After a bizarre climax of events which took place over the last fortnight, Kandy Sports Club were able to restore its lost faith this evening after a resounding win over Up Country Lions with scores reading 46-11 in their Dialog A Division Round II game at Nittawela.
This being the first game for both teams in the second round, the Lions were yet rejoicing their three figure stand last week as they came in to the field of Nittawela while the opposition was left to deal with a shift of coach with Adrian Ferris taking over from Neil Footie.
The home team having Fazil Marija back in his favourite position of Fly half got off to a great start as two infringements by their opposition allowed Roshan Weeraratna the chance of two successive penalties to draw first blood. Kandy’s outburst in aggressive play should most likely be a result of their regressive display of rugby last week as Samisoni aggregated two successful outbreaks in the first half with him scoring the first in the outbreak and Lavanga Perera on the corner flag. Roshan Weeraratna having his kicking boots on in the absence of Fatanu Fili kicked the two tries for the extras making it 20 points in total for Kandy. Kandy were up on full strength as they extended themselves on the first half with Anurudhdha Wilwara giving in a quick off load to the inside to Gayan who scored on the fourth for the day. The long drought ended for Gayan Weeraratna who came in to the side from injury as he scored his first try for the season.
Up Country on their defense were struggling on claiming territory but managed to seep through a penalty in the first half with the likes of Shanaka Kumara as full- back. The visitors who had been dominating in their three quarters at all previous occasions were utilizing their weaponry whilst a possible comeback was yet in sight. Skipper and national cap Srinath Sooriyabandara with their overseas heavyweights Soeli and Rakibula mastered a few outbreaks in to their attacking 22m but the lack field support halted them from scoring. The lions finally got the opportunity when a long clear pass from Sooriyabandara to Mohamed Seshan on the wing allowed him to cross over clearing off Richard Dharmapala easily. Place kicking was not so successful for the visitors having failed to convert the try Kumara was able to kick a distant penalty to take the score to 11 points to 25 at lemons.
The first half caused most of the damage with a clear winner being seen but Up Country with possession of such potential there was a possibility of a comeback. Up Country did not get to see the edge of their r try line as they were busy countering the heavy attacking play which was coming in. The start of the second half witnessed two back to back tries flooding from Kandy from their backs. Lavanga Perera who almost side stepped five defenders passed on to Heshan Silva to score while the next was a masterpiece by Fazil Marija who stepped outside giving the ball to Lasitha Attanakaya to score. With both being successful conversion attempts, Kandy were cruising on 39 points in reply to Up Country’s 11.
The Kandy playmaker who had lost momentum in his recent outings had regained his lost touch as the crowds witnessed the true Fazil Marija making his presence felt on the field. The hunger for a try had clearly got him as he almost reached the tryline covering an approximate 40 meter before being pushed into touch. Similarly Samisoni who’s had been toiling hard all over the field, the missed out on a similar instance where the referee did not award the try due to a knock on which seemed more like a try. However Samisoni cherished his share as he crossed over for Kandy’s conclusive try at the death on the right corner. With Roshan Weeraratna’s 95% succession off the boot, the scores ended with 46 points in reply to Up Country’s 11.
The game today being evenly poised, had some superlative performances on the field. Srinath and his team were not quite able to run through as they did with Army last weekend but were strong on the outfield in defense, especially to their forwards, Yakoob Ali, Shuaib Saajid who were countering the attack. The Isipathana kicker Shanaka Kumara did not align himself with Nittawela’s prevalent conditions as he failed at many instances. While Kandy slink into the second round with confidence, the Lions would need to win the remaining set of games if they require a top spot on the league table.
Kandy being a kingdom of fanfare and enthusiastic rugby audience, it was disappointing to witness a considerable low turnout with pavilions showing spaces but this win it is hoped confidence will be reinstated as they would face Havelocks next week.
Singaporean national Adam Littlewood Refereed.
Score Breakdown
Kandy (5 Goals, 1 Try and 2 Penalties) to Up Country 11 (1 Try and 2 Penalties)
