The match, according to a SLR communiqué shared in their WhatsApp group maintained for the benefit of the media, will commence at 4 pm. The rescheduling of the kick-off time for matches to 4 pm instead of 3.30 pm was taken by Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) following a request made by the hierarchy of the eight A Division teams; the representatives of the teams cited the present adverse weather conditions as the reason behind their request.

Kandy SC under the leadership of Lavanga Perera has done tremendously well this season to pile on agony on the opposition teams and accumulated 193 points and conceded 88 points while gaining six bonus points. CR&FC on the other hand has accumulated 213 points and conceded 58 points, but gained only five bonus points. CR&FC has also scored more tries than Kandy SC this season.

The players to watch in the Kandy SC side are Jason Dissanayake, Heshan Jansen, Danushka Ranjan, Dinal ekanayake, the two Ratwattes Nigel and Tharinda and the evergreen Srinath Sooriyabandara, who has beaten the ‘clock’ and retained speed and agility despite having been in competitive rugby for over a decade.

CR&FC led by Suhiru Anthony has played fast and open rugby this season and is in a different ‘league’ in terms of playing the game with power, pace and understanding. The team has some promising players in the likes of Lasindu Karunathilake (the tournament’s highest try scorer to date with six touchdowns), Adeesha Weerathunga, Iranga Ariyapala, Kavindu de Costa, Manilka Ruberu, Gemunu Chethiya, Rinesh Silva, Randy Silva and V.Godagoda who can deliver the goods.

Kandy SC is coached by Fazil Marija while CR&FC is coached by Dushanth Lewke. In two other matches scheduled on Saturday Army SC host CH&FC at Panagoda while Police SC scrum down with Air Force at Police Park. On Friday (January 19) Havelocks SC host Navy SC at the Park Club grounds.

The teams:

Kandy SC rugby pool from- M.Wijesundara, K.Bandara, M.Weerasinghe, Wawala Panditha, C. Soysa, C.Kudalige, Jason Dissanayake, Dahan Wickremeaarachchi, Heshan Jansen, L. Ranaweera, Dinal Ekanayake, Tharinda Ratwatte, Lavanga Perera (Captain), D.Dange, Srinath Sooriyabandara, A.Mohomed, D. Fareed, M.Chandradas, F.Wajid, S.Abeywickrama, S. Tennakoon, O.Perera, Danushka Ranjan

CR&FC rugby pool from:

S. Nanayakkara, A. Gunasinghe, S. Perera, T. Nanayakkara, Y. Kavindu, Lasindu Karunathilake, C. Muthunayake, A. Weerathunga, S.Adikaram, S. Anthony (Captain), E.Harshana, I Ariyapala, Naveen Marasinghe, K. De Costa, M.Ruberu, G emunu Chethiya, R.Ekanayake, K.Tharindu, T.Mariyadas, R. Senanayake, W. De Mel, Rinesh Silva, Randy Silva, Raveen De Silva, V.Kodagoda