Titanic Battle on the cards

By Shamzeer Jaleel

All spectators who were waiting for this game for the last 3 plus months from the day Inter club rugby 2018/2019 kicked off in November last year is the one between the defending champions, Kandy Sports Club and Havelock Sports Club. This mouth-watering encounter which was scheduled to be played under lights will be now worked off at Havelock Park with the kick-off is scheduled at 4 pm. The steamy Colombo conditions will be a big ask for both teams.

Kandy SC is leading the points table with 67 points very closely followed by the Park Club with 66 points after their defeat to CH & FC in their last encounter. A win for either of the teams will give them the home advantage in the Super 4 round which will follow soon afterwards.

Kandy Sports Club have stood out at home Up in the Hills but always coming to Colombo being a long journey for them this season. They lost out to CH& FC and their encounters against CR & FC and Navy were never impressive for their usual high standards. Yakoob Ali, Sayuru Anthony and Uchithra Jayasoooriya will play vital part in this encounter. Once again Kandy will miss the service of their burly number 8 rock solid Buwanaka Udangamuwa who is still out with an injury. Roshan Weeraratne very important man from the base of the scrum will be a key player for the Up Country outfit.

Their three quarter line is a major strength for Kandy. Nigel Ratwatte, Lavanga Perera, Anurudha Wilwara, Dhanushka Ranjan and Thilina Wijesinghe all are star players who could fit in to any sides easily.

Meanwhile the Park Club got the best forwardamong clubs that is none other than Prasad Madushanka. He is well supported by Ajmir Fajudeen and "Iron Man" Sharo Fernando who missed out the last game is fit to play along with Dinuk Amarasinghe. Mithun Hapugoda who started in the later half in majority of the games is likely to operate from the base from early stages of the game. Chamara Dabare and Nirsohan Fernando have played their part with full back and consistent Riza Mubarak being class of his own in all the 13 encounters for the Park Club.

Sean Wijesinghe, Kandy SC head Coach will always want to leave Sri Lanka on high note before he migrates to Canada in April 2019. Meanwhile Havies Head Coach, Sanath Martis is tough nut to crack. When all wrote off havies when they lost 8 of their players kept faith in the Young Blood and produced this magnificent results to come up to number 2 position in the league will always want to win the Gold not to settle for the Silver.

It could be any ones game with the team settling first having the advantage in the steamy Colombo evening.

Referee     Tasuka Kawahara (Japan)