COLOMBO: (ePRESS) – Defending Knockout Champions Police Sports Club registered their first victory of the Mastercard ‘A’ Division League Rugby Tournament with a narrow 23-20 win over Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club in a nail-biting encounter at Welisara.
The hard-fought victory came after a tense battle where Police SC capitalized on precise penalty kicks and gritty defence to edge out the determined Sailors.
Police SC led 10-7 at halftime, a slim margin that reflected the intensity of the contest. Their star performer, Yehan Bulathsinhalage, was pivotal, contributing 13 points through a try, a conversion, and two penalties. Despite missing two conversions early on, Bulathsinhalage’s accurate penalties in the second half proved decisive, cementing Police SC’s much-needed first win of the season.
Navy SC started strongly, with winger Senura Peiris darting past defenders to score under the posts in the 17th minute. Isuru Kongahawatta added the extras, putting Navy ahead 7-0. Police SC, however, responded in the 25th minute through a try by Udaya Sanjula. A quick follow-up try by Bulathsinhalage saw Police inch ahead 10-7, though Bulathsinhalage’s missed conversion kept the game on a knife-edge.
As halftime approached, Navy’s Denuwan Wickramarachchi executed a brilliant turnover, forcing a scrum in their favour, but they failed to capitalize. Police held their slim lead as the teams headed into the break.
The second half began with Police SC’s prop forward Amjad Fawmy bulldozing his way to a try in the 46th minute, extending Police’s lead to 17-7 after a successful conversion by Bulathsinhalage. Navy SC clawed back three points with a penalty from Kongahawatta in the 51st minute, narrowing the gap to 17-10.
Bulathsinhalage quickly restored Police’s momentum, nailing a stunning 50-meter penalty in the 53rd minute to give his team a 20-10 lead. However, Police’s discipline faltered when scrum-half Primesh Dhanushka was sin-binned in the 57th minute, leaving them with 14 men.
Navy SC took advantage of the numerical superiority, with Dinesh Lakmal scoring an unconverted try near the right corner flag, reducing the deficit to 20-15. Despite this setback, Police showed resilience, with Bulathsinhalage adding another penalty in the 71st minute to extend the lead to 23-15.
The Sailors mounted a spirited late surge, scoring a converted try to bring the score to 23-20. Despite their efforts, Police’s defence held firm as referee Ishanka Abeykoon blew the final whistle, securing a long-overdue victory for the Corps.
Police SC’s ability to stay composed under pressure and capitalize on scoring opportunities was the defining factor in this closely contested match. While their discipline issues nearly cost them, their tactical kicking and defensive organization proved enough to deny Navy a comeback victory.
With this win, Police SC will hope to build momentum as they seek to climb the league standings in the weeks ahead.
