Kandy Sports Club, the unbeaten league rugby defending champions were fortunate to beat a fighting young Navy Sports Club outfit by a score of 21 to 18 in their inter-club match last week at the Nittawela rugby stadium in Kandy.
The winners were up 14 to 8 at the time of the break as Kandy SC as a champion side put up a pitiful performance and they should consider themselves lucky to have pulled it off in the end as the Navy SC players performed admirably well even surprising their own supporters.
Centre Danushka Ranjan, hooker Uchitha Jayasuriya and full back Damian Ratwatte scored a try each for Kandy with Tharinda Ratwatte on target with three conversions.
Hooker Pulasthi Dasanayake and Number Eight Radeesha Seneviratne scored for Navy SC while fly half Samuel Maduwantha succeeded with one conversion and a spectacular 45 metre drop-goal.
The question that is now doing the rounds among the clubs at gatherings is that for how long will Kandy SC be able to thrive on luck in a way that no other team has.
Police stun Air Force 21-15
After leading 21 to 10 at half time, Police SC managed to pull off a hard fought 21 to 15 win over a dejected Air Force SC outfit at Ratmalana. For the winners Police SC, Nisal Samadhi, Ashan Fernando and Mohamed Faumy scored the tries while fly half Yohan Peiris put over the three conversions. Niroshan Rajanayake and Parakrama Ratnayake scored two tries and Nuwan Perera put over the solitary penalty and the conversion for the losing Air Force SC that played to disappointing levels.
CR in runaway 27-19 win over CH
The high-riding CR & FC scored a runaway 27 points to 19 win over CH and FC at the Race Course International Stadium last week. The winners were leading 20-09 at halftime.
For the winning CR outfit winger Gemunu Chethiya-two tries and full back Mursheed Doray one, crossed the line with centre Chathura Seneviratne putting over the three conversions and the two penalties. Centre Janindu Dilshan scored the solitary try and fly half Hirusha Sampath slotted in four penalties for the losing CH outfit.
Havies thrash Army 31-15
Havelocks appeared to have found their sting and bite as they thrashed Army SC by 31 points to 15 at the inaugural rugby match played at Panagoda ground last week.
Should Havies keep up the momentum they could have their best chance in many years of laying their hands on the League title as Number Eight Christian De Lile, Nivanka Prasad, Shenuka Herath and scrum half Mithun Hapugoda scored the tries while Sandesh Jayawickrema converted all four tries and slotted in the penalty as well.
Hooker Danilsha Dissanayake scored the solitary try together with a penalty-try awarded by the referee while Isuru Medagedara slotted in the penalty for Army.