Ratwatte’s brilliance gives CR 31/26 win over Police | Sunday Observer

Ratwatte’s brilliance gives CR 31/26 win over Police

4 December, 2016

CR & FC centre Tarinda Ratwatte single-handedly scored 21 points inclusive of two tries, one conversion and three penalties to steer CR & FC to a close 31 points (4 tries, 1 conversion, 3 penalties) to 26 (4 tries, 3 conversions) win against a fighting Police SC in their Dialog ‘A’ Division inter-club league rugby first round match played at CR & FC grounds,Longden Place yesterday.

The winners held on to a slender 20-19 lead.

Police dished out a superb brand of rugby specially by the entire forwards who rucked and mauled their way to rattle the ‘red shirts’ forwards and completely outplayed them in the entire game. The Cops came from behind 5-15 down to lead 26-25 but two penalties by Ratwatte, 10 minutes before the close cost them the match in the end.

The match got off to a good start with both teams engaged in a battle for supremacy with Police drawing first blood in the 9th minute when their flanker Joel Perera went over for a try off a rolling maul but full back Rajitha Sansoni missed the conversion. Police led 5-nil.

In the 12th minute, CR winger Sashan Mohamad scored a brilliant try under the post piercing the entire Police defence but surprisingly Ratwatte missed the sitter of a conversion to equal the score at 5-all.Within a couple of minutes CR moved the ball wide for their speedy winger Kavindu Perera to score a breath-taking try near the left corner flag.

Ratwatte missed the difficult conversion but CR went into the lead 12-5. The Red shirts increased their lead to 15-5 in the 19th minute with a 40-metre penalty slotted in by Ratwatte.

In the 24th minute Police scored through hooker Rasitha Silva off a ruck to cut down the lead to 15-12 with Sansoni making the conversion. Police scored again through number eight Radeesha Seneviratne off a fine rolling maul. Sansoni slotted in the conversion and the score read Police 19 to CR 15.

On the stroke of half time CR grabbed the lead off a ruck, when scrum half Kavindu de Costa foxed the Police defence and gave a long cut out pass to centre Bhanuka Nanayakkara who touched down for a try. Ratwatte missed the conversion and at half time CR led 20-19.

Soon after the break in the 43rd minute off a turn over ball scrum half Kavindu gave a superb box kick deep inside the left flank where Ratwatte chased , collected the ball and fell over for a fine try, he missed the difficult conversion and the lead increased to 25-19. In the 55th minute Police centre Chula Susantha intercepted the ball and went over for a try.

Sansoni slotted in the conversion for Police to grab the lead 26-25. CR regained the lead once more in the 68th minute when Ratwatte put over a 20 metre penalty and CR led 28-26. CR sealed the match in their favour in the 70th minute when Ratwatte put over a fantastic 35 metre penalty to make the final score 31-26 in favour of the Red shirts. Referee Rohan Fernando had a miserable time with the whistle making several silly blunders throughout the game.

 

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