Police SC and Army SC locked horns today at the Police Park to begin the 05th week of the Nippon Paint Rugby League 2023/24. In what was quite a lackluster affair, the hosts Police walked out with the win 19-10.
From the kickoff, the game had a lot of action when Police SC fumbled the first collection of the game, but thanks to Primesh Dhanushka managed to make a break and get into the opposition half. They slowly made inroads deep into Army territory and managed to win a penalty inside the opposition’s 22m territory. Cops took the scrum option and it paid off for them as Shanaka Harischandra scored the first try of the game. Yohan Peiris kicked the conversion through to add the extra points for Police. (Police SC 07 – 00 Army SC)
After the initial try by Police, the visitors managed to get things in order and take control of the game. As Army found yardage into the half of Police, mistakes started to happen from the home team and the soldiers, with a lot of patience managed to pounce on those chances. Army received a penalty close towards the try line and they opted for the same option Police used to score the first try – a scrum. Army needed just a few phases after the scrum as Skipper Ashan Bandara went over with a lovely show and go. Unfortunately the conversion did not go through for Army as Police still had the lead. (Police SC 07 – 05 Army SC)
Half Time : Police SC 07 – 05 Army SC
Army SC began the second half in style with a try inside the first 5 minutes. Nalan Premanath provided them with the break, and some quick hands with crucial offloads gave Lasantha Kumara enough space to find the whitewash. The Soldiers, despite having taken the lead with that try, were unable to increase their tally as the conversion went begging. (Police SC 07 – 10 Army SC)
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Trailing by 3 points, Police were gifted with the opportunity to take back the lead when one of their key players, Premanath, was sent to the naughty chair. Taking advantage of the extra man on the field, Police went over the try line in the form of Hashan Fernando. Peiris added the extra points to give his team a 4-point buffer. (Police SC 14 – 10 Army SC)
10 minutes later, Police managed to score another try when Hirantha Perera managed to touch the ball down from the barest of margins from the left corner. Leading up to the try, the Cops went from left to right and then right to left with some slick passing which ultimately paid off. The conversion didn’t go through from a hard angle but Police were well on top with a good lead. (Police SC 19 – 10 Army SC)
Going into the last few minutes of the game, Police received two yellow cards but it was too little too late for the Soldiers to make a significant difference. Army were controlling the game for the majority of the time, but their kicking woes became the main catalyst in this loss against the cops. Akash Madushanka of the home side was adjudged Black Knight Player of the Match for being a livewire in the field throughout the game.
Full Time : Police SC 19 (3T 2C) beat Army SC 10 (2T)
Black Knight Player of the Match : Akash Madushanka (Police SC)
Points Breakdown
Police SC : Shanaka Harischandra 1T, Hashan Fernando 1T, Hirantha Perera 1T, Yohan Peiris 2C
Army SC : Ashan Bandara 1T, Lasantha Kumara 1T
