Another second-week clash of the Maliban Inter-Club Rugby League 2025/26 (Plate Segment) was staged as Air Force SC took on Army SC at the Army Grounds in Panagoda. The game lived up to its billing, as the Airmen showcased a spirited performance to register a crucial victory in a closely fought contest.
The Army started proceedings with a deep, high-hanging kick. Without taking any risks by playing inside their own 22-metre line, the Air Force responded with a fine clearance kick. A few minutes later, the Soldiers advanced into Airmen territory after making a solid block against another clearance kick. Although the Air Force fullback did well to secure possession, they conceded a soft penalty for obstruction.
Capitalising on a five-metre lineout, the Army attacked through a series of pick-and-go phases. Moving forward inch by inch, Dhanushka Pushpakumara crossed the whitewash to score the opening try of the game. The difficult conversion narrowly missed the target.
(Army 05 – 00 Air Force)
Soon after, the Soldiers thought they had something to celebrate when they gathered possession from a knocked-on ball at the centre line and went all the way for their second try. However, video replays revealed that the initial knock-on came off an Army player, and the try was rightly disallowed.
Moments later, the Airmen gained possession deep inside Army territory after a Soldier was penalised for holding on. Spotting a weakness in the Army defence, Air Force took a quick tap and launched an immediate attack. After reaching the 22-metre line, the Air Force scrum-half deceived the defence with a neat “show-and-go” and burst through. Although he was stopped just short of the try line, a short pass allowed hooker Shamika Kaushan to dive over near the left corner. The conversion attempt from a difficult angle went wide.
(Army 05 – 05 Air Force)
The hosts once again launched a fierce attack inside the Air Force red zone and created a clear try-scoring opportunity, but the Army winger knocked on while attempting to ground the ball.
Air Force forwards then came to the fore, powering ahead from a scrum. One penalty was followed by another when the Soldiers failed to retreat the required 10 metres. The Airmen opted for a five-metre lineout, followed by a driving maul. When progress stalled, the ball was shifted swiftly to the three-quarters. After moving the ball from left to right, winger Arosh Rathnayake crossed over to score the visitors’ second try.
(Army 05 – 10 Air Force)
Despite the intense battle between the two sides, neither team troubled the scorers again before the short whistle.
Half-time: Army SC 05 (1T) – Air Force SC 10 (2T)
The Airmen kicked off the second half with another deep, high-hanging kick. After ten minutes of play, Air Force entered the Army 22 following a side-entry penalty conceded by the Soldiers. The Air Force forwards worked tirelessly in search of a try but eventually knocked on.
Army were awarded a scrum, yet the Airmen dominated and forced a turnover. As the ball emerged at the back of the scrum-bound forwards, the nippy half-back Kaluarachchi exploited the blind side to score. This time, reliable place-kicker Gayantha Iddamalgoda produced a superb conversion from the far left touchline.
(Air Force 17 – 05 Army)
After several phases of fierce play, Air Force secured another five-metre lineout when the Army defence was penalised for offside. The Air Force forwards again put in a massive effort before releasing the ball to the backs. After a few crisp passes, centre Dinesh Victor sliced through the defensive line to score an important try. Place-kicker Lahiru Rathnayake added the easy conversion to reduce the deficit.
(Army 12 – 17 Air Force)
Shortly afterwards, Air Force applied pressure with a well-judged kick into Army territory. Replacement winger Gaurava Pannila fumbled the ball near the touchline, handing Air Force a lineout. Once again, the Air Force forwards flexed their muscles and mounted a sustained attack. During the sequence, the Soldiers conceded an offside penalty, which Iddamalgoda calmly slotted over to extend the lead.
(Air Force 20 – Army 12)
In the dying stages, scintillating rugby unfolded as Iddamalgoda spotted space at the back of Army territory and executed a perfectly weighted kick. Although the Army winger reached the ball first, an awkward bounce caused him to lose his footing, allowing the ball to fall into the hands of the chasing Rathnayake. While the Army player recovered to make the tackle, Rathnayake offloaded neatly to Pramodya Padmasanka, who was unmarked and sprinted to the right corner to seal the match with a bonus-point try. The difficult conversion attempt went astray.
(Air Force 25 – Army 12)
Just before the long whistle, the Army brigade launched a final assault inside the Air Force 22, but ill-discipline cost them a chance to score a consolation try. With this marvellous victory, the Airmen have already secured the Plate Championship with a game to spare, courtesy of their dazzling performances throughout the Maliban Inter-Club Rugby League.
Full-time: Air Force Sports Club 25 (4 T, 1 C, 1 P) – Army Sports Club 12 (2 T, 1 C)
Swisstek Player of the Match – Gayantha Iddamalgoda (Air Force SC)
Points Breakdown
Air Force Sports Club – 25
Shamika Kaushan1 T, Pramodya Padmasanka 1 T, Arosh Rathnayake 1 T, Kaveesha Kaluarachchi 1 T, Gayantha Iddamalgoda 1 C, 1 P
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Army Sports Club – 12
Dhanushka Pushpakumara 1 T, Dinesh Victor 1 T, Lahiru Rathnayake 1 C
 was staged as Air Force SC took on Army SC at the Army Grounds in Panagoda. The game lived up to its billing, as the Airmen showcased a spirited performance to register a crucial victory in a closely fought contest.){kind=link}