Unbeaten Kandy deny gallant Havies
Kandy lock Heshan Silva is being ‘unceremoniously’ hugged by a Havies forward - Pic by Amila Gamage
Defending champions Kandy SC had to pull out all stops to beat a gallant Havelock SC 22-10 and maintain their unbeaten run in an enthralling first round clash of the Dialog Club Rugby League Championship played under lights at Havelock Park yesterday.
Kandy got their points from three tries, two conversions, and a penalty to enjoy a 12-5 lead at the interval. Havelocks replied with two tries and one conversion, but had to little else to show despite enjoying territorial dominance and abundant possession particularly in the second half.
The game began at a frenetic pace as Kandy marshalled by skipper Nigel Ratwatte rattled Havelocks by passing the ball with clinical precision with left winger Buddhima Piyaratne slicing through to score under the posts after just over a minute of play following a powerful break by number 8 Buwaneka Udangamuwa in midfield. Tharinda Ratwatte surprisingly muffed the conversion.
Kandy continued their momentum with their pack driving over a scrum from close range for Udangamuwa to touch down and Ratwatte to add the extra points to give them a crucial 12-0 lead after nine minutes.
Havelocks finally got their bearings before the end of the first quarter when number 8 Daiyan Sabar made a superb open side break from a scrum but Kandy survived the initial onslaught. The Havelocks backline made inroads and looked dangerous in attack with fly half Sandesh Jayawickrema and right winger Naveen Henakankanamge having an outstanding game. Havelocks were not to be denied as left winger Kavinda Keshan hared across to score after picking up a loose ball for an unconverted try.
Spurred by this try, Havelocks stepped up the tempo and their backs played with more enterprise to run the Kandy defence ragged. Full back Prince Chamara and Henakankanamge even performed a rare scissor movement and also sent Kandy backpeddling with a grubber kick after Jayawickrema picked centre Randy Silva with a long pass. However, Chamara sliced a relatively easy penalty kick before half time.
But Ratwatte made no mistake with a 42nd minute penalty kick to give Kandy a 15-5 cushion early in the second half.
Havelocks virtually pitched camp in the Kandy half phasing out attacks with their forwards and backs combining effectively with skipper Mithun Hapugoda coming off the bench in the second half to inspire his side with incisive runs after switching from scrum half to full back.
However, it was Kandy who scored when they had a sniff of the Havelocks goal line. Jason Dissanayake gave them a slight edge in the lineouts but it was a brilliant break from super sub Roshan Weeraratne from a scrum deep inside their territory which served as a launch pad for their second try. The Sri Lanka scrum half cantered through a bemused Havelocks side past the halfway mark before Piyaratne produced a jinxing run resulting in winger Kavindu Perera scoring on the left. Tarinda Ratwatte made a superb touchline conversion to give Kandy an unassailable 22-5 lead after 53 minutes with Weeraratne making way for another veteran Sri Lanka star Srinath Sooriyabandara thereafter.
However, Havelocks showed they still had fight left in them spearheaded by skipper Hapugoda who split the defence with galloping runs. After applying intense pressure, flanker Shawket Lahir streaked across to scored a try in the 68th minute with Jayawickrema adding the extra points.
Havelocks survived an onslaught by Kandy forwards Heshan Silva and Charles Praveen while Dilaksha Dange forced a lineout with a delightful grubber. Hapugoda launched counter attacks for Havelocks but they ran out of time.
Referee: Aaqil Jamaldeen