An emphatic second half rally by CR & FC helped them draw (27-27) their Dialog Rugby League 2014/15 second round fixture with Kandy SC on Saturday at Longden Place amidst hundreds of passionate rugby enthusiasts in one of the most thrilling games in the current season.
Kandy SC completely dominated their last-week’s match against Police SC at the same venue while CR & FC went down fighting against Havelock SC under lights. Both these high-profile teams battled hard during their first round fixture which was won by Kandy (19-13) at Nittawala.
Kandy SC’s golden boy Fazil Marija kicked off the game from left to right. Former Science College skipper, Richard Dharmapala made a dream start to competitive rugby after serving a ban for illegal substance when he scored a superb try in the 3rd minute of the match. Dharmapala started the game in the outside center position and Fazil Marija’s splendid break through the no.10 channel paved the way for the 21-year old to score a memorable try. Roshan Weerarathne made no mistake with the conversion. (Kandy 07 – CR 00)
CR & FC place kicker Kanchana Ramanayake got his team off the mark in the 8th minute of the match when he slanted across a 25-meter penalty kick after the visitors were infringed for not rolling away after tackling in a ruck situation. (Kandy 07 – CR 03)
The ‘Kandyan Power House’ from South Africa, Christopher Cloete made his impact in the game as early as in the 12th minute when he stretched the lead with another try after he took a quick tap off a 5-meter penalty advantage to slice through the CR defense. Roshan missed the conversion. (Kandy 12 – CR 03)
Roshan Weerarathne had the opportunity of extending the lead in the 30th minute but his penalty attempt went astray. CR & FC set plays were disastrous in the first half as Kandy entirely dominated scrums and lineouts. Few errors in the breakdowns by both teams slowed down the game.
The foreign combination of Chris Cloete and Koto Pongi combined excellently for the lads from upcountry as they made the way for blindside flanker Sashika Jayawardene to score in the 31st minute of the match. Roshan once again failed to add the extra points. (Kandy 17 – CR 03)
CR looked dangerous with space for their backs and they held the territory and possession in the latter stages of the first half but poor coordination among the forwards helped Kandy get out of the jail unscathed with no tries being scored against the visitors in the first forty minutes.
Half-time: Kandy SC 17 (3T, 1C) – CR & FC 03 (1P)
After the 10-minute breather, CR full back Robbie Malneek restarted the game. The hosts made an inspiring start to the second half when their nippy scrum-half Rahul De Silva snatched a ball out of a Kandy player from their own 5’meter scrum and scored the first try for the ‘Red Shirts’ on a lovely evening. Kanchana Ramanayake added the extra points. (Kandy 17 – CR 10)
With only 6 minutes into the second half, Kandy protracted their slender lead to 10 points when an easy 30’ meter penalty shot was successfully bisected through the posts by Roshan Weerarathne. (Kandy 20 – CR 10)
CR & FC finally realized their strength of driving the maul in the 51st minute as flanker Sasanka Ariyarathne scored through a trademark ‘Reds’ pushover try. Kanchana added the extra points to reduce the gap. (Kandy 20 – CR 17)
Fazil Marija unleashed one of the best tactical moves of the season during the 55th minute of the match, when he spotted the open space deep side CR territory and chip kicked the ball, collected superbly and dived over the try line as the stadium erupted for his individual brilliance. Roshan Weerarathne kicked the extra points. (Kandy 27 – CR 17)
CR & FC continuously used the ploy of the ‘driving maul’ to punish the Kandy forwards but failed to convert the pressure into points after spending more than five minutes inside the Kandy 22’.
The visitors made many unforced errors in the second half which deprived them of possession and territory to work from.
Kandy gave away a crucial penalty within kicking range in the 70th minute of the game and Kanchana Ramanayake slotted the 20’meter penalty perfectly to take his team within touching distance. (Kandy 27 – CR 20)
The game was heating up for a thrilling end yet, the momentum was with the hosts. CR & FC full back Robbie Malneek broke the Kandy hearts in the 79th minute of the match when he stepped his way past few Kandy defenders to score a great try. Kanchana Ramanayake kept his nerve to add the extra points and level the scores. (Kandy 27 – CR 27)
Referee Irshad Cader ultimately blew the final whistle as the first drawn match of the season was witnessed by many rugby fanatics. CR would definitely take this as a win while Kandy’s title hopes were slightly dented by this draw.
Full-time: Kandy SC 27 (4T,2C,1P) – CR & FC 27 (3T,3C, 2P)
Referee – Irshad Cader
ThePapare Player of the Match – Fazil Marija
CR & FC head coach Imthi Marikkar shared his views with www.thepapare.com after the game, “Should have won the game but good to end it in a tie as well. We made few silly errors, especially in our lineouts. Actually, we did not play at all in the first half.”
Kandy SC fly-half added his thoughts as well, “We did not get the ball in the second half. Disappointed, but we could have won the game.“
CR & FC President Christopher Jordashe, confirmed that this was the first instance in five years that both these rugby giants ended a league game with scores being leveled.
