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Namal, Roshitha and Yoshitha expected to ‘scrum down’
for Navy:
Can Kandy SC win Clifford Cup again?
by S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Corr.
RUGBY: Will the Sailors torpedo the Kandyans or will the Kandyans
‘sink’ the Sailors? The result will be known when the defending
champions Kandy Sports Club confront Sri Lanka Navy in the final of the
Clifford Cup rugby tourney organised by the Sri Lanka Rugby Football
Union that will be played at the Bogambara Stadium in Kandy today
(Sunday), August 1 with the kick off at 4.30 p.m.
Kandy Sports Club has never lost a final since thy turned around
their fortunes in 1992, the year they first won the Clifford Cup. Since
then they have won it 15 more times, making a total of 16 wins which is
the highest by any club.
The Sri Lanka Navy team last entered the Clifford Cup final in 1989
and were beaten by CR & FC 3 - 6 in the final. Ironically they beat CR &
FC 15 - 12 to enter the final last week. Navy has also not beaten Kandy
Sports Club in Kandy since 1992 and this will be a fine opportunity for
them to break this 18-year-hoodoo in Kandy.
Another point of interest will be that the three Rajapaksa brothers
Namal, Roshitha and Yoshitha are expected to ‘scrum down’ for the Navy
and this should be also record. Namal Rajapaksa is also the first
sitting member of Parliament to play top division club rugby in Sri
Lanka.
Since last year, the confrontation between Kandy Sports Club and Sri
Lanka Navy has generated a lot of interest. In the first round match
played at Nittawela, Kandy Sports Club scored a comfortable 32 - 3 win,
but, the match had to be called off 12 minutes before full time due to
assault on Kandy ruggerites.
In the ‘return’ game played at Welisara, Navy defeated Kandy SC 12 -
11. Then this year in the first round game Navy won 14 - 13. But in the
‘return’ game played at Nittawela last month, Kandy scored a comfortable
28 - 16 win.
Today’s match should see a tense struggle between Kandy’s powerful
set of three-quarter and Navy’s forwards. Kandy’s three-quarter lien
will comprise Sanjeewa Jayasinghe, Chamara Withanage, Anuruddha
Willawara, Gayan Weeraratne and Mohammed Sheriff who could pierce
through any defence if given the chance. Fullback Saliya Kumara is also
a hard and penetrative runner who could form the overlap.
Kandy’s main problem will be to contain Navy’s drop-gaol expert and
stand off Dev Ananda and if the two flankers could get on him quickly,
then his drop goals could be curtailed.
All in all, top rugby is in store for the rugger fans in the Hill
capital. The weather at the time of writing is fine with no sings of
rains.
Kandy SC (from): Eranga Swarnatillake, Anuranga Walpola, Kishore
Jehan Buddhi Talagampola, Senaka Bandara, Kasun de Silva, Arvinda
Udangamuwa, Sean Wijesinghe, Roshan Weeraratne and Fazil Marija
(Captain), Sanjeewa Jayasinghe, Chamara Withanage, Gayan Weeraratne,
Anuruddha Willawara, Mohammed Sheriff, Saliya Kumara, Achala Perera,
Prasad Chathuranga, Mohammed Bizwan, Mohammed Jabbar, Kasun Yasaisuru.
Sri Lanka Navy (from): Suranga Swarnatillake, Hamza Hassan, Piumal
Manchanayake, Sumedha Malawana (Captain), Roshitha Rajapaksa, Yoshitha
Rajapaksa, Namal Rajapaksa, Suranga Pushpakumara, Dev Anand, Nuwan
Hettiaarahchci, Chula Susantha, Dilip Methruwan, Samantha Lakshan,
Erande Weerakkody, Ransiri Peiris, Manjual Ruwantillake, Kosala Tissera,
Gayashan Wijesinghe, Shilendra Chandrasekera.
Referee: Alan Whitecomb
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