Kandy Sports Club continued their unbeaten run in the Maliban Inter-Club ‘A’ Division Rugby League 2025/26 Week 08, registering a comfortable victory over Air Force Sports Club at the Air Force Grounds in Ratmalana, despite conceding late in the second half to finish with a 36–22 win.
Fresh from a one-week break, Air Force Sports Club found themselves under immediate pressure as the defending champions Kandy SC seized early control. A series of penalties conceded by the hosts allowed Kandy to dominate territory, and the visitors made full use of it by kicking to the corner and setting up a powerful rolling maul. Hooker Dilshan Fareed peeled off the back to score the opening try.(Air Force 00 – 05 Kandy)
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Kandy struck again soon after, this time from a scrum near halfway. A slick 8 – 9 move between Heshan Jansen and Dahan Wickramarachchi created space, with Asiri Senevirathne delivering a perfectly timed offload to Dinal Ekanayake, who strolled over for an easy finish. (Air Force 00 – 10 Kandy)
The champions continued to pile on the pressure when Wickramarachchi sliced through the Air Force defense to take play deep into the 22. Jansen then fired a wide skip pass to Ekanayake, whose clever chip ahead caused confusion among the last defenders, allowing Jansen to gather the loose ball and dot down for Kandy’s third try. (Air Force 00 – 15 Kandy)
Kandy’s attacking fluency showed once more following a scrum in their own half. A high kick from Jansen unsettled the Air Force back three, and after a sharp counter-ruck by the Kandy backs, centre Dhanushka Ranjan showcased individual brilliance, stepping through the defense to score under the posts. Senevirathne added the conversion. (Air Force 00 – 22 Kandy)
The visitors were far from finished. From a lineout move, Jansen released Wickramarachchi on a superb running line, and the powerful No 08 shrugged off the final defender to cross under the posts, with Senevirathne converting to cap a dominant first-half display.
Half Time: Air Force SC 00 (1T,1C,1P) – Kandy SC 29 (5T,3C)
Kandy resumed the second half exactly as they had ended the first, dominating territory and possession. Their forwards went through a series of strong close-quarter phases, drawing in multiple Air Force defenders before Heshan Jansen released Kavindu Perera with a sharp offload. Perera burst through two tackles to score, with Asiri Senevirathne adding the conversion. (Air Force 00 – 36 Kandy)
Air Force finally found a way through when they kicked to the corner from a penalty. Although hooker Shamika Kaushan’s throw went long, flanker Isuru Jayarathne reacted sharply to gather the ball, break the defensive line, and stretch out to ground the ball for the hosts’ opening try. (Air Force 05 – 36 Kandy)
The Airmen forwards then began to build momentum deep into the second half. A well-constructed rolling maul made steady progress, before Kaushan broke away and powered over from close range for Air Force’s second try. (Air Force 10 – 36 Kandy)
Kandy’s maul defense came under further pressure moments later as Air Force again kicked to the corner. Another rolling maul surged over the line, with Kaushan once more peeling off the back to complete his brace. (Air Force 15 – 36 Kandy)
In the dying moments, the Airmen continued to apply pressure through their forwards, repeatedly driving from rolling mauls and pushing Kandy deep into their own territory. Air Force came agonizingly close to adding another score, but a series of infringements by the visitors slowed the momentum before the Referee eventually awarded a penalty and issued a yellow card to Chathura Soysa. Despite the late pressure, Kandy held firm to seal the victory and remain unbeaten as they head into a massive clash against CR & FC next week.
Full Time: Air Force SC 22 (4T, 1C) – Kandy SC 36 (6T, 3C)
Swisstek Player of the Match: Heshan Jansen (Kandy SC)
Points Breakdown
Air Force SC 22
Isuru Jayarathne 1T, Shamika Kaushan 2T, Penalty Try
Kandy SC 36
Dilshan Fareed 1T, Dinal Ekanayake 1T, Heshan Jansen 1T, Dahan Wickrmarachchi 1T, Dhanushka Ranjan 1T, Kavindu Perera 1T, Asiri Senevirathna 3C
