Unbeaten Kandy secure league for 24th time in the last three decades

By Shamseer Jaleel at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium

In a thrilling encounter at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium, Kandy SC delivered a commanding performance to defeat Havelocks SC by 50 points (7 tries, 6 conversions, 1 penalty) to 24 points (3 tries, 3 conversions, 1 penalty), securing their unbeaten record in the inter Club Rugby Tournament 2024/25 in front of an electrifying packed home crowd.

This is the Up-Country Club’s 24th occasion accounting for the league in the last 30 years, which is a unique record showing that they are the champions in the league with a clean sheet this time.

At the short breather, Kandy led 31-10.

Kandy SC wasted no time asserting their dominance, with their backs and forwards combining seamlessly to break through Havelocks defence. They were simply outstanding in the initial half, showing electrifying speed.

Nigel Ratwatte played his last league game for Kandy, where his club career spanning over 14 years came to an end in the league. Tarinda Ratwatte, skipper Srinarth Sooriyabandara, Dinal Ekanayake, Kavindu Perera, and Diluksha Dange were simply outstanding. Heshan Jensen combined well with Dahan Wickremarachchi and Thilina Bandara; both were outstanding in attack as well as in defence. Meanwhile for the Park Club, their skipper, Abdullah Faiz, Ajmeer Fajudeen, Jayathu Rajarathna, and Rifan Mohamed played their hearts out.

Dinal opened the scoring, setting the tone for the hosts. Scrum-half Srinath followed suit, finishing off a well-worked move to extend the lead. Kenula Hettiarachchi then added his name to the scoresheet, pushing Kandy further ahead with Dahan scoring before the short breather. Tarinda was in great form, converting all four tries while putting over a penalty.

Meanwhile, for Havies, Sandesh Jayawickrema scored the solitary first-half try. He did the conversion, and a solitary penalty was put over by Samuel Maduwantha.

After the turnaround, Kandy was unstoppable once again with tries from Dahan and Ethan Schneider-Loos. There was time for Nigel to score his only try in the final minute of the game. The Park Club scored second-half tries through Janidu Fernando and Jayathu. Both were converted by Sandesh.

With this emphatic victory, Kandy SC reaffirmed their dominance in Sri Lankan rugby, finishing the season unbeaten. Their attacking flair, solid defence, and disciplined gameplay were on full display, much to the delight of their passionate supporters who packed the Nittawela stands. As the celebrations erupted in Kandy, attention now turns to the upcoming knockout competitions, where Kandy SC will aim to complete a perfect season playing all their three games at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium. Referee: Gihan Yatawara