Havelock Sports Club kept their unbeaten run intact as they beat Air Force 26 points to 13 in their own backyard on Sunday evening.
Havies after a thrilling win over CR&FC in their previous match looked to be one of the favorites to take the league title while the Airmen are stuck at the bottom half of the table with zero wins under their belt. Havies without the services of Kevin Dixon and Nishon Perera due to national duty was under a bit of pressure with the lack of bench strength.
Rimzi Jamaldeen kicked off proceedings under the lights. Havies started off with a try by their center Dhanushka Ranjan who took the ball from a line out and forced his way through the defense line. Rimzi couldn’t get the conversion right. (Havelocks SC 5 : Air Force SC 0)
Photo Album – Havelock SC v Air Force SC (Dialog Rugby LEague 2015/16)
The Airmen bounced back with a penalty as Rimzi Jamaldeen was penalized for holding the ball inside their own 40-meter line. Nuwan Perera, the lone fighter for Air Force made sure he did not let this chance go begging as he bisected the uprights with ease. (Havelocks SC 5 : Air Force SC 3 )
It was tit for tat in the first half and scrum-half Rahul De Silva showed some brilliance on the field as he took the ball from the ruck, dummied the defenders and ran all the way to score their second try under the post. The conversion was an easy one for the full-back Rimzi. (Havelocks 12 : Air Force 3 )
Havies kept on piling up points on the scoreboard as their in-form hooker Prasath Madushanka seized the gap and ran all the way to score another under the post try. Airmen tried to intercept but only managed to open up a gap for the formidable Havies side. Rimzi converted to add two more points to their points tally. (Havelocks SC 19 : Air Force 3 )
Ten minutes into the break, Havies had a big blow to their front line as their center Dhanushka Ranjan had to be taken off the field due to an injury. But it didn’t affect their offensive play as they kept on attacking the defense line of the visitors toward the end of the first half. The Airmen had their work cut out towards the break but their resilience was strong enough to withhold the formidable Havies.
HT : Havelocks SC 19 – Air Force SC 3
The second half kicked off with a brilliantly worked try by the home side. Rahul De Silva snatched the ball from the restart, passed the ball to the skipper Sadun Herath who broke through and offloaded to Samantha Lakshan who ran all the way to score under the post. Rimzi bisected the uprights yet again. (Havelocks 26 – Air Force SC 3 )
There was a shift of momentum mid-way through the second half as Air Force took control of the game. Nuwan Perera scored a brilliantly constructed try after a good passage of play by the Airmen. (Havelocks SC 26 : Air Force 10 )
Havies lost another big fish when their skipper had to go mid-way through the second half due to an injured knee. Sandun was taken to the hospital right away as he was carried off the field. Havies almost paid the price of being one man down as Gayantha Iddamalgoda kicked the ball over the defense line but unfortunately for them, the ball rolled over the deadline. Seven minutes to the final whistle, Air Force conceded a yellow card as Ranuka Medagedara was sent to the ‘Naughty Chair’ for ten minutes.
Nuwan Perera bisected the uprights to draw back the deficit inside the last five minutes through a penalty but it was too late for the Airmen to make a match winning come back.
Full Time: Havelocks SC 26: Air Force SC 13
ThePapare Man of the Match: Rahul De Silva (Havelocks SC )
Point Scorers
Havelock SC – Dhanushka Ranjan 1 try, Rahul De Silva 1 try, Samantha Lakshan 1 try, Prasath Madushanka 1 try, Rimzi Jamaldeen 3 conversions
Air Force SC – Nuwan Perera 1 try 1 conversion 2 penalties
Rahul De Silva speaking to ThePapare.com after the match gave his comments on the win,
“We were good in the first half but in the second they took the upper hand. It was unfortunate for us to loose Ranjan and Sandun in the second half. The guys from the bench couldn’t get their act right in the second half. I hope both of them recover before the next matches. ”
