After securing the title last weekend, Kandy Sports Club capped off an unbeaten season with a commanding 50-24 victory over Havelock Sports Club in their final Mastercard Inter-Club ‘A’ Division Rugby League 2024/25 Cup Segment clash at Nittawela.
Nigel Ratwatte kicked off his final league game for Kandy in style with a pinpoint kick, setting the stage for an early turnover by Thilina Bandara. Kandy immediately went on the attack, seamlessly combining their forwards and backs in a fluid passage of play. They executed a perfect switch from right to left, with Chathura Soysa drawing in two defenders before offloading to Dinal Ekanayake, who crossed over in the left corner. Tharinda Ratwatte made the difficult conversion look effortless, adding the extra points. (Kandy 07-00 Havelocks)
Kandy extended their lead further when Havelocks were penalized for offside, and Tharinda Ratwatte slotted another flawless kick to add three more points. (Kandy 10-00 Havelocks)
After enduring relentless Kandy pressure for the opening 10 minutes, Havelocks finally found an opportunity to attack. Though they struggled to break through Kandy’s defensive line, they earned a scrum penalty, which Samuel Maduwantha calmly converted to keep the visitors in the contest. (Kandy 10-03 Havelocks)
Kandy, however, looked dangerous every time they had possession. Their forwards punched deep into Havies’ 22-meter line before Heshan Jansen sent the ball to Tharinda Ratwatte, who delivered a well-timed pass to Nigel Ratwatte. The veteran playmaker then fed his skipper, Srinath Sooriyabandara, who sliced through the Havies’ defense to score in the left corner. Tharinda Ratwatte once again nailed the conversion from a tough angle. (Kandy 17-03 Havelocks)
The Hill Country outfit continued their dominance, this time through their powerful rolling maul. The Kandy pack drove forward relentlessly, leaving Havelocks unable to halt their momentum. Hooker Kenula Hettiarachchi was the beneficiary, diving over for Kandy’s third try. Tharinda Ratwatte maintained his perfect kicking record, slotting yet another conversion from a challenging angle. (Kandy 24-03 Havelocks)
After spending much of the half defending, the Havies’ forwards finally built some pressure of their own, winning a penalty. Scrum-half Mohamed Rifan quickly sent the ball to fly-half Sandesh Jayawickrama, who spotted an unguarded space behind Kandy’s defensive line. With a brilliant chip-and-chase, Jayawickrama regathered his own kick and touched down for Havelocks’ first try, converting it himself to reduce the deficit. (Kandy 24-10 Havelocks)
The newly crowned champions wasted no time responding. Nigel Ratwatte launched an electrifying run from the 40-meter mark, slicing through the Havies’ defense before offloading to Tharinda Ratwatte. Tharinda carried the ball deep into the 10-meter line before handing it off to Diluksha Dange, who powered forward. No. 8 Dahan Wickramarachchi then quickly took possession and bulldozed over for Kandy’s bonus-point try. Tharinda Ratwatte remained flawless from the tee, his conversion bouncing off the left upright and through, keeping his 100% accuracy intact.
Half-time: Kandy SC 31 (4T, 4C, 1P) – Havelocks SC 10 (1T, 1C, 1P)
The hosts started the second half just as they had finished the first—on the attack. This time, Kandy launched an offensive from a 5-meter lineout, setting up a maul. A clever decoy run by Heshan Jansen sent the Havelocks’ defense in the wrong direction, allowing Wajid Faumy to offload to Dahan Wickramarachchi. Wickramarachchi exploited the blind side and powered over for his second try of the game, with Tharinda Ratwatte once again delivering a pinpoint conversion from the corner. (Kandy 38-10 Havelocks)
Havelocks managed to keep Kandy quiet for 20 minutes, and in the 62nd minute, they finally broke through with a well-structured buildup. Patient phase play, aided by multiple offside penalties conceded by Kandy, brought them within striking distance. Sudesh Jayawickrama made a strong carry to get his team to the whitewash before Janindu Fernando muscled his way over from close range for a well-deserved try. Sandesh Jayawickrama added the conversion to close the gap. (Kandy 38-17 Havelocks)
However, Kandy responded like true champions. First, they made significant ground through a rolling maul before shifting play to the wider channels. Srinath Sooriyabandara weaved his way through defenders to bring play near the 5-meter line, where replacement prop Ethan Schneider-Loos finished off the move with a powerful drive over the try line. Tharinda Ratwatte slotted what was arguably his easiest conversion of the day. (Kandy 45-17 Havelocks)
Despite the game being out of reach, Havelocks continued to display quality rugby. From a scrum, they executed a well-worked move, spreading the ball from left to right. Dilshara Kodagoda broke through Kandy’s defensive line before quickly offloading to Chethna Rajaratne, who then delivered a perfectly timed pop pass to his brother, Jayathu Rajaratne. Jayathu crossed over for his 16th try of the season, and Sandesh Jayawickrama nailed a superb conversion from the corner. (Kandy 45-24 Havelocks)
Kandy Sports Club sealed the game with a fairytale ending. Nalan Premantha initiated the final attack, carrying deep into Havelocks’ 22-meter line. Spotting space, Dinal Ekanayake chipped a precise kick behind the Havies’ defense. Nigel Ratwatte, playing his final league game, chased it down, collected the ball, and dived over to score the last try—ending the match in the most fitting way possible.
Full Time: Kandy SC 50 (7T,6C,1P) – Havelocks SC 24 (3T,3C,1P)
Swisstek Player of the Match: Nigel Ratwatte (Kandy SC)
Highest try scorer of the season: Jayathu Rajaratne 16 Tries (Havelock SC)
Highest point scorer of the season: Nigel Ratwatte 137 Points (Kandy SC)
Points Breakdown
Kandy SC 50
Dinal Ekanayake 1T, Srinath Sooriyabandara 1T, Kenula Hettiarachchi 1T, Dahan Wickramarachchi 2T, Ethan Schneider-Loos 1T, Nigel Ratwatte 1T, Tharinda Ratwatte 6C,1P
Havelocks SC 24
Janindu Fernando 1T, Jayathu Rajaratne 1T, Sandesh Jayawickrama 1T,3C, Samuel Maduwantha 1P
