Hill country to go spell bound with this battle of phoenix
View(s):Kingswood, Isipatana – the names bring to mind many battles where excitement was at fever pitch and the rugby produced was rousing and refreshing. The fact that both teams liked to play open rugby, with the emphasis on running and passing which kept the spectators on the edge of their seats.
However, over the last couple of years, these two teams have not met each other and, in consequence, some enchantment has gone missing. That these two schools play top quality rugby goes without saying. Isipatana has provided lots players to the National side from Hisham Abeen, Ronald Rodrigo, Vishvamitra Jayasinghe to Srinath Sooriyabandara (not forgetting the late Sajith Mallikarachchi). Kingswood, for their port, can point to the Fazil Marijas and the Nalaka Weerakkodis.
Much will be at stake when these two teams meet at Nittawela today. Kingswood may be at an advantage, given the venue and the fact that this year’s green shirts are very young and slightly inexperienced side. All that is forgotten when the battle starts and Issipatana have shown that they can comeback and give as good as they get.
The Havelock Town boys almost bit the dust in their first game, winning 25-24 against D.S. Senanayake. They were more convincing against Dharmaraja. A defeat to the Peterites (14-20) was followed by a close win (22-17) against Wesley and last week they thrashed Thurstan (50-7), a result that has been repeated ad nauseam. In the light of this, it could be assumed that the team is hitting their straps.
Isipatana’s problem area is the place-kicking. Currently skipper Manilka Ruberu has been taking the kicks but his success rate is modest. This could make the difference as in H.M. Sampath, Kingswood has a good place-kicker. The skipper has been very effective in his main role as a dashing centre. Nadeesh Chaminda, an experienced player, and Ramitha Himesh have performed well but on the wings. They have proved to be good finishers. Also, Isipatana have their trade-mark speedy back division.
A redeeming feature is that the pack has mobility and weight. Players such as lock Chamod Sandaruwan and prop Vimesh Warnapura have played well. Supun Thanisha, the full back, is safe and has a habit of ‘coming to the party’.
Captained by number eight Tharindu Weligampola, Kingswood has, at times, played outstanding rugby. An opening defeat to Royal (8-29) and a later one to the Joes has taken a bit of gloss away from them. Yet, victories over the Thomians, the Anthonians and, crucially, over Trinity have confirmed the impression that they are a good side, and one that is difficult to down. Basically, this team consists almost totally of players who won the Under-18 tournament two years back.
Fly half Asiri Seneviratne plays an intelligent game. He is adept at ball distribution. When he kicks, that too is thoughtfully done. Centre Sachchintha Seneviratne, winger Thumula Weligampala and full back Dinal Ekanayake have served their team well.
The pack has some big players and their presence certainly makes a difference in the scrums. Prop Rashmika Chandraratne, hooker Ifham Jaleel, flanker J.H. Rajanayake and locks Chatura Zoysa and Channa Gunasekera have combined well. The end result is that the pack is almost as good as the three quarters.
For rugby enthusiasts in Kandy this is a can’t-miss game. The home team are probably, slight favourites. But the green shirts can never be written off.