Army SC hunted down the Hambanthota Sharks by 26-3 at Diyagama Mahinda Rajapakshe Stadium in the 1st game of the Week 8 of Dialog Club Rugby League 2013/14.
Both teams were facing each other after losing their previous week’s game and were very keen to put up a winning performance.
Army full back Mohammed Rizvi started off the proceedings when he kicked off from right to left of the ground. Hambanthota Sharks gained the advantage line early on with their burly forwards hitting the Army defense hard but could not penetrate the strong Army defense. Sharks got the 1st chance to start the scoreboard ticking when they were awarded a penalty in front of the Army posts but Sharks center three quarter and long distance place kicker Faialanga Afamasage missed the uprights. Sharks skipper Dev Anand showed his class when he used his boot to score a terrific drop. goal from an unlikely difficult angle to take the draw the 1st blood of the game. ( Army 00 – Sharks 03 )
Army used their speedy three quarters effectively to gain possession and hard yards of the ground and Army were attacking continuously deep inside the Sharks territory but had no score on the board before Lalai Jalebola punted the ball into the Sharks try line for Mohammed Rizvi to chase down and score in the 10th minute of the game. Upali Wickramasinghe missed the conversion. ( Army 05 – Sharks 03 )
Dev Anand made intelligent territorial kicks to gain territory but Sharks made many errors which helped Army to control the game as Army were dominant in their set plays. Army’s newest foreign recruitment Fijian Dilai Esava displayed superb strength and agility to score his 1st try of the match when he touched down under the posts fending off lazy Shark’s defenders in the 24th minute of the 1st half. Upali Wickramasinghe added the extra points. ( Army 12 – Sharks 03 )
Sharks game plan was very hard to understand as they were seeing running from their own try line while defending the ferocious Army attack and Army found the perfect opportunity when Sharks lost the ball near their own try line and Army forwards spread their three quarter line wide open to help winger Dilai Esava east past and score near the left corner flag with only 6 minutes remaining of the 1st half. Upali Wickramasinghe converted brilliantly to extend the lead. ( Army 19 – Sharks 03 )
With the half time looming close, Sharks almost scored a try to reduce the lead but poor ball handling cost them an easy try as referee Gamini Indrasena blew the half time whistle.
Half Time – Army 19 : Sharks 03
After the break, the Sharks looked to gain possession and give their speedy three quarters to run and score but the spirited and solid Army defense was too much for the boys from down south to break through. Sharks were very disappointing in set plays especially in line outs as they lost their own line out throws and Club Rugby League’s debutants showed inconsistency in finding points scoring opportunities in the 2nd half.
With 48 minutes on the clock, Fijian wing three quarter Dilai Esava showed what lacked in Army three quarters last few weeks as he scored his 3rd try to complete a hat-trick in his 1st game in Sri Lankan club rugby when Sharks lost the ball in open play and Army players kicked the oval shaped ball into Hambanthota Sharks try line straight from the 50 meter line to let Dilai show how much gas he posses. Upali Wickramasinghe made no mistake with the kick. ( Army 26 – Sharks 03 )
Army players were disciplined throughout the game and played to their potential making life hard to Hambanthota Sharks who were slow in breakdowns and had no real play maker or a finisher to force their way past the tactically perfect Army defense.
As the game progressed into the final quarter, Both teams injected fresh blood from the bench to improvise their strategies but neither succeeded as the final few minutes faded away without any more twists. Referee Gamini Indrasena blew the final whistle with scores remaining the same and ensuring Army’s place in the Cup category during the 2nd round.
Full Time – Army SC 26 : HSC Sharks 03
After the match, ThePapare.com caught up with jubilant Army coach Ben Macdougall who expressed his views “ I am pleased with our performance today. This is by far our best defensive show during this season as Sharks could not score any tries against us. Sharks were physical in attack and they played well in my opinion. “
