Army SC continued their merry run when they trounced the bruised CH & FC outfit 40-14 at Mahinda Rajapakshe Stadium, Diyagama yesterday on a perfect day for rugby.
CH & FC after their management fiasco last week, fielded a young second string team for this game expecting a miracle to beat the impressive Army team who have been the surprise package of the season.
Army skipper Asanka Perera started off the proceedings from left to right of the ground and Army took to control the game from the first move as they showed no mercy to the under -strength minnows of the Dialog Club Rugby League, though CH & FC were denied of a try after Bawantha Perera crossed over the line in the 5th minute of the but assistant referee had his flag up for an infringement made by a CH player. Blindside flanker Wasantha Costa scored the 1st of 6 tries for the hosts in the 7th minute after he shrugged off 3 defenders to score near the posts. Full back Upali Wickramasinghe converted the try. ( Army 07 – CH 00 )
CH & FC outside center Pola missed an easy penalty kick in the 18th minute when Army defenders were caught offside but CH & FC showed glimpse of brilliance when Kanishka Saranga used his side stepping skills and speed to score under posts and level the scores as Dharshana Lochana made no mistake with the extra points. ( Army 07 – CH 07)
Army SC responded in style as Lalai Jalebule continued his try scoring spree for the season when he barged over after sprinting 35 meters on his own. Upali Wickramasinghe added the extra points. ( Army 14 – CH 00 )Army SC were superb on line-outs and scrums as their mobile forwards were impressive as always.
CH & FC struggled to leave their half as Army piled on the pressure in CH territory and Army scored their 3rd try for the evening when Rasika Abeynayake chased down a kick made by CH No.10 to get out from their try line but Dharshana’s attempt to leave the danger zone backfired to help Army increase the lead with less than 10 minutes left of the 1st half. Upali Wickramasinghe failed to add the extra points. ( Army 19 – CH 07)
Versatile and nippy wing three quarter of Army SC Manoj Bandara intercepted a loose pass by a CH player near the half way line and stretched his legs over to score a stunning try under the posts in the last minute of the 1st half. Upali Wickramasinghe converted with ease.
Half Time : Army 26 – CH 07
After half time both teams were looking to execute their plans with great concentration and put pressure in the set plays to gain control but both teams lost possession in vital breakdowns for their handling errors. After 20 minutes of scrappy play in the 2nd half, Army SC winger Krishanth Pushpakumar found space in the CH defence line when the match was 63 minutes old to score the 5th try for the home team under the posts. Upali Wickramasinghe had no problems with the conversion. ( Army 33 – CH 07 )
CH & FC responded as soon as possible when replacement flanker Danuka Wijethilake scored the 2nd and last try for the visitors when he took a quick tap after CH were awarded a penalty in the 5 meter line of the Army territory. Pola converted the try. ( Army 33 – CH 14 )
With the final whistle not too far away, Both teams injected fresh legs to spur up the speed of the game in the last 10 minutes as tired bodies of the players lacked energy to play with flair in the last few minutes. Army SC put the final nail to the CH & FC coffin when hooker Dinesh Suranga scored after 10 phases of pick and go plays by the Army forwards inside the CH territory in the 75th minute. Kawai Autukimanu bisected the poles to convert the 6th Army try for the day.
Full Time : Army 40 – CH 14
Referee Dinka Peiris blew the final whistle to sign off the 3rd win for the Army Sports Club during the on-going season.
After the game, ThePapare.com managed to catch up with Army SC head coach Ben Macdougall to get his views on the game ;
“CH & FC always wanted to slow the ball and kill the game, poor refereeing as people would not want to come and witness these types of games but I’m quite pleased with the result going in our favor.“
