Kandy to be tested by CR

Thursday, 11 January 2018 00:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Shamseer Jaleel

Defending League and Clifford Cup champions Kandy Sports Club will be back at home when they face CR&FC which could turn out to be a hotly-contested encounter.

On form though it will be a close battle in the initial half and the upcountry outfit will be expected to win this encounter. They have already won the league after building a 16-point lead over their closest rivals.

CH hold edge in Air Force clash

The high-riding CH, after a morale-boosting win over second-placed Havelocks, will be all out to improve their ranking to fourth over their closest rival CR&FC. CH are fortunate to have Lee Keegale, Sathya Ranathunge, Sajith Saranga and Yoshitha Rajapaksa in their ranks. All these players displayed top quality rugby and the Air Force outfit will struggle to contain them. Iddamalgoda and Seelagama, who are playing at their peak, will need to get their team work in order to contain the CH outfit. On form CH should pull off a bonus-point win.

Navy should have things their own way

After strong performances in their last two encounters, Navy should have things their own way when they play Police in an away game. Led by Dhanushka Perera, Thilina Weerasinghe, Mohamed Abzal and Musheen Faleel they will be favoured to get the better of their opponents. Shamly Nawas will have an uphill task in trying to contain the sailors. Wajid Fahmy and Sandesh Jayawickrema will play a major role for the cops but on form the sailors should move forward without being troubled too much.

Kandy hold the edge

Kandy’s game against CR&FC is somewhat of a grudge match but the Kandyans, playing at home, will be the favourites to post a win. The first half is expected to produce a close battle but it will be a tough task for CR to sustain their level of play for the game’s full 80 minutes.

Kandy will play their best outfit with the return of regular scrum half Roshan Weeraratne. Ranjan, Wilwara, Dharmapala, Fazil and Nigel all look to be at their best and will be joined by fullback Thilina Wijesinghe, which will give Kandy a formidable three-quarter line. They are well supported by their forwards headed by Shehan Pathirana, Sayuru Anthony, Yakoob Ali and Uchithra Jayasuriya.

CR on the other hand will depend heavily on Omalka Gunaratne, Shashan Mohamed, Reza Mubarak and Tharinda Ratwatte. The placekicking of Ratwatte will be vital if CR are to make headway in this game. On form Kandy should pull this off and not only keep their number one position intact but also remain unbeaten.

Havies out for win

After their shock defeat to CH, Havelocks will be all out to finish on a positive note when they face an unsettled Army outfit which has lost its last two games. Havies will be expecting a lot from Sharo Fernando, Nishon Perera, Reza Mubarak and Hirantha Perera. Last week their three-quarter line let them down badly with poor ball-handling.

Army will miss out on their scrum half Rizvi. Ashoka Jayalal, skipper Senanayake and the evergreen Gayan Salinda will need to lead from the front to secure a win here. But on form the park club should pull this off.