Kandy dominate league rugby

Buwanka Udangamuwa about to score his second try for Kandy 

By Shamseer Jaleel

Many clubs, in an attempt to dominate club rugby this season, recruited top players from other clubs as well as the best available coaching staff. But Kandy stayed with the outfit which won last year and kept their trust in them. Despite not making any changes they still remain on top. 

They have hardly been troubled so far this season. The fact that their three toughest encounters against Havelocks, CH & FC and CR & FC were all home matches could be one of the reasons for this. That is why their last encounter at Welisara this weekend could be a tough hurdle for them. Their return legs in Colombo against CR & FC, CH & FC and Havelocks could decide who claims the league this time around. 

The upcountry forwards are led by the outstanding Buwanka Udangamuwa who has been the best player in club rugby this season. He is powerful and hard to stop, oftentimes scoring at will. Uchithra Jayasuiriya and Yakoob Ali too will be at their best with Sayuru Anthony supporting them in lineouts with Shehan Pathirana. Roshan Weeraratne, operating from the base, has directed the forwards and three-quarters with his ample experience in club and national rugby and he is an asset for the upcountry club. Dharmapala, Ranjan and Wilwara stood out for them with Thilina Wijesinghe being outstanding both in attack and defence. Their main worry remains the standoff position where they are yet to find a suitable replacement for retired legend Fazil Marija. They have tried out both Nigel Ratwatte and Arshard Jamaldeen in this position but both of them have been a yard slower than Marija.

Navy are led by kicking sensation Thilina Weerasinghe. Buddhima Piyaratne, Dinusha Chathuranga, Mohamed Absal and Musheen Faleel stood out for them. Although the sailors hold a home field advantage, Kandy are favoured to pull it off. The referee for the game is Priyantha Gunaratne.

CR hold the edge

CR & FC will look to get back to winning ways after they lost their rhythm midway through their league campaign. A lapse in focus and testing their star Tharinda Ratwatte at the centre position has been costly for them. Ratwatte is outstanding in his pet fly half position. Omalka Gunaratne, Shamal Weerasekera and Joel Perera will need to be at their best for the red shirts to pull off a victory.

Meanwhile, Army have been inconsistent throughout the season. Gayan Salinda, Rizvi, Manoj Perera and Manjula Weerasinghe need to be at their best in Ratmalana. Ishanka Abeykoon will referee this game.

CH and Police in tough battle

Both CH & FC and Police will battle it out for supremacy in an attempt to end round one on a winning note. Although arguably having the best collection of talent, CH are yet to produce their best as a unit. Muthuthanthri, Hirantha, Nishon and Sudam are all a class above the rest with Samuel Maduwantha there for the conversions. Police have shown a lot of promise this season and almost humbled Kandy at home in the early part of the tournament. Vageesha Weerasinghe, Lahiru Pavithra and Udara have been at their best. This could be a close game with CH holding a slight edge. Dinka Peiris will control action out in the middle. 

Havelocks have been brilliant despite losing as many as eight players to CH and CR and stood out in round one. Their coach Sanath Martis has stood above the rest in terms of his judgment in crunch games. Air Force will need a big morale-boosting performance to come out on top, something which seems highly unlikely. Ending eighth is not good for the Ratmalana outfit as they will need to travel to Kandy for their next encounter which will be an acid test for them. Hasantha Weeranga will be in charge of the whistle for this encounter.