CR a tough hurdle for Kandy today
Kandy SC did what was expected of them by pummeling the Police to a 45-19 defeat at Nittawela last Sunday. The score line looks impressive. However there are plenty of issues for the team’s think-tank to powder on.
The forwards didn’t really excel. As a matter of interest, Police won some scrums on Kandy’s put-ins. To counter that, Kandy was able to win some lines out when the ball was thrown by the Police. Nearing the end of the first half, with Kandy leading 10-5, Police lost a five-metre line out on their throw. Had it been other-wise, the visitors would have been in the driver’s seat.
Kandy will certainly aim for a win over CR&FC after taking the lead of the Dialog Rugby League Points Table - File pic
Kandy played to a certain plan, while their opponents excelled in patches. The former champions certainly capitalised on Police lapses. The defeated side conceded three tries on their ball. The over-reliance on the Fijians was only to be expected as, when the local players are compared, some police players were not in the same street as their opponents.
The lines outs and the scrums were not steady, and the forwards gave the impression that they hadn’t, as yet, settled down. The Kandy outsides were also guilty of dropped passes and knock-ons. On the positive side, Kandy’s fitness was good and a couple of individuals were quite brilliant. The hooker could do more in the loose.
Today’s game against their old enemy, the CR and FC, will obviously be a tougher hurdle for the home team. Though the former has dropped a few games, they will surely raise their game for this prestigious confrontation. Unlike the Police, CR players have more technical know-how. Former Isipathana player Ashan de Costa leads the side and also occupies the important fly half’s berth.Winger Anuradha Herath and Ishan Noor, both ex-Peterites, are bound to feature prominently. Noor led the Red Shirts last season. Former Trinitian Kanchana Ramanayake occupies a spot in the back division and has the task of making good the conversions, too.
Kandy is a well-organised side that is currently playing good, attacking rugby after a momentary aberration when it came to the Army.Consistence has not been CR’s strong-point but it would be dangerous to write them off. CR’s centre Robert Malneek is a dandy player who will, no doubt, receive the close attention of the Kandy defence. Malneek is probably the only import who plays top level rugby back in New Zealand.
Brace yourself for an entertaining game but don’t be surprised if, at the end of it, the home team has taken one more step towards winning the league title.