Kandy Sports Club clinched the Clifford Cup with a thrilling 41-33 victory over CR & FC, in the Mastercard Inter-Club Clifford Cup Knockout Championship 2025 Final, played at Nittawela.
Kandy, in pursuit of their first league cup double since 2018, hosted CR & FC in the grand finale of the Clifford Cup to bring the curtain down on the Club Rugby season.
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The home side wasted no time setting the tone, launching an early attack straight from kickoff. Though skipper Srinath Sooriyabandara was halted by CR’s defense, a turnover led to a box kick attempt from scrum-half Viduna Amaneth. Thilina Bandara was quick to react—charging down the kick, gathering the loose ball and offloading to center Diluksha Dange, who crashed over under the posts for the opening try. Nigel Ratwatte made no mistake with the conversion. (Kandy 07-00 CR)
Kandy extended their lead shortly after, as CR conceded a breakdown penalty. Ratwatte made no mistake from the tee. (Kandy 10-00 CR)
CR responded with a moment of individual brilliance from Chemod Muthunayake. Receiving the ball on the left wing, he stepped inside, danced through the Kandy defense, and wrong-footed the last man to score under the posts. Mursheed Doray slotted the conversion. (Kandy 10-07 CR)
With momentum shifting, CR continued to apply pressure. Two penalties in quick succession allowed them to set up a rolling maul from a lineout, and Omalka Gunaratna powered over from the back. Doray added the extras to put CR ahead. (Kandy 10-14 CR)
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A turning point came when Imanka Ariyapala was shown a yellow card for tackling Sooriyabandara in the air. With CR reduced to 14 men, Kandy capitalised. A few phases later, veteran playmaker Nigel Ratwatte spotted a gap in the defense, burst through it, and shrugged off two defenders to score. He converted his own try to regain the lead for Kandy. (Kandy 17-14 CR)
Just before the break, Ratwatte attempted a 45-meter penalty, which had the distance but veered off target.
Half Time: Kandy SC 17 (2T,2C,1P) – CR & FC 14 (2T,2C)
Kandy came out strong in the second half, capitalising on back-to-back penalties to set up a rolling maul. Hooker Kenula Hettiarachchi finished it off with a try, and Ratwatte converted from the touchline with precision. (Kandy 24-14 CR)
However, CR weren’t done yet. They launched a maul of their own from the 22-meter line and powered forward. Once again, Omalka Gunaratna was the man to finish it off, bagging his second try of the match. (Kandy 24-19 CR)
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A block tackle by CR’s Thanuja Jayaweera gifted Kandy a penalty, which Ratwatte slotted over. However, CR bounced back immediately. Manilka Ruberu opened space for Thenuka Nanayakkara, who sliced through Kandy’s backpedalling defence and offloaded to Doray for a try under the posts. Doray converted to reduce the deficit to a single point. (Kandy 27-26 CR)
Tensions boiled over, with both Nigel Ratwatte and CR’s Senura Perera receiving yellow cards for an on-field altercation.
The momentum swung again when CR lost possession after several patient phases. Shahid Zumri kicked the loose ball deep, and a poor clearance from CR allowed Kandy to secure a lineout near the 15-meter mark. They formed a maul, and Dishard Fareed broke off to score in the corner. Zumri made the tricky conversion look easy. (Kandy 34-26 CR)
CR showed their resilience once more as a monster touch finder from Doray brought them back into Kandy’s 22. CR won the line out and set up few phases before Manilka Ruberu powered over from close range, and Dorey’s conversion set up a dramatic finale. (Kandy 34-33 CR)
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In the dying moments, Thenuka Nanayakkara spilled the ball forward while attempting a clearance, giving Kandy a crucial scrum. From there, they worked their way to the 10-meter line before scrum-half Heshan Jansen spotted a gap on the right and sniped through to score the match-winning try. Kandy clinched the Double and capped off an unbeaten season in style.
Full Time: Kandy SC 41 (5T,5C,2P) – CR & FC 33 (5T,4C)
- Swisstek Player of the Match: Thilina Bandara (Kandy SC)
Points Breakdown
Kandy SC 41
Diluksha Dange 1T, Heshan Jansen 1T, Kenula Hettiarachchi 1T, Dishard Fareed 1T, Nigel Ratwatte 1T, 4C,2P, Shahid Zumri 1C
CR & FC33
Omalka Gunaratna 2T, Chemod Muthunayake 1T, Manilka Ruberu 1T, Mursheed Doray 1T,4C
