Upcountry Lions put up a superlative performance against CR & FC in their opening encounter of the Dialog Rugby League at the Nawalapitiya Jayathilake Sports Grounds.
The Lions managed to score six tries courtesy of Kanchana Ramanayaka (2), Nigel Ratwatte (2), Mohamed Sashan and Peniasi Tokakece while Rizah Mubarak was the only point scorer for the boys from Longden place in their 45-12 defeat.
After a lapse of over one year due to the reschedulement of the league, Club Rugby was back in action. Probably the most awaited match of the weekend, the Upcountry Lions took on a revitalised CR & FC side in their den at Nawalapitiya in what seemed to be an even contest on paper.
It was CR’s new addition and Sri Lanka’s ‘Mr. Reliable’ Rizah Mubarak who put the first points on the scoreboard with a penalty. However, both teams seemed to show a bit of rustiness early in the game, especially the Lions who were a bit slow off the blocks.
But CR who were very organized defensively early on, failed to keep up their concentration as the Lions captain sevens hero Srinath Sooriyabandara opted to use a cheeky punt that allowd a very good chase from Nigel Ratwatte who managed to go all the way due to a comedy of errors by the CR defense who fail to secure and read the ball cleanly. Shanaka Kumara failed to add the extra points as the home team led by two.
Rizah then added three more with another penalty from a difficult angle to give the boys from Longden Place the lead once again, but it was shortlived after Shanaka slotted in a penalty for the Lions as well.
Prolific centre Kanchana Ramanayaka who had an extremely good season last year then managed to step his way through to score the second try for the Lions. He scored his second of the game later on, this time going right under the post, as the Lions lead comfortably at half time with the only response before was Rizah’s third penalty.
Half Time – Upcountry Lions 20 v CR&FC 09
Alot was expected from CR in the second half, as many hoped for a comeback effort that would spruce up the encounter that was heading towards a one sided end. But a brilliant effort by Nigel Ratwatte who was well supported by his forwards led to the opening try of the half for the Lions who were cruising.
Rizah Mubarak and the New Zealander Pera Gibbs traded penalties as the score moved to 28-12 in favour of the Lions. CR failed to counter the fast paced Lions line and attacking ploys as winger Mohamed Sashan and Peninasi Tokakece added two more tries for the home team, with Gibbs adding the extras with his powerful right foot. CR were left in tatters as Referee Irshard Cader blew the full time whistle with the scores being 45-12 in favour of the Nawalapitiya Club.
Interestingly, the Upcountry Lions played over 50 minutes with only 14 men since Joketani Raikabula was sent off with a straight red card due to an alleged punch in the middle of the game. However, this decision seems to be a bit contentious even though it eventually did not have any telling impact on the outcome of the game.
The Lions were very weak with their set pieces as they were over powered in their scrums and lineouts by CR and FC. But in the end, errors and a poor offensive performances sounded the death knell for the boys from Longden Place.
