Kandy SC face tough task against Navy

Ranjeeva SENEVIRATNE

Defending champions Kandy Sports Club which is the only unbeaten team in the Caltex 'A' Division League Rugby Tournament will face the tough task of overcoming the high-riding Navy Sports Club in their match at Welisara today.

The sailors are in a buoyant mood after their sensational 18-3 win over CR and FC last week and will go all out to topple the mighty Kandy SC today.

Up front a terrific tussle for supremacy can be expected with Kandy's power-packed forwards Kishore Jehan, Senaka Bandara, Sashika Jayawardena, Dilip Selvam, Sean Wijesinghe and Sajith Saranga being confronted by the marauding Navy 'eight' especially Piumal Manchanayake, Ravi Jayasuriya, Shehan Deen, Namal Rajapaksa, Sumedha Malewana and skipper Yoshitha Rajapaksa.

Kandy Sports Club with a superior back division will strive to make the maximum use of the 'good ball' that comes their way. The Sri Lanka halves combination of Saliya Kumara and Fazil Marija have hit off smoothly while centres Pradeep Liyanage and Gayan Weeraratne have breached the opponents defence time and again with their deceptive runs while on the wings they will have the services of that powerful runner Sanjeewa Jayasinghe with strongly built full back Radhika Hettiarachchi joining the line to form the overlap.

Navy's back division has been strengthened by the inclusion of CR and FC fly half Dev Anand whose long kicks to touch should give them territorial advantage. They have two hard running wingers in Niranjan Wickremaratne and Eranda Weerakkody in addition to an attacking full back in Nuwan Hettiarachchi who had an excellent game last week.

Navy - Suranga Swarnatilleke, Anuradha Gunasekera, Piumal Manchanayake, Ravi Jayasuriya, Sumedha Malewana, Shehan Deen, Yoshitha Rajapaksa (Captain), Namal Rajapaksa, Samantha Lakshan and Dev Anand, Eranda Weerakkody, Nilfer Ibrahim, Chula Susantha, Niranjan Wickramaratne, Nuwan Hettiarachchi.

Kandy SC - Kishore Jehan, Aravinda Udangawa, Eranga Swarnatilleke, Senaka Bandara, Sashika Jayawardena, Sean Wijesinghe, Dilip Selvam, Sajith Saranga, Saliya Kumara and Fazil Marija, Sanjeeva Jayasinghe, Pradeep Liyanage (Captain), Gayan Weeraratne, Sameera Silva, Radhika Hettiarachchi.