The defending champions Kandy SC managed to make it a 10 out of 10 in the Dialog Rugby League 2019/20, as they managed to hold off a resilient Army outfit by 36 points to 26 in their second round fixture down at Welisara today evening.
Ashan Bandara of Army SC commenced the proceedings with a deep kick under bright sunny skies down at Welisara, and the visitors were immediately put under pressure as Sudaraka Dikkumbura managed to touchdown in the far corner within the first two minutes of play. Isuru Madagedara slotted in the two-pointer from a difficult angle. (Army 07 – 00 Kandy)
Kandy bounced back in the 7th minute after Kavindu Perera comfortably defeated a few defenders with his trademark footwork and grounded the ball under the post. Tharinda Ratwatte was spot on with the conversion to level the scores. (Army 07 – 07 Kandy)
Kandy’s second 7 pointer for the day came in the 22nd minute as a clever bit of play by Srinath Sooriybandara saw Jason Dissanayake stroll under the post, offering Tharinda the easiest of conversions.
Three minutes later, Buddhima Piyarathne managed to extend the lead for Kandy as he went over the whitewash near the right-side corner flag. Tharinda failed to bisect the posts off a difficult angle this time around. (Army 07 – 19 Kandy)
Dhanushka Thalwattha managed apply some breaks on the late Kandy rampage with an unconverted try in the 35th minute. However, Kandy replied with yet another 7 points after Tharinda Ratwatte broke through the Army line of defense, and created the opportunity for Jason Dissanayake to go under post. (Army 12 – 26 Kandy)
Half Time – Army SC 12 (2T, 1C) – 26 (4T, 3C) Kandy SC
The Soldiers were pushed back early on in the restart with Jason Dissanayake collecting his hat-trick in the far corner. However, Tharinda failed to add the extras. (Army 12 – 31 Kandy)
Army were quick to recover from the early set back as the sheer strength of Tomasi Caqusau saw him cruise his way past the Kandy defense and place the ball under the post. Isuru Madagedara slotted in the straight-forward conversion. (Army 19 – 31 Kandy)
Kandy faced a major set-back in the 60th minute after experienced cap Srinath Sooriyabandara was sent to the sin bin off a high tackle. However, the Soldiers failed to capitalize on the one-man advantage till the numbers were evened out in the 65th minute, with Sudaraka Dikkumbura being issued a yellow card for tackling a player in the air.
Ever since the Tomasi try, the Soldiers seemed to have gathered some momentum making several inroads through the Kandy defense, but some intelligent play from Tharinda Ratwatte saw him controlling the game to suit Kandy’s pace with a couple of perfectly placed clearance kicks. His control of play finally paid off as Kandy managed to score another try in the 72nd minute, with Tharindu Chathuranga recording his first points of the day. Tharinda was unsuccessful with conversion yet again as the ball ricocheted off the right post. (Army 19 – 36 Kandy)
The brutal strength of Tomasi saw him score yet another try for the hosts in the 76th minute, yet it was a too little too late for the hosts as Kandy managed to secure a 10 point victory despite the successful conversion by Sachin Gamage.
Overall, the Soldiers can afford to take a lot of pride in their performance as they kept fighting hard throughout the game. Despite their below par outing, Kandy can be pleased with the fact that they managed to secure their unbeaten record in the Dialog Rugby League 2019/20, and will march on to next weekend with a 10 out of 10 under their belt.
Full Time – Army SC 26 (4T, 3C) – 36 (6T, 3C) Kandy SC
- Dialog Viu Player of the Match – Jason Dissanayake (Kandy SC)
- Match Referee – Aaquil Jamaldeen
Breakdown
Army SC: Tries from Sudaraka Dikkumbura(1), Dhanushka Thalwattha (1), and Tomasi Caqusau(2)
Conversions by Isuru Madagedara(2) and Sachin Gamage(1)Kandy SC: Tries from Kavindu Perera(1), Jason Dissanayake(3), Buddhima Piyarathne(1), and Tharindu Chathuranga(1)
Conversions (3) by Tharinda RatwatteCautions & Sendoffs:
Yellow card: Srinath Sooriyabandara (Kandy SC)
Sudaraka Dikkumbura (Army SC)
