The 3rd-week games of the Nippon Paint Rugby League 2022/23 were concluded on Saturday (31st December).
Havelocks SC v Navy SC
Havelocks SC beat Navy SC by 22 points to 10 at Welisara on Thursday. The visitors started off well, scoring all the points in the first half and taking a 15-point lead going into lemons.
After the break, Havies had a tough phase where they lost both Randy Silva and Shehan Dias to yellow cards. It paved the way for the Sailors to score their first try of the game through Mushin Faleel in the 65th minute.
The home team failed to get any more points on the board as the visitors sealed the game with their third try through Mithun Hapugoda.
CH&FC v Army SC
Udara Jayapala’s late try helped CH&FC draw the game at 31-all against Army SC at the Race Course Grounds on Saturday.
The game was a topsy-turvy affair from the word go. The first half ended 17-14 in favor of the Gymkhana Club. Army came back strong in the second half to take the lead by 7 points going into the last five minutes. A late try from Jayapala shattered the Soldiers’ hope of winning the game.
CR&FC v Police SC
CR&FC got back to winning ways with a massive 36-19 win against Police at Longdon Place on Saturday.
Three tries from Ashan Darling, Ruchira Ekanayake, and Raveen De Silva and four penalties, and two conversions from Chathura Senevirathne sealed the deal for the Reds in their own backyard.
Despite scoring early in the game, Police struggled to maintain possession and prevent the home side from piling on the points.
However, CR&FC would be disappointed to not secure the bonus point despite winning the game by a huge margin.
Kandy SC v Air Force SC
Air Force almost pulled off an upset against defending champions Kandy SC but the up-country giants ultimately secured the win by 24 points to 18 at Nittawala on Saturday.
It was the visitors who broke the deadlock with a penalty from Nuwan Perera but the hosts bounced back with two quick tries from Tharinda Ratwatte and Lavanga Perera. The game had a couple of stoppages after referee Gihan Yatawara refused to blow the whistle with Air Force coach Shamli Nawaz at the sideline. Referee Yatawara issued a couple of warnings but the nuisance continued which prompted the referee to walk off the field.
Once the matter was settled, Kandy scored another try through Kavidu Perera.
The visitors found their mojo in the last 15 minutes, scoring two back-to-back tries. With ten minutes on the clock, the score was 19-18 in favor of the hosts and they sealed the deal with a 77th minute try through Dinal Ekanayake.
Upcoming Fixtures
- Air Force v Police SC – 6th January at Rathmalana
- Army SC v Havelock SC -7th January at Panagoda
- CH&FC v CR&FC -7th January at Race Course Grounds
- Kandy SC v Navy SC – 8th January at Nittawala
