The Dialog Rugby League has kicked off, and SURPRISE…Kandy SC aren’t their usual selves! They’re not the free-flowing Kandy outfit we are used to seeing, no sneaky offloads, no dominating set pieces and definitely no assurance.
Their combinations are a mess and the injury concerns are growing as the days progress. The only positive sign for them is that they have shown some individual glimpses of brilliance, and most of all they are still CHAMPIONS! The best thing about champions is that they somehow find ways of winning, and Kandy are masters of winning!!
The undisputed champions in the Dialog Rugby League, Kandy Sports Club has been the powerhouse in the local rugby scene, showcasing their supremacy in all formats. From their first trophy win in 1992, the team has flourished, winning trophy after trophy and they are currently the defending champions of the Dialog Rugby League. Kandy also have the largest fan base in Sri Lankan club rugby.
Photo Album – Army SC v Kandy SC – Dialog Rugby League 2018/19 | #Match 11
And only a very few, if any, of those diehard Kandy fans would have come away satisfied with what they saw at Rathmalana and Nittawela over the past couple of weeks. For a team like Kandy just about any win isn’t a good win.
But the standard of Kandy-Air Force matches played at Rathmalana, where Kandy have had issues in travelling down to, was an accurate reflection of what the game actually was: a contest between the first and last ranked teams in the Dialog Rugby League. The performance against Police was no better, the same problems prevailed, it was another average performance, with nothing jelled yet.
Kandy are normally slow starters to a league, but here’s why they will have a tough journey ahead.
Ganuka Dissanayake is only 23 years old, which is young for a prop around the island, but he is one of the best front-rower players in the country. Kandy can no longer afford to gradually introduce him to the club rugby like they used to do back in the early 2010s.
Kandy’s trouble with their misfiring forwards start with injuries, as their replacement for Ganuka Dissanayake, Lasitha Aththanagoda is currently out injured with a cut in the head which leaves Piyumal ‘Hulk’ Manchanayake, the veteran in line for a place on the bench. The veteran prop seems to have fallen out of favour, but he should be recalled to play loose-head prop. However, Hulk hasn’t had much game time in the recent past missing out quite a part of the last season.
Ashan Darling is the rock upon which the Kandy can be rebuilt their forwards department. He made an immediate impact when he came off the bench last season with his powerful scrummaging, ball-carrying and defence. If he is fit, he has to start but the concern for Kandy SC is that he isn’t fit and is off contention from the bench due to injury.
Replacement prop forwards available for the Kandy outfit
With the inclusion of the schoolboy prop forwards Malintha Wijesundara and Rashmika Chandrarathne, Kandy would have two front-rowers who were capable of running with the ball. As it is, Kandy currently have very few tight-five forwards who can bend the defensive line, which is undermining their game-plan. Omantha Panchiyawatta is the other option Kandy would like to use although he too is very inexperienced.
Coach Sean Wijesinghe is smart, he will use his front rowers wisely. Ashan Darling and Ganuka Dissanayake has been used conservatively, he has used them con-currently and that seems to be the strategy Kandy are going with. Yakoob Ali has been given a new role of playing the full 80 minutes as the second prop forward and this how Kandy will likely go until Lasitha Aththanagoda returns.
Uchitha Jayasuirya and Yakoob Ali in action
Kandy have three classy hookers in their team, but here again Damith Dissanayake their first-choice start has been hovering between being fit and unfit due to an operated knee for a long time. Damith, if fit, will give Kandy an edge over other teams, competing with teams like CR and CH. Yakoob Ali would preferably be Kandy’s second hooker choice; interestingly he plays a dual role as a replacement Prop forward wavering from his original hooker duties due to the lack of Props available. This leaves Uchitha Jayasuriya as the only available hooker fit enough to player a full 80 minutes of Rugby. Kandy wouldn’t be that concerned with two of the picks in the playing XV.
Photo Album – Air Force SC vs Kandy SC – Dialog Rugby League 2018/19 | #Match 4
However, their defense on the fringes from close range looks troubled with Air Force and Police scoring tries, exploiting that vulnerability. Coach Wijesinghe made some tactical changes with Buweneka Udangamuwa and Tharindu Chathuranga coming close when the opposing team attacked through the pick and drops close to line, which proved somewhat effective against Army.
Kandy is all class in their second and third row departments. At the moment none can match Shehan ‘Lema’ Pathirana, Suhiru Anthony, Jason Dissanayake and Tharindu Chathuranga who will start in every Kandy game, and turn in day in day out to do their job to perfection. Kandy are impenetrable in defense with Tharindu Chathuranga and Jason Dissanayake tackling whatever comes their way as Lema and Suhiru steal away every line-out thrown.
The ‘all class’ second and third row forwards of the Champions
And Kandy will definitely not forget Heshan ‘Thappe’ Kalhara the big tank used to good effect last season and his counterpart Dimitri Wijethunga assisted by Asitha Rathnayaka and veteran Shashika Jayawardena. And here again both Heshan Silva and Dimitri Wijethunga have hamstring injuries. Heshan Silva was helped off in the recently concluded Army game. If Kandy are composed and stable at anything, this is their strength. Penetrate line of defense and make them vulnerable in the air, they’ll be in serious trouble!
A routine day out for Buwenaka Udangamuwa, fending and barging his way through defenders
And as always Buwenaka ‘Buwa’ Udangamuwa has been a rock in the Number 8 jersey, making his usual carries, sucking in four-five defenders to bring him down. A new aspect that he has developed in his game is that now he is making those vital turnovers. The turnover count for him is just above five in the concluded three matches.
Nigel Ratwatte is out, nothing is confirmed yet but by the way he walked out of the Police match half way through the first half, it is something serious, looking like a Hamstring injury! And vulnerability leaks into Kandy at the vital play-making position too.
Nigel Ratwatte on the verge of giving out an-offload
Arshad Jamaldeen is the immediate choice to come off the bench, slotted into the Kandy mix. But question marks remain on how his performance will pan-out given that he has hardly ever got game time in his career at Kandy. None can really be blamed, as no one in their right mind would have taken Fazil Marija out of his Fly half position.
Emad Reyal will be the other option who will most likely come off the bench which he did in the Army game and he will look to cement his spot as the season progresses. Reyal is a master creator at Fly half, this will his first outing in Sri Lanka since his school days. His composure and ability will be tested heavily in the games to come and a lot will be expected from him in his first season in Kandy. Kandy however also have Chamika Perera and Lakshitha Ranaweera in their squad who played at Fly half for their schools.
Depth at the position is not a question Kandy will have to answer, but how well will the youngsters handle the pressure, how well will they fare in tight games? Those are the big questions the defending champions will have to find answers to very SOON!!
Roshan Weerarathne is arguably the best scrum-half in the business when it comes to the XVs. As always there has to be a but coming somewhere…but he has been battling injuries for a long time now! He first got his knee operated and knowing the warrior he is, came back the next season only to miss half the season with a shoulder injury which still isn’t 100%. His performance in the concluded three games have been above average, nothing less than a perfect!
His replacement is also a champion, everyone in Sri Lanka knows, the sevens superstar and Sri Lanka Captain Srinath Sooriyabandara.
Kandy SC scrumhalves Roshan Weerarathne and Srinath Sooriyabandara
Unfortunately for the Hill capital club he too has a fractured clavicle sustained at the concluded Colombo leg of the Asia Seven’s series, leaving Heshan Jansen the U20 national rep in line with a start for the season coming off the bench or starting when Roshan needs a break.
It might be a good exposure for Jansen even though he needs to sort his role out quicker than he would have imagined he would in his young career! Luckily for Kandy Sanushka Abeywickrama comes in as a fourth option and is up for grabs in the pressure games. His inclusion is another question coach Sean Wijesinghe will have to find an answer to soon.
Kandy will never be short of talent in their back line and specially their center combinations. Two household names in Sri Lanka Rugby, Richard Dharmapala and Danushka Ranjan have kicked things off in Rathmalana and paired in Nittawela against Police, improved against Army in the 20 minutes together. They’re still a bit rusty, they’ll be a deadly combination as the season progresses! Concerned management and fans however watched Richard limp off due an ankle injury mid-way through the first half in the Army game.
The new center combination for Kandy, Danushka Ranjan and Richard Dharmapala
Although Ranjan surprisingly wore a very bright white jersey even after playing the full quota of 80 minutes playing outside Dharmapala in Rathmalana, he has been a try scoring force throughout his career and proved his class with a hat trick this week against Police, followed up by a try in the Army game.
To get an idea of how strong Kandy is at their center combinations, they have the likes of Gayan Weerarathne, Lawanga Perera, Oshan Perera, Lahiru Daulagala and Chamika Perera at their disposal in any given match. Coach Sean Wijesinghe wouldn’t want to change much in this experimental combination as things will only get better as Richard and Ranjan pair up to their full potential. However, Richard limping off wasn’t a good sign.
If Kandy Sports Club was ever known for anything, it was their wing-three quarters, the pace they possessed out wide, ability to run around and carve through and open any defense. Even with a couple of injury hit superstars out of the start of the season, Kandy still look at their brilliant best in this department!
Anurudda Wilwara has just made an appearance, however his presence still hasn’t been felt, and he isn’t anywhere close to his best yet. Danush Dayan has stepped up in his place, however he was a notably exclusion in the squad against Army at Rathmalana.
Vishwamithra Jayasinghe and Anurudda Wilwara in action against Army
Vishwamithra Jayasinghe has come out of his ban with a bang. Oshan and Lavanga Perera, the twins switched sides to give Kandy much needed burst of speeds when needed!
Diluksha Dange the schoolboy try machine is still finding his way around the “Rubber gaha” end for a good race. With Wilwara returning, Kandy look settled and complete like they did last season, although they have lost Richard Dharmapala to the midfield from the wing!
Thilina Wijesinghe is in action at the full back position.
Thilina Wijesinghe’s running game is the best in the league, while his overall game has improved with every passing season he plays the 15-man game. His electric turn of pace and defensive intensity more than make up for his small stature. He is one of the best fielders of a high ball in rugby, and the best thing about Wijesinghe is that he hardly panics under pressure. Add to his value Wijesinghe is one of the best kickers in the league. He has never faltered so far, a total of 9 conversions of 9 at the windy Rathmalana, and at Nittawela he remains unbeatable. Coach Sean Wijesinghe is lucky to have him at the back given now that he has Emad Riyal to replace him at the bench too.
Nothing is lost for Kandy, it’s still within their control, and they’re a Champion outfit! Every season they have managed to come out on top in almost all their games. In the Sri Lankan club arena they are the All Blacks but even the All Blacks can be defeated, and that is a proven fact.
