Havelocks have the edge over CR and FC

Ranjeeva Seneviratne

Havelocks Sports Club who have been bolstered by the presence of two foreigners No 8 Angsta Sae and centre Paula Talaka will have the edge over traditional rivals CR and FC when they clash in the Caltex ‘A’ Division return rugby match for the Commander Eustace Matthysz Trophy at Longden Place today.

The Red Shirts won the first round game by 15 points to 10 but have been stricken by injuries and will miss the services of three key players - winger Vishwamithra Jayasinghe, flanker Sharo Fernando and fly half Reza Mubarak who are on the injured list. Former Thomian Heshan Gunaratne will replace Jayasinghe on the wing while ex-Kingswoodian Gayan Ratnage will take over from Fernando in the third row. With last year’s fly half Nigel Ratwatte still not fully recovered from his knee injury former Isipatana and Sri Lanka Youth Player Niroshan Fernando will occupy the pivotal fly half berth.

The pink and Chocolate jerseyed lads who are lying second in the points table will strive to make amends for their defeat by overcoming CR and FC today to break the five year hoodoo having last emerged victorious in 2006 with a stunning 9-5 win at Havelock Park.

Havelocks boast of a superior back division. Former Sri Lanka scrum half Anjad Buksh and fly half Pushpakumara have hit it off smoothly while hard running centres Anuruddha Wilwara and Tongan national sevens player Paula Talaka and winger ex-Sri Lanka player Chamara Vithanage will test the CR defence to the hilt today with their daring runs.

Up front the power-packed CR ‘eight’ should dominate. Skipper Dushanth Lewke has been a source of inspiration to his team-mates with his fiery loose play and will be ably supported by Henry Terrence, Anuja Perera, veteran Dunstan de Silva, Gayan Ratnage and the omnipresent flanker Chilanka Samaraweera.

The teams:

CR and FC: Dunstan de Silva, Anuja Perera, Henry Terrence, Shehan Dimitri, Ishan Noor, Gayan Ratnage, Chilanka Samaraweera, Dushanth Lewke (captain), Srinath Sooriyabandara and Niroshan Fernando, Ashan de Costa, Mushin Faleel, Shabbir Mohamed or Lasintha de Costa, Heshan Gunaratne, Mohamed Sheriff.

Havelocks: Desmond Wilson, Roshan Fonseka, Sudarshana, Asela Dissanayake, Kavinda Jayasena (captain), Sudarshan Muthutantri, Dhiran Warnakulasuriya, Angsta Sae, Anjad Buksh and Pushpakumara, Chamara Vithanage, Paula Talaka, Anuruddha Wilwara, Isuru Shantha, Sajith Bandara.