Nittawela Nightmare.................not again

By Jeremy David

The Citadel hotel lobby at 8pm on the 21^st of August resembled an eerie somberness as I walked in with Kate who was trying to locate our coach Grant for a quick word and maybe a hug prior to our departure back to Colombo in the famous members bus. Seated on the sofa were the forlorn figures of veteran's Sava , Viraj, Moosy and Manager Nana. The sight of these guy's staring blankly into space was a bit too much for me and as I sat with them Sava asked me "Jera, what the hell did we do wrong and what more could we [meaning the forwards] have done". I had no answer but offered a tame 'don't worry, you guy's gave it your best shot'. For these senior pros, who have formed the nucleus of most CR teams over the last decade, that Sunday in Kandy seemed the last clarion call to a glittering club rugby career. Never in the last decade have CR dominated a Kandy side to the extent they did and yet end up on the losers podium. No team has had the guts. Gumption or the spirit unlike the CR&FC to give Kandy a run for their money in the fortress of Nittawela. This has been repeatedly told to me by a host of past Kandy players over the years. To the players of both teams, these encounters are the ultimate test and the pinnacle to their season.

Never have senior pros like Sava, Viraj, Shamly and Pavi given it their all only to see the lofty efforts of a good team, kicked away in the last quarter due to absurdly irresponsible attitudes and dreary competitiveness by our threes. CR's biggest bugbear over the last few years has been it's outsides inability to find let alone get good touch. This was mercilessly exploited by Kandy who punished CR in a ruthless way that made our threes resemble a pack of under 15 schoolboys. Kandy have proven time and again that they are the most destructive counter attacking sides in the country and they proved it yet again in a fashion where the CR had no answers. Two touchdowns and a peach of a drop goal were put on the board due to CR'S faulty line kicking. Asanga Rodrigo and Dhanushka Pushpakumara were the biggest culprits and these costly lapses were unforgivable in a high pressure game such as this one.

To many of us ardent CR supporters, this was too bitter a pill to swallow. The return journey in the members bus was only eventful because of the unrelenting snoring extravaganza performed by Kodi, Kapu and to a lesser extent by our ever faithful 'Rising Kock', together with Koli Lafir's uncanny desire to find a 'piss stop' every half hour. Credit should be given where it is due, and that Kandy won capitalizing on the mistakes CR made shows that they have the character and resilience of what champion outfits are made of. Maybe we should learn a bit more from these guys. The CR forwards were the glory boys and had their best ever game of the season so much so, as the Kandy eight were virtually defenseless ants for almost the whole game. The CR midfield cracked under pressure and thereon our defense was ripped open by the famed Kandy threes who sensed something was abound to happen out of nothing.

There is some hope in the form of the knock out, but we all know that this was the game we had locked up but kicked it into Kandy 's hands instead of into touch. For the CR to be rated a top side consistency and spirit must be bred at all levels. We have the youngsters who must be guided and managed well to face pressure cooker situations like these games. Take heart guy's lets learn from our mistakes and focus on the knockout.

As for me and a host of others on the bus, the nightmare at Nittawella will continue to haunt us long after this season is over, as it is not everyday that we lead 15/5 in Nittawela with fifteen minutes to go and end up losing. Well played Kandy , you deserved to win but we will be back to have another crack at you soon.Take heart CR, no other team has the will or tenacity to square up to Kandy the way we do and by that I mean no other team will ever have it in them. CR/Kandy games such as these are legendary and will certainly belong to folklore. Let the trend continue for the sake of Sri Lankan rugby.

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