CR & FC gifted Kandy Sports Club a valuable win, as several chances went begging for the Reds at the Valentine encounter in Nittawela, with the hosts winning 15-12.
An encounter where CR controlled 80% of possession and where Kandy were busy for a good 60 minutes defending their territory, the visitors could have done better in getting scores up on the board.
Photo Album – Kandy SC v CR & FC
It was CR & FC pressurizing their opponents from the very beginning as their front line as well as their three quarters were on point, but good judgment by the Kandy side saw them not concede any penalties, which eventually got them the luck of the whistle.
Kandy Sports Club who were barred from gaining territory in the first 20 minutes of play, eventually took the advantage in the game when Richard Dharmapala opted to go on the blind side and later offloaded to Nigel Ratwatte who scored to draw first blood. Ratwatte was spot on with the 44m conversion taking the hosts to 7 points.
Ratwatte once again got his team on the scoreboard when he kicked a 40 meter penalty through the posts to add another three points (10-0). Looking for a reply, the CR & FC forwards were looking for options to get themselves a few points but Prince Chamara missed a 25m penalty. With a few minutes to go to half time, CR’s pack took advantage of a 10-meter lineout as Arun Kumar broke from the pack to score their first points. Kanchana Ramanayaka’s successful conversion opened up the game as CR gave implications that they would not leave without a fight (7-10)
Half time: 10-7 in favor of Kandy
Kandy took the advantage of an open space in the first few minutes of the 2nd half as Damith Dissanayaka scored the second try for Kandy without a hassle. With this try coming through, Kandy climbed to 15 points as the conversion was missed. (15-7)
Thus started the endless tale of the CR & FC’s try scoring attempts. There were two clear opportunities where the CR & FC winger had the job of only sprinting his way forward but unfortunately Sashan Mohammed could not do so as the Reds failed in their cardinalities right. With CR & FC giving out their best shot, a try finally came their way in the final minutes when referee Irshad Cader awarded the try as Dilan Soyza crossed over on the far corner.
It was an interesting call by the referee as he went to his assistant before giving out the judgment as CR & FC finally were able to get that important try but it came too late. The conversion failed but even if it had gone through, it wouldn’t have made a huge impact in the game as CR & FC have only themselves to blame as they gifted the defending champions a win.
However the Red’s will take home a losing bonus point as they have their hopes of finishing in the top three positions still alive. Kandy on the other hand provided a good defensive playing formula to combat CR & FC and did not have too many chances to attack. The two chances in which they did so were converted to tries.
It was disappointing to see the referee being attacked by a spectator as he exited the field as due respect needs to be given to the officials irrespective of the result of the game.
Full time score: Kandy 15 – CR & FC 12
Breakdown: Kandy 15 (2T 1C 1P)
Tries by Nigel Ratwatte & Damith Dissanayaka
Conversion & Penalty by Nigel Ratwatte
Nigel Ratwatte – 10 points
CR & FC
Tries by Arun Kumar and Dilan Soyza
Conversion by Kanchana Ramanayaka
