Kandy walk all over CH
Kandy demolished a hapless CH and FC outfit by 71 points to 5 in their last first round inter club League rugby match of the Dialog sponsored tournament at Maitland Crescent yesterday, after leading 38-0 at half time.
Kandy made up their points from eight goals and two tries as against a solitary try by CH and FC who did not have any foreign players.
Kandy went on the offensive from the very first minute and by midway in the first half had rattled up 21 points with Tarindu Chanaka, Pradeep Liyanage and Uditha Jayasuriya scoring tries for Arshad Jamaldeen to convert.
Kandy's Tongan debutant Koto Pongi smothers a kick by a CH defender and collects to score his first try on Lankan soil - Pic by Amila Gamage
CH were not able to match the might of the Kandy team who went into the match resting some of their key players in Fazil Marija, Anuruddha Wilvara and Nigel Ratwatte.
Kandy won most of the line-outs and scrums and never allowed CH to come near to scoring.
Only once did CH threaten the Kandy defence and scored midway in the second half through their skipper Radheesha Seneviratne at the stage when Kandy led by 38 points to nil.
Jamaldeen was in fine kicking form for Kandy as he made some fine touchline conversions and in all converting eight of the 11 tries scored by Kandy to rake in the bonus point.
Winger Dhanushka Dayan, Pradeep Liyanage and Oscar Ouma also scored tries in the first half.
In the second half Kandy kept moving the ball and ran at will but they were stalled in their efforts by some spoiling work from the CH forwards.
But in the end CH could not stop Kandy from scoring five more tries in the second half.
Kandy’s Tongan centre Koto Pongi playing his first game, and after several attempts to go through crossed the line when he smothered a CH kick to open the scoring in the second half making the scores 45-5 with Jamaldeen converting with ease.
The try was followed by Dhanushka Dayan scoring his second try for Jamaldeen to convert and make the scores 52-5.
Kandy’s Kenyan centre Oscar Ouma scored next when he barged through unchallenged for Jamaldeen to convert and make the scores 59-5.
Off a backline move Gayan Ratnayake scored for Kandy with Jamaldeen kicking over the conversion, followed by Jamaldeen himself scoring the last try which he failed to convert from a difficult angle. At the end of the final whistle the scores read 71-5.
Referee: Just Wong (Singapore)