Patana, power, pace too much for Antonians
View(s):
Isipathana dominated the show - Pic by Ranjith Perera
Kept to a score of 12-6 at half time, the Patana players came back strongly to run in another 18, for an ultimately emphatic 30 points (4 tries, a goal and a penalty to 6 (2 penalties) win over the Antonians on their home turf.
The final scoreline is a little harsh on the losing side. The last two tries were due to canny anticipation by Isipathana and not due to any constructive moves as such.
The winners were guilty of a few dropped passes. This was on a perfectly dry evening. There were two or three occasions on which Antonian attackers broke through the Patana defence. But the superb cover prevented any prolonged breach.
Last year’s skipper Manilka Ruberu took it upon himself to mastermind the attacks from his position at centre. Isipathana’s second try was due to a wonderful break from him. He made a powerful run of about 40 yards, before taking on the last defender and switching a pass to fly half Kalhara to touch down. For good measure, Ruberu did the conversion.
The Anthonians, for their part, tried to live with their opponents who were quite explosive in the second half.
Line out jumping was their forte and they performed commendably well in this aspect of the game. The Amarasinghe brothers Matheesh and Ruwan can take credit for this effort.
They may have lost by a biggish margin, but don’t write the Antonians off just yet. Some of the players have speed and some others have the weight and strength. When they put it all together victory could be theres.
Wingers Nadeesh Chaminda and de Silva were a big part of the Patana attacking force in the second half. A Patana player did some quick thinking, taking a short tap while the defence was in disarray. He ran across and linked up with winger de Silva who received the offload to go over.
Then again, a high ball was dropped by the Antonian winger. Isipathana gained control and started a run for the line. Skipper JW Serasainghe did the hard yards and went over.
Even the opening try was the results of a quickly taken short tap. Prop Methun Nirmala was able to barge over.
Place kicking seems to be a recurring problem for Isipathana who, if my memory serves me right suffered from this melody last year too.
The plus point for the winner was their attacking skill which seems to be in good order. The team, as a whole, has a different look to it from the 2018 one. This bodes well for the team and ill for the opposition.