By A Special Sports Correspondent

So that prediction made during the launch of the inter-club league rugby tournament a few months back by none other than the sport’s main sponsor-Nippon Paint-that there could be a new winner this season (2023/24) is slowly coming true.

The battle is only half won, but what mattered was that CR&FC caused a dent in Kandy SC’s ego and showed to the rest of the teams in the competition that the Nittawela side can be beaten at home and in front of a vociferous crowd. CR&FC played the game at a furious pace and scored a couple of tries when Kandy was napping. The final score read 38-26 in favour of the ‘Red Shirts’ which eventually put them in the top spot in the points table followed by Kandy SC, CH&FC and Havelock SC in second, third and fourth place respectively. The try CR’s Manika Ruberu scored with the kick-off was a classic example to give the message that no team can afford to take time to settle down even if the game is just seconds old. CR had seven points on the board as a result with the game not having even completed the first minute of play.

One could clearly see the intricate planning and reading of the game by CR coach Dushanth Lewke. He has come a long way as a coach and has infused his charges with the knowledge needed to stay in this game and be counted. It was not easy, perhaps, with Kandy SC having recruited Johan Taylor to assist Fazil Marija, the official head coach. Marija, compared to Lewke, counts more ‘experience’ and ‘achievements’ as a player; both in international and domestic rugby. He even sees a stand in his name at the Nittawela Stadium. They played against each other and also together because Lewke also had a short stint with Kandy SC before crossing over to CR&FC, the club he represented before hanging up his boots. Lewke’s club rugby career began with CH&FC. Both players won their national jerseys around the same year (2003): Lewke representing Sri Lanka at the Asian Quadrangular against Arabian Gulf and Marija winning his first national jersey when he was chosen to represent the country against Hong Kong in the IRB/ARFU match against Hong Kong. Interestingly both players have ancestral connections to rugby; Lewke’s dad (Nimal) being a former national rugby coach and Marija connected to a family clan where his first cousins are former national rugby players Nilfer Ibrahim and Dev Anand. The bottom line is that Lewke has game-changing potential as a coach and Marija has to bring in that game-changing attitude he showcases as a player into his coaching career. From a coaching perspective, it’s still easy to separate the men from the boys.

Back to the game, it was CR’s lightning speed that undid Kandy SC. After Ruberu touched down the try that scrum half Kavindu de Costa produced underscored that the Red Shirts were going to capitalise on a half-hearted defence, napping and lapses in concentration by the opposition. The penalty that Kandy had to pay was immense; the Nittawela side saw their goal line being crossed on six occasions and all with ease. The other try scorers for CR were Adeesha Weerathunga (2), Kushan Tharindu and Gemunu Chethiya.

This performance by CR definitely shook Kandy from its foundation. Even shifting the experienced Srinath Sooriyabandara (Soori) from full-back to his pet position of scrum half couldn’t produce that expected second-half rally to turn the result of the game. Kandy SC made so many other replacements in the second half through utter desperation. There were some moments of excitement in the Kandy camp, however, when Tharindu Chathuranga and Nigel Ratwatte scored two dazzling tries and made the home team’s score read 21 against Kandy’s 26; all very early in the second half. This score remained unchanged till the last 12 minutes of the game. Then CR produced another burst of tries which came off the efforts of Kushan Tharindu and Adeesha Weerathunga. Kandy’s last try of the match came from Dilan Ekanayake. The only hitch for CR was that they gave away more yellow cards (3) than Kandy SC (2).

Kandy SC has the second round and be in contention. The second round sees the top four teams in the league tournament contesting for the Cup Competition. The bottom four teams will vie for honours in the Plate Championship. Interestingly none of the three forces teams together with Police has made it to the Cup Competition.

Kandy still has the potential to finish the season on a high. It has one of the best grounds and training centres in the central hills. They also have the support of a loyal fan base and sponsors who have been unwavering in backing this side. On a note of concern do we see appointed skipper Lavanga Perera taking decisions and leading the side when on the pitch? That role is played by the Ratwatte brothers and we can clearly see that. This piece of writing is not to undermine the knowledge and commitment that the Ratwattes bring to the game. But Kandy SC must also give thought to nurturing leadership qualities in players; especially when someone has been given the reigns as captain.