Army SC overcame the solid Upcountry Lions outfit by 22-20 in a thrilling encounter played on soggy conditions at Diyagama Mahinda Rajapakse Stadium today in the 2nd week of 2013/14 Dialog Club Rugby League.
Both teams came into the match with a win under their belt last week and Upcountry Lions were favorites after thrashing CR & FC 46-12 last week while the hosts Army SC were the underdogs after their nail biting win of 15-14 over Police SC last week.
The game started at 04.00pm with the clouds hovering over the ground when Shanaka Kumara of Upcountry Lions got the game underway. Lions were awarded a penalty in their opposition’s 22’ meter terriortory in the 2nd minute of the game as the Army forwards were caught offside. Lions place- kicker Shanaka Kumara missed an easy penalty kick to the dismay of their supporters. Army SC were also awarded a penalty in their opposition’s 30’ meter terriortory and Army skipper Asanka Perera could not slot over the kick to start off the scoreboard. Both teams were eager to put some points on the board before the end of 1st quarter to establish their game plans as Army SC crossed over the try line after a set move play by their forwards which helped Fijian center Lalai to score his 1st try for the match and Asanka Perera added the extra points. (Army 07 – Lions 00)
Upcountry Lions were off color in their set plays as Army forwards worked tirelessly to win the set plays as the rain started to fall. Upcountry Lions got their act together in the 25th minute when their blind side flanker Sasanka Ariyarathne scored off a 5 meter scrum and Shanaka Kumara scored the conversion to level the scores. (Army 07 – Lions 07)
Both teams were guilty of losing points scoring terriortory due to their poor ball handling because of the steady rain which halted the Upcountry Lions skipper Srinath Sooriyabandara from making his signature dashes impacting the game as well. Army SC’s only Sri Lankan player Ashoka Jayalal were sent off to the sin bin after a late charge on a lions player at the edge of half time and Upcountry Lions were awarded another kicking range penalty and Shanaka Kumara made no mistake with the penalty kick to take the visiting team into lead going into the half time.
Half Time : Army 07 – Upcountry Lions 10
After the lemons, Upcountry Lions drew first blood in the 50th minute of the game thanks to some scintillating footwork by former Rajans skipper Rochana Hettiarachchi who scored his maiden club rugby try under the post. Shanaka Kumara added the conversion.( Army 07 – Lions 17 )
Army SC’s never say never attitude were shown by their hard working loose forwards who won the most breakdowns of the match and reduced the Upcountry Lions lead when Wasantha De Costa scored a brilliant try after grinding for a try in the Upcountry Lions 22’ meter line for 10 minutes. Kawa added the conversion ( Army 14 – Lions 17 )
Army SC came back into the lead when Fijian center Lalai who switched to the No.8 position during the second half scored his 2nd try for the match when he barged over the try line dragging 3 defenders on his sleeve making a strong 30 meter run. Kawa missed the conversion. ( Army 19 – Lions 17 )
With the game heading into a nail- biting end, continuous rain tested the temperament and skill level of both teams as teams were fighting hard to claim their 2nd win for the season but Upcountry Lions got the lead back with 5 minutes to play when Army SC were penalized for not rolling away after making a tackle. Pera Gibbs continued his last week’s kicking form when he kicked a perfect penalty kick to silence the home crowd as Upcountry Lions took a slight 1 point lead. ( Army 19 – Lions 20 )
Army SC were desperate to get a scoring opportunity and they were lucky to get a penalty after Taufai Tevita of Upcountry Lions blocked an Army defender from making a tackle in the last move of the game and Army SC’s trusted foreign play maker Kawa slotted a match winning penalty kick to seal off a shocking win over the fancied Upcountry Lions as the crowd flocked into the grounds to celebrate a memorable victory to their home team.
Full Time : Army 22 – Upcountry Lions 20
