Kandy Sports Club continued their dominant form with a commanding 70-14 victory over Army Sports Club in their second-week fixture of the Mastercard Inter-Club ‘A’ Division Rugby League 2024/25 at Nittawela.
In what was always expected to be a tough contest for Army, they surprised everyone with an early try. After charging down a kick from Nigel Ratwatte, they quickly sent the ball to winger Dilshan Jayasundra. He powered through the Kandy defense, getting close to the try line. Showing great awareness, he offloaded a pop pass to Sudharaka Dikkumbura, who went over for Army’s first try. (Kandy 00-05 Army)
Kandy patiently stuck to their game plan and opened the scoring through Tharinda Ratwatte, who slotted over a penalty. Army held strong against Kandy’s attacking moves until the 20th minute, when Dahan Wickramarachchi darted over from the back of a maul. Tarinda Ratwatte added the extras, giving Kandy the lead. (Kandy 10-05 Army)
Kandy continued to pose a threat to Army, turning defense into attack. Prop forward Malitha Wijesundra collected a loose ball and offloaded it to Danushka Ranjan. Ranjan then displayed exceptional skill, fending off two defenders and dummying another to break through the Army defense. He powered his way past the last defender to score a magnificent try. (Kandy 15-05 Army)
Kandy continued their scoring momentum in a similar fashion to their previous game, with Tarinda Ratwatte slicing through the Army defense, beating several defenders. In a display of skill, Ratwatte made a cheeky back-of-the-hand pass to set up Danushka Ranjan for his second try of the match. (Kandy 22-05 Army)
Tries kept coming for Kandy as scrumhalf Heshan Jansen made a perfect pass to Dinal Ekanayake, who found space in the Army defensive line. Ekanayake then made a back-of-the-hand pass to Jansen, who raced over to score the bonus point try for the hill country team. Tarinda Ratwatte slotted over the conversion, and just a few minutes later, he landed another penalty to extend Kandy’s lead. (Kandy 32-05 Army)
Kandy ended the first half with another try as Dahan Wickramarachchi spotted space and powered through Army’s defense, gaining valuable ground. A quick ball from the ruck by Jansen created an overlap, and Srinath Sooriyabandara opened up space for winger Kavindu Perera, who sprinted over to score. Tarinda Ratwatte converted, sending Kandy into the break with a commanding lead.
Half Time: Kandy SC 39 (5T,4C,2P) – Army 05 (1T)
The hosts flew out of the blocks in the second half as Srinath Sooriyabandara breezed past the Army defense, finally being brought down just short of the 5-meter line. A quick recycled ball to Tarinda Ratwatte allowed him to make a long cut-out pass to prop forward Malitha Wijesundra, who sold a dummy to power his way over the line. Tharinda continued his excellent kicking form, effortlessly bisecting the uprights with the conversion. (Kandy 46-05 Army)
Army struggled to cope with the relentless pressure as the Kandy forwards piled on with a series of pick-and-go’s. Finally, Tarinda Ratwatte capped off the move, powering over to score. He then confidently converted his own try, further extending Kandy’s dominance. (Kandy 53-05 Army)
Kandy brought in their replacements and they quickly got into the action, playing through several phases near the 5-meter line. Nepul Athukorala made an impressive break, bouncing off a defender before powering himself over the line to score. Unfortunately, he sustained an injury in the process, which was a blow for Kandy. However, Tarinda Ratwatte continued his excellent form, adding the extras with a successful conversion. (Kandy 60-05 Army)
Kandy ended the encounter with another penalty from the boot of Tharinda Ratwatte, before Dinal Ekanayake crossed over for an easy try to complete this perfect performance.
Full Time: Kandy SC 70 (9T,8C,3P) – Army 05 (1T)
- Player of the Match: Danushka Ranjan (Kandy SC)
Points Breakdown
Kandy SC 70
Dahan Wickramarachchi 1T, Danushka Ranjan 2T, Heshan Jansen 1T, Kavindu Perera 1T, Malitha Wijesundra 1T, Nepul Athukorala 1T, Dinal Ekanayake 1T, Tarinda Ratwatte 1T,8C,3P
Army 05
Sudharaka Dikkumbura 1T
