• Champs turn the screws after half time 

Defending champions Kandy SC trailing 10-17 at half-time turned on the gas in scintillating fashion to score 39 unanswered points after the interval, to record a runaway 49-17 win over a shellshocked Police SC, in their Maliban Inter-Club League Rugby Tournament match at Nittawela yesterday (14). 

The home team playing before their faithful for the first time this season, struggled for cohesion in the first half with knock-ons and set piece woes pegging them back badly, as the visitors’ forwards cashed on their hosts silly errors for a deserved half-time lead.

However, once Kandy coaching staff emptied the bench in the second stanza, and with veteran fly half Srinath Sooriyabandara pulling the strings from the backline, the home side dumped seven unanswered five-pointers to turn it into a mismatch.

The winners overall collected their points from nine tries of which only two were converted, and they will look to address the only anomaly of an otherwise perfect day at the office, as they fluffed seven conversions which could have further swelled the score.

Full back Hirusha Sampath could only add the extras to two of the tries scored on the day, and with more sterner fixtures looming on the horizon, Tharindu Chathuranga’s men will need to iron out that side of the shortcoming of their game, if they are to continue with their winning ways.

For Kandy SC national players left wing Dinal Ekanayake and right wing Kavindu Perera led the try spree with a brace each, while inside centre Diluksha Dange, number eight Dahan Wickmarachchi, hooker Dilshan Fareed, replacement forward Kenula Hettiarachchi and substitute back Asiri Seneviratne, also dotted down.

For Police SC who were restricted to two converted tries and a penalty goal, tight head prop Dhanushka Edirisuriya and loose head prop Ashan Darling crossed for their only touchdowns, with outside centre Prince Chamara nailing a penalty goal, as they felt the full force of the champions outside backs, after the turnaround.      

But, kudos for Police for going toe to toe with the title-holders in the first 40-minute period, and they really rattled the latter in their own turf, but struggled to sustain the intensity in a game which was in other words a tale of two half’s.