CR & FC SEND KANDY PACKING

This was it. This was the big one. The Clash of the Titans. There's not an adjective in the English language that I can use to let you know how we felt at 6 o'clock on Saturday evening. Usually I would write this from an analytical point of view, but today I don't care. We beat Kandy . They came, we saw, we kicked their …… (You get the drift.). So this match report comes to you from the dizzy heights of victory. No stats just the facts. Like every one eyed CR supporter would say – Look at the bloody scoreboard mate!

The atmosphere was brilliant, the crowd - insane. The team was focused on that elusive scalp of the high riding Kandy boys. Here were the defending champs, brimming with confidence that they could walk into our backyard and leave with a smile, boy were they wrong. The truth is that they would have had a better chance of getting a ham sandwich in Mecca .

The game started with all the fire you can imagine. Who would draw first blood? Kandy answered the question with a penalty through full back Nalaka, whos Mohawk hairstyle would give us reason to believe he was the last of the Mohicans. For his bravery, he was dealt with much the same hospitality the Greeks enjoyed when they invaded Troy .

CR replied soon and equaled the score. At 3-all, Kandy struck again, this time with a try to captain and winger Jayasinghe. CR kept their head and none panicked. There was plenty of time and they just had to get back and start playing the game they came out to play. The maturity and calm they showed was re-assuring. They had everyone behind them and depending on them. They replied in spades.

Rodda, who played like a general throughout the 80 mintues changed his tactic from the optimistic drop goals to that of perfectly placed kicks into space. And when one of those kicks bounced perfectly Kalu was at hand to touch down. With the conversion unsuccessful, CR equaled the score. 8 – all.

CR struck again with a brilliant try from a backline move in Kandy 's 22. When replacement prop Shamil sliced through untouched to score under the post. A move so clinically executed that it almost had the Kandy players applauding.

The third try from CR was the nail in the coffin. Again a perfectly placed kick fell straight into the breadbasket of flanker Ashan Karathelis. At 20 points to-8 Kandy still felt that they were in the game and didn't give up but then neither did the red shirts. CR thwarted every attack and destroyed their scrums. Their rucks and mauls were also in tatters. Every single CR forward put their body on the line. They didn't want Kandy to get good second phase ball and Kandy never did.

When the 80 minutes were up, there were bodies everywhere. CR had given all for this game. The veterans, Pavithra, Savantha & Viraj led from the front and the younger players stepped up. This was about the top two inches. We had the talent to beat them, we had prepared well and the big hurdle was always going to be our mental preparation for this game. The maturity we showed under pressure spoke volumes for this team, its leadership and coaching.

To Grant, Pavi and the boys, thank you for a brilliant game. The skill, determination and mongrel you displayed for 80 minutes made those Kandy lions look like pussycats.

The next round will be the business end of the season and there's no doubt that CR is going to get better and better.

View Action