Kandy remain kings of local rugby

Kandy Sports Club are Sri Lanka's domestic premier league rugby champions for 2005. They retained the Caltex Inter-Club 'A' division league title, humbling the table leaders CR & FC by 23 points to 15 before a packed stadium at Nittawela last Sunday.

Even then, Kandy SC had to wait until the last 15 minutes of the game, which turned out to be a virtual final, to see their fortunes turning.

Unbeaten CR & FC were heading for a good win and with it the league 'crown' as they led 15-5, with just 15 minutes to go for the long whistle of referee Mathew Oakley from Singapore.

But it was so close and yet so far for the red shirts, who failed to maintain the rhythm when it mattered most. What CR players dished out in the last 15 minutes of the game completely washed off all the efforts they had done during the season to remain unbeaten table leaders, until the last hurdle.

The lions roared ferociously to reach their final goal in grand fashion. Having trailed 5-15 with 15 minutes left in the game, Kandy SC scored points from technically every possible manner one could score - a goal, a try, a penalty and a drop goal, to add 18 points more which was good enough for them to go past CR and retain the league crown.

It was that dynamic Sri Lanka full back Nalaka Weerakkody who was instrumental in that great Kandy SC come back, which not only won them the game but also that league title, proudly presented by the energetic Managing Director of Caltex, Kishu Gomes. A tower of strength on the last line of defence, Weerakkody proved his class once more to become the architect of Kandy SC's great win.

Weerakkody made no mistake with a neat penalty conversion and a beautiful drop goal 30m out. Then he initiated the lions' match winning try, right from their own den, for which C.Vithanage put the finishing touches during injury time.

CR's downfall could be attributed to two or more reasons - either they were over confident after that initial burst or took things lightly after having a rich harvest during the season to come in to the last match as the only unbeaten team in the premier league.

But what CR should have realized was that the lions are too ferocious and hard to beat in their own den. CR lacked ideas and staying power in the last quarter of the game and paid heavily in the end, throwing away the league title, which was well within their reach.

Overall, it was a great game, which swung both ways and gave much heartbreak to loyal spectators of both clubs. If the game was not marred by those ugly incidents, it would have been an ideal thriller.

As the premier league came to an end, it was worth thanking the proud sponsors Caltex as they stood firmly for the game. By investing nearly five million rupees a year, Caltex has powered rugby to go 'that extra mile'.

The 2004 league season had a premature death due to a series of administrative blunders by the previous SLRFU ex-co and sponsors were among the bad losers for no fault of theirs. But Caltex did not leave rugby and played the role of a true corporate citizen. A big thank you should go to Kishu Gomes and 'team' Caltex for being in the scrum, despite all the ups and downs.

From the league season, our domestic rugby will season would go to the knock out round. But more interestingly, the cynosure of all eyes will be the Singer-Sri Lankan International Sevens, scheduled for September 10 and 11.

The proud hosts of Sri Lanka's one and only international sevens are Kandy Sports Club, the undisputed kings of local rugby. Inspired by regional international sevens like Hong Kong and Dubai Sevens, Kandy SC were instrumental in introducing our own version of international Sevens in 1998.

Thanks to the resources put in by one of Sri Lanka's leading sports promoters, Singer Sri Lanka and its sports-minded Chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya, and Sri Lankan Airlines, our own International Sevens have gone from strength to strength.

It has been able to get down some top rugby players here who have been a treat for the rugby-crazy spectators here.

With Sri Lanka due to host the next Rugby Asiad in 2006, it is high time to take a closer look at the remaining matches here.

Undoubtedly, Chairman of selectors Dr. Maiya Gunasekera and his team are keeping a close eye on the players to pick the Sri Lanka national pool at the end of the domestic season.