Matchless Kandy leave opponents in tatters

by Hafiz Marikar

A well organized and pragmatic Kandy Sports Club is on course to bag the Dialog inter club League rugby championship for another year running after a flawless display in the first round that made them unbeaten and perhaps unbeatable.

Their success this year is neither accidental nor fortuitous as the team has a useful combination of youth and experience that has made them the complete unit. The rapid growth of the team has been mainly due to the players commitment, dedication, the discipline they followed and the backing from the club's superiors that made them a formidable force according to Kandy Rugby Chairman Lasantha Wijesuriya who once led the side to be unbeaten triple champions under coach Nimal Lewke.

Wijesuriya now stands out as a role model with his dedication.

"When I took over I thought I was nervous as the trend at that time was very competitive. But this was not new to me.

Today more than half the side is the same over the last couple of years even though every year a player or two may retire or come in. In short it is a continuation, when some player moves out we get the same replacement with help from above. This year we got going from the first game", explained Wijesuriya.

He said physical strength, speed, the will to resist any challenge and above all the stamina to last a full game was their formula for success."Havelocks and Navy did not play their normal game but attempted new tactics of kicking which we knew how to counter attack. Our tactics just superseded theirs", said Wijesuriya.

Kandy by their current showing have turned the League into a lopsided affair as they have virtually branded themselves the eventual winner unless something untoward takes place which is also unlikely to happen.

By the end of the first round Kandy had made the League look awfully one-sided by scoring as many as 43 tries, six on average in a match, while conceding just six tries which is half of what the second rated team Havelocks have allowed their opponents.

Overall Kandy has 39 points while Havelocks have 33 in the points table. Kandy's biggest cushion is that, with the exception of the Navy match, they will play against Havelocks, CR and FC and Police at home in the second round.