AIR FORCE GROUNDS, Ratmalana: (ePRESS) – Defending champions CR and FC survived a tough battle against Air Force Sports Club in a hard-fought Mastercard ‘A’ Division League Rugby Tournament Week 5 match, played at the Air Force Grounds in Ratmalana. The Red Shirts led 12-6 at halftime, ultimately securing a 27-16 win and claiming a crucial bonus point.
The match saw both teams exchanging early blows, with Air Force taking the lead first. Flyhalf Gayantha Iddamalgoda opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a successful penalty kick, putting the home team ahead 3-0. However, the defending champions quickly responded.
In the 30th minute, CR and FC’s scrum-half Viduna Amaneth took advantage of quick thinking and a tap from a scrum to score the first try of the match. His unconverted try gave CR and FC a 5-3 lead.
Air Force regained the lead just before the 34th minute, with Iddamalgoda once again converting a penalty, putting the Airmen ahead 6-5. But just before the break, CR and FC struck again. Wing Rinesh Silva broke through the Air Force defense and touched down in the right corner. A spectacular conversion by Zubair Doray from the touchline gave the Red Shirts a 12-6 advantage at halftime.
The second half saw Air Force come out strong. In the 44th minute, hooker Shamika Kaushan powered through to score a try, and Iddamalgoda’s conversion put the Airmen back in front, 13-12. A few minutes later, Iddamalgoda added another penalty to extend the Air Force lead to 16-12.
But the match was far from over. CR and FC substitute Naveen Marasinghe, the former Josephian skipper, made an immediate impact after coming on. In the 55th minute, he dived over the try line to score an unconverted try, putting CR and FC back in the lead at 17-16.
As the match progressed, the Red Shirts’ discipline and experience came to the fore. In the 72nd minute, Mursheed Doray successfully kicked a penalty, extending CR and FC’s lead to 20-16.
With the game nearing its end, Marasinghe sealed the win for CR and FC, bulldozing his way over the try line for a second try on the stroke of full time. Doray added the final points with an easy conversion, ensuring a 27-16 victory and a bonus point for the defending champions.
This win propelled CR and FC to the top of the table, now sitting with 24 points and four bonus points from five matches. They are closely followed by Havelocks, who also have 24 points but from six matches, and Kandy SC, who are third with 23 points from three games.
Referee: Raveen Alexander.
