The second weekend of Dialog A Division rugby action was as expected. More or less. Unfortunately, I could only watch one game because the scheduling is such, but with venues like Welisara, Diyagama, Ratmalana, Hambantota and Nawalapitiya it makes life difficult for the travelling fan.
I remember the only real away game being to Kandy, but now things have changed drastically.
For the better? I dunno.
CR v Kandy
Despite the obvious gulf between the two team this encounter always generates interest. Many people had forgotten the early kick off but the Kandy fans were there in their numbers early. It’s amazing that CR probably has the least vocal home crowd, but despite that the team started well.
Shehan Dimithri was making some surging runs with the ball and Nissan Atui showed some aggression among the forwards for CR. However, stand in captain Anuja Perera was not able to hit his jumpes in the line outs and Andrew Porter was dominant in that set piece for Kandy although CR did very well in the scrums. It was clear that Porter and Fili were a cut above their foreign counterparts in the red jersey, with the latter doing nothing extravagant but finding Fazil Marija with two hard flat passes that allowed Fazil to leave his marker for dead.
Kandy have historically exploited the no.13 position with Pradeep Liyanage almost always being the line breaker against CR, a role which Marija did with aplomb to score the first try after CR had gone ahead through the boot of Mubarak. The full back who crossed over from Navy earlier in the season had two long range penalties come off the post kept CR in the hunt for most of the first half. However, a lapse in concentration from the forwards allowed Roshan Weeraratne to sneak in from a short tap after another botched line out, and Saliya Kumara used his experience to counter attack and exploit the weak defensive alignment of CR’s right wing.
There is no substitute for raw pace, and Kumara’s intelligent line running left the inexperienced CR side clutching at thin air. After the break however, CR were rejuvenated, and played some of their best rugby in the third quarter of the game. They brought the game to 21 – 15 and then, inexplicably, with the Kandy prop forward being sin binned, turned down a straighforward kick at goal to bring them to within 3 points. The resulting line out was lost again, and Kandy sensed the CR vulnerability which they attacked exploited.
Nissan Atui made some yards from the base for the Red Shirts during Lewke’s absence in the bin, but the line outs and the midfield defence let them down. Kandy, despite scoring four tries, didn’t really scintillate as a team. The performance was average, and they created very little which was not handed to them on a platter. Once again, the difference between them and the opposition is Marija, and the forwards were outplayed by CR. They have some amazing talent in the backs but somehow don’t seem cohesive as a unit. Also, the third row mobility is an issue, and they could come unstuck against a potent back row such as Navy’s.
Army v UCL
I thought that there might be an upset here in my preview and indeed there was. Army are a never say die team and coach Ben McDougal has instilled a rugby sense in them that they combine well with their determination. The ability to come back against a good side and win with the last kick of the game, shows that Army are not a team to be trifled with this season.
All the top sides will look at this result, and start wondering a little bit. No games can be taken for granted. The lead changed hands four times in this game, and the rain would also have played into the hands of the home ground team in Diyagama. Without the suspended Joketani Raikabula, UCL did not show the attacking flair that they showed against CR last week.
Pera Gibbs knocked over the last kick when Army were trailing 20-19 and showed just how wide open this league is. I don’t know what it was that told me about the upset, but it’s just one of those things. The result would have pissed Imthi Marikkar the Nawalapitiya coach off. That’s for sure. They’ll be back fighting.
Navy v Police
This match could probably be dubbed the curious incident of the match at half time. I don’t know what the tournament rules say about matches being abandoned due to bad weather. The only reason games are sometimes abandoned is if player safety is an issue. But after half time, or at half time, the win is usually awarded to the leading team and there are no provisions to restart a game the next day.
It might be a first in world rugby actually. I’ve never heard of a team pick themselves up, recover and come back the next day. Navy ended up 23 – 10 at half time and doubled their score the next day in order to pick up the much needed bonus point. If the match finished at half time there would have been no bonus point.
Hmmm…
CH v Havelocks
While Havies subjected CH to their second half century of points in as many weeks, CH did score 20 points and have shown that they too can compete on the day. Given that this was a clash of last years bottom and top teams, the 30 point margin in the 51 – 20 defeat is something that CH can take heart from.
Sanath Martis is a shrewd coach. And he will definitely leave no stone unturned in making CH as combative as he possibly can.
Sharks v Air Force
Let’s not forget the Sharks already have more points on the board in their debut season than CR or CH or even Police for that matter. They’ve probably gotten the points off the abandoned game with Havies and played out a draw against local boys Air Force in Hambantota.
If results keep going their way, things could get interesting at the middle of the table, and they may even sneak a win out of somewhere.
