CR & FC managed to pull off a thrilling 21-15 win over Army SC in their opening fixture of the Dialog Rugby League 2014/15 played at Race Course International Stadium on Sunday evening.
Army SC led by fly-half/flanker Rohitha Rajapakse took the field with one of the best revamped outfits this season while Ashan De Costa’s CR team had many players from the Upcountry Lions team for the new season. The ground was bit soggy due to the persistent rain though the game started under sunshine with Ashan De Costa kicking off the most-anticipated game of Week 1.
CR & FC had most of the possession and territory in the first 10 minutes of the game but Army SC struck first through their winger Kavindu Perera who finished off a brilliant attacking phase in the 13th minute when he grassed the ball in the far corner. Debutant Prince Chamara converted superbly from a difficult angle. (Army 07 – CR 00)
As the game reached the 20-minute mark, Army received a 45-meter penalty kick after a CR player was penalized for not releasing the ball carrier. 19-year old Prince Chamara superbly bisected the posts to extend the lead. (Army 10 – CR 00)
CR & FC looked out of sorts on how to penetrate the strong Army defense and after 28 minutes of rugby, CR & FC got their scoreboard tally rolling when Shanaka Kumara booted a 20-meter penalty after the hosts were infringed for illegal rucking. (Army 10 – CR 03)
As the game progressed to the 33rd minute of the 1st half, Army scored their 2nd try of the match through their winger Kavindu Perera after the nippy full back Prince Chamara sliced through the CR defense and off-loaded to let Kavindu touch down his 2nd for the evening. Prince failed to convert. (Army 15 – CR 03)
Army completely dominated the first half through their power forwards and speedy backs and in the final move of the half, Army got a penalty opportunity right in the center of the ground but Prince Chamara’s kick did not last the distance as referee blew the half-time whistle.
Half Time: Army 15 (2T,1C,1P) – CR & FC 03 (1P)
After the lemons, Army skipper Rohitha Rajapakse recommenced the match. Both teams made clinical unforced errors and made poor decision making which made the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half boring to all spectators. CR & FC finally glued as a unit in the 55th minute when Ashan De Costa touched down near the far corner after a series of attacking phases deep inside Army territory. Shanaka Kumara failed to add the extra points. (Army 15 – CR 08)
The Reds looked a different team in the 2nd half as they maintained their line of defense perfectly at most times and ran attacking angles using their backs. Army looked flustered without a proper plan to counter the visitors. As the game entered the final 20 minutes, CR center Kanchana Ramanayake scored off a loose defensive ploy by the soldiers. Winger/Place-kicker Shanaka Kumara converted with ease to tie the scores. (Army 15 – CR 15)
CR &FC came into the lead for the first time when their reliable kicker Shanaka Kumara kicked a straight-forward 20-meter penalty in the 65th minute of the match when the Army defense line was caught napping off-side. (Army 15 – CR 18)
The game drastically changed in favour of the Reds as the soldiers lost momentum and enthusiasm in retaining possession and territory. With only 8 minutes left on the game clock, the Army line was once again penalized for off-side play. Shanaka Kumara continued his good work with the boot as he kicked through perfectly to extend their lead to 6 points. (Army 15 – CR 21)
Army suffered few injury problems as the game progressed and their intensity levels during the 2nd half was questionable though the CR & FC team played with a winning motive as their replacement foreign players in the likes of Puppy Farral and Robert Malneek provided a huge impact from the bench. CR held on to the lead to walk-away with the game thanks to an improved 2nd half performance as referee blew the final whistle.
Full Time: Army 15 (2T,1C,1P) – CR & FC 21 (2T,1C,3P)
Referee – Callum Stuart (Australia)
ThePapare Man of the Match – Shanaka Kumara (CR & FC)
After the game, relieved CR & FC head coach Imthi Marikkar shared his exclusive views on the game with www.thepapare.com, “ I’m happy that we won the game and it’s all due to our 2nd half performance. We practiced only 6 weeks and some of our foreigners joined late. We were short of game time and that was the main reason for a lacklustre 1st half. Long way to go ahead and looking forward to put up strong performances.”
