The Clifford Cup knockout rugby tournament, which carries a legacy that stretches back more than a century, commenced today (quarter-finals) with the league-winning CR & FC side taking on the Navy Sports Club in their own backyard. In a dazzling display of attacking rugby and forward dominance, CR & FC humbled the Navy Sports Club with a resounding victory with 29 – 15 points.
The Navy started the proceedings with a deep, high-hanging kickoff by Thilina Weerasinghe. Then the player of the league tournament, Thenuka Nanayakkara, replied immediately with a clever clearance kick. After four minutes of play, CR received a penalty for a stiff arm tackle, and a five-metre lineout succeeded. By displaying typical CR’s attacking strategy, the Red Shirts created a massive driving maul which bulldozed Navy forwards to take the first blood of the encounter courtesy of gigantic No. 08 player, Omalka Gunarathne. The magician with the place kicking, Thenuka, displayed signs of his fine rhythm by nailing a difficult conversion which was curved in at the right moment by adjusting to the wind. (CR & FC 07 – 00 Navy)
Later, CR was penalised for not rolling away at the midway mark as Omalka fell on the wrong side and was trapped in the middle of a ruck. Hence, they earned a lineout inside CR’s 22-metre area and launched a heavy attack. All of a sudden the Navy’s foreign grit, Lepani Thivanuavou, made a fine break and gained some valuable metres before he was brought down just away from the try line. After a few pick-and-drive phases, the opposite number of CR try scorer, Isuru Perera, barged into the whitewash to score the first for the sailors. (CR & FC 07 – 05 Navy)
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During the 20th minute, the Red Shirts were penalised for an offside play, and the Sailors opted for the points. But Thilina Weerasinghe had neither direction nor distance right as a straightforward opportunity went begging. During the middle phase of the encounter, CR displayed a valiant effort inside the Navy territory, which resulted in a penalty as the sailors were caught for using hands in a ruck. Once again, Thenuka made a strong statement by nailing another magnificent penalty kick. (CR & FC 10 – 05 Navy)
During the final phase of the first half, CR got a scrum in their favour after brilliant defensive work by Omalka. CR had a no. 08 break, and the ball was sent wide, and the open-side winger Gemunu Chethiya speared through a gap and sprinted until he crossed the 22-metre mark. Then there were a couple of quick passes in between him, Thenuka and Viduna Amaneth, who went over the try line under the posts for their second try. This time Thenuka made an easy conversion to extend the lead. (CR & FC 17 – 05 Navy)
At the brink of halftime, the Navy kept the hosts under tremendous pressure with a well-executed attack. Later, they had a real scoring chance when they received a five-metre lineout, but the opportunity was wasted after a fumble with the throwing, and after a few seconds, the referee, Raveen Alexander, blew the short whistle. When the teams walked out for the lemons, the hosts had a clear lead, but the spirited play by the sailors prevented them from scoring as much as they thought before the start of the encounter.
Halftime: CR & FC – 17 (2 T, 2 T, 1 P) – Navy SC – 05 (1 T)
The second half commenced with a deep kick by Thenuka. After a few minutes the Sailors displayed a fighting spirit and kept the hosts under tremendous pressure. Sooner their fine passage of play got paid off with a penalty. The reliable kicker, Thilina Wijesinghe, made a successful penalty attempt by putting his side right back on track in the game. (CR & FC 15 – 08 Navy)
Irrespective of the Navy’s early resurgence, the hosts again gave a tough time for the sailors inside their own half, though they managed to hold on to the possession. Eventually their pressure earned them a penalty as the Navy were caught for an off-the-feet play. By living up to the expectations, CR took a five-metre lineout, which was followed by a driving maul. The sailors had no strategy to stop the powering maul other than collapsing it. After receiving the penalty, CR opted for a scrum, and their unstoppable drive paid the dividends for the hosts as the skipper, Lasindu Karunatilake, broke away from behind to plant an easy try. Surprisingly, Thenuka missed an easy conversion chance by just the margin of a whisker. (CR & FC 22 – 05 Navy)
After a quiet period of play in terms of points, the mighty Red Shirts rallied again into the Navy half and displayed their attacking flair with some dazzling performance. As the hosts recycled the ball in quick time, the entire Navy defence went offside. After receiving a five-metre lineout, which was followed by a maul, the visitors again collapsed it. Under a penalty advantage the ball was sent wide, and again it worked towards the middle. Then the gigantic forward Senura Perera gave a massive hit and dragged a couple of tacklers to plant the fourth try as CR managed to put the final nail on the Navy coffin. Thenuka enjoyed his place-kicking success again with another spectacular kick which curved in at the right moment. (CR & FC 29 – 08 Navy)
During the final phase of the game, the Navy reunited and executed another strong attack on CR. But while the hosts’ defence line was unshaken, somehow the Navy skipper, Denuwan Wickramarachchi, found a space and went through to gain some valuable yardage. While the heavy forwards are tussling for the supremacy with multiple pick and drive phases, the nippy scrum half of Navy SC, Koojana Kulathunga, spotted a loose point of the defensive wall and went across multiple players by deceiving them with magnificent side steps to complete an acrobatic celebration while he was planting the second try for the visitors. Kalpa Lakmina made an easy conversion to cut the deficit, but the game had already gone beyond the reach of the sailors. (CR & FC 29 – 15 Navy)
During the final minutes of play, both sides had multiple opportunities to score, but the mounting mistakes and the tired bodies prevented them from doing so. As the referee blew the long whistle, CR & FC marched another step forward towards the Clifford Cup title by earning a ticket in the semifinals by solidifying their position as top contenders for the double title during this season. Apart from the winners, a credit should be given also to the sailors for their spirited fight against the recently crowned league champions.
Fulltime: CR & FC – 29 (4 T, 3 C, 1 P) – Navy Sports Club – 15 (2 T, 1 C, 1 P)
- Swisstek Player of the match – Viduna Amaneth (CR & FC)
Points breakdown
CR & FC – 29
Omalka Gunaratne 1 T, Viduna Amaneth 1 T, Lasindu Karunathilake 1 T, Senura Perera 1 T,
Thenuka Nanayakkara 3 C, 1 P
Navy SC – 15
Isuru Perera 1 T, Koojana Kulathunga 1 T, Thilina Weerasinghe 1 P, Kalpa Lakmina 1C
Match Referee : Raveen Alexander
 with the league-winning CR & FC side taking on the Navy Sports Club in their own backyard.){kind=link}