CR confront Air Force in first semi-final today

RUGBY: Runners-up of the Caltex 'A' Division League Rugby tournament CR and FC will confront the vastly improved Sri Lanka Air Force in the first semi-final of the Caltex-Clifford Cup Knock-out Rugby Tournament at Longden Place today.

The Airmen who were the runners-up of the Plate Championship have been training hard under the watchful eyes of their coach Wasecr during the last few days and should give the Red shirts a run for their money.

The Airmen will be at full strength for today's game while the Red Shirts will miss the services of two top players Viraj Prasantha and Anuranga Walpola.

Anuja Perera will continue to occupy the hooker's berth in Prasantha's absence while Pavithra Fernando moves to the vacant number eight position making way for Sendhil Kumara to come into the side as a flanker.

CR's power-packed forwards should outplay their counterparts in the loose, skipper Pavithra Fernando has been a source of inspiration for his team-mates with his fiery loose play with Dharmatilleke, Karthalis, Swarnatilleke, Henry Terrence and Charith Deshapriya also giving of their best the CR 'eight' should dominate in the loose.

In the set scrums Air Force's Asanga Vithana should get the better of his vis-a-vis AnuJa Perera while the CR duo of Dharmatilleke and Karthelis should hold sway in the line-outs.

The Red Shirts will hope that their halves combination of Amjad Buksh and Omar Sarifodeen will click today as they have hard and penetrative runners in Udaya Hettiarachchi, Sheriff and winger Dinesh Kumara in addition to an attacking full back in Asanga Rodrigo.

The Airmen's forte are their speedy three quarters Suranga Arunashantha, Rohan Fernando and Ruchika Fernando who should test the CR defence to the hilt with their sizzling runs.

The teams:

CR and FC - Eranga Swarnatilleke, Anuja Perera, Henry Terrence, Anuradha Dharmatilleke, Ashan Karthalis, Charith Deshepriya, Senthil Kumara, Pavithra Fernando (Captain), Amjad Buksh and Omar Sariffodeen, Dinesh Kumara, Udaya Hettiarachchi, Mohamed Sheriff, Nuwan Chamara, Asanga Rodrigo.

AIR FORCE - Kosala Ranasinghe, Asanga Vithana, Chaminda Buddhika, Prasanna Soysa, Lasantha Bandara, Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Pathum Ediriweera, Saumya Silva, Ajith Indika and Nalin Sirisena, Pradeep Heenkanda, Suranga Arunashantha, Ruchira Fernando, Pradeep Chathuranga, Rohan Fernando (R.S.)