Royal managed to end Wesley’s unbeaten run with a superlative performance at Longden Place this evening. Udesh Ranaweera propelled Royal to a 31-12 victory and also helped secure a vital bonus point.
It was Wesley who broke the deadlock early in the first half, with R. Ariyawansa bundling over on the right corner flag, assisted by a brilliantly utilised 10m scrum, after a tense few minutes for Royal who were slow starters.
However, the Royalists hit back a few minutes later through Udesh Ranaweera who had a brilliant game right throughout. This time, the Royalist took advantage of a scrum awarded to them, and put up a few brilliant passes to set up Udesh who managed to find the gap. Rimze Jamaldeen who had his kicking boot on made no mistake in adding the extra points and giving Royal a close 7-5 lead.
Royal kept piling on the pressure, as Rimze tried to attempt at an optimistic penalty but not finding the right direction. Udesh nearly scored his second, but referee Dilroy Fernando who was adviced by the linesman disallowed the try as there was a knock -on in the initial play between Nimshan Jayawardene and Udesh.
The Royalists have seemed to have vastly improved in the defensive side of the game, as the line speed had increased immensely making it tough for the Wesleyites.
Possession was fairly shared in the first half, but Wesley failed to gain much territory with the ball. However, S. Jurangpathy managed to break through the Royal defense with a sublime run through the middle to score under the post, after a consistent spell of play for Wesley who needed a stroke of magic to improve their game, as the forwards seemed worn out towards the end of the half.
Half Time: Wesley 12 v Royal 07
Royal played with 14 men in the first quarter of the second half with one of the forwards being sin binned. However, Rimze opened the scoring with a good penalty, to cut the deficit to just two points.
The boys from Reid Avenue continued to gain momentum, as Rimze went on to score under the post, with a brilliant interception. Wesley had only themselves to blame, as they should have cleared the ball much earlier having won the ball in a dangerous area. Rimze converted his own effort to put Royal into a well deserved lead.
The woes continued for the Wesley brigade, as Udesh went on to score his second, this time on the other side of the ground as Royal excelled in their passing, and made little mistakes in terms of handling.
With time running out for Wesley who had conceded another penalty, Rimze opted to go ahead with a 50m attempt at goal. However, a comic effort in try to collect the kick which was falling short, saw Wesley hand the ball straight back to Royal, as Nimshan Jayawardene pierced through the defense to score his first.
Full Time – Royal 31 v Wesley 12
