The CR & FC backline however had their work cut out for them. They had to compete against a CH &FC backline who were equally hungry. Though the CR defence held for 75 minutes of the game, they failed to finish some of the opportunities they created on attack. CR got early points on the board when Pushpey knocked over a penalty in the 12 th minute and they continued with their pursuit of the CH tryline. Enjoying the lions share of territory and possession a cleverly worked backline move created a massive gap in the CH defence and Mushataq sliced through, the pass was made to pushpey who was brought down and CR was penalized for holding on. CH brought on the attack soon after but failed to turn their pressure into points when they missed another easy shot at goal. It was 27 minutes into the first half before CR came up with their first try. A good drive from the line out saw the forwards march their opponents back 20 metres before Pavithra peeled of the back of the maul to open the scoring. With the conversion missed CR led 8-Nil. A few more opportunities went begging due to unforced errors by CR. And a good CH defence sent CR into the break with an 8-point lead. The 2nd half saw more of the same. A huge contest upfront with CR coming off on top. Another copybook maul sent Pavithra in for his second. With the conversion missed once again CR led 13- NIL. CH missed another shot at goal, their third, and when CR went back into the opposition 22, they did some spectacular work at scrum time. Winning tight heads and forcing the errors. The pressure finally paid off and when the line was fed five metres out and center Rajitha burst through for a try near the sticks. This seemed to fire up CR more as their hard work had paid off, a good reflection of the work they put in at training during the week. The conversion was good and CR led 20 Nil The CH forwards could not defend their line. The loose forward trio of the CH didn't have any answers. The only player worth a mention was their number 6 who had a storming game whilst all the CR forwards played with cohesion, skill and venom that CH could not live with. It was at the death that CH finally got some pride into the scoreline. When a kick was chased by CH winger Ekanayake (formerly of the CR & FC Had to be!!) and as Pushpey slipped and Vakara fell of the tackle, CH touched down for their only points in the game. It was a sweet victory after five years of driving back from Maitland Crescent disappointed. Our game against CH & FC could not have come at a better time as we prepare for the big one next week. The area we will need to improve a lot will be our kicks at goal. In a tight game, a missed penalty or conversion could make all the difference. The game may not have been attractive but both teams were switched on and competed well. The referee and touch judges on the other hand had switched off. Why is it that this area of the game gets little attention from the SLRFU. Maybe we can't afford the wireless communication and video referees of the international competitions but surely we can get the laws correct!! Example The ball is knocked on by the CH winger and it goes into touch. A lineout is awarded instead of a scrum for the first mistake. CH also had the misfortune to lose a jumper for 10 mins when he was sinned binned for a minor offence at the lineout. Again the touch judge failed to report the facts. Overall this game was managed poorly. The referee never asked for advise from the touch judges and they never intervened to offer any. So now it's onto Kandy next week and arguably the biggest game of the season. We're at home and have everything in our favour. Lets show up and give our team some red blooded' support as they take the field this Saturday.
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