Kandy Sports Club completely dominated the sport this season finishing with a double. Earlier they won the League title and now they have won the knock-out championship title the Clifford Cup after a lapse of one year.
They went through some anxious moments before beating CR & FC 41-33 in the final that was played on Sunday (6) at Nittawela, Kandy.
The scoring took turns with CR fighting back gallantly through their three gutty forwards in Omalka Gunaratne who scored two tries, Lasindu Karunathilaka and Sayuru Anthony, but were fought back by Kandy through their back division who were the hall mark in their victories this season.
Kandy easily has the biggest rugby fan base in Sri Lanka. When there is a big game up in Nittawela crowds keep filling in from around 1 p.m. for a game that kicks off at 4 p.m. with fans from different upbringings which is why when they lost the league in nearly a decade last year it was felt like a massive loss for many.
However, when Kandy regained their stance it usually lasts for a very long time. For instance when they won the league title in 2001, they went on to retain the title for 11 straight years until 2012 when Havelock secured it and then Navy would win it in 2013/2014 season with about ten thousand Fijians, but Kandy did come back and regained their title in 2014/2015 memorably beating one of the strongest Navy teams (during a league fixture) in history of Sri Lanka rugby in Welisara, courtesy of a famous South African flanker by the name of Chris Cloete. Since then they went on to win eight titles again before last year. So, are they destined to go for another unreal streak?
Kandy has certainly got the squad to do that although they will miss one of their most loyal servants in Nigel Ratwatte who has been a very consistent player for them for such a long time finally, calling time on his career following the double over the weekend.
Centre Danushka Ranjan and full-back Srinath Sooriyabandara are also probably in the twilight of their careers, but Tarinda Ratwatte looks set to be their next Marija for the coming decade.
They have a very fresh forwards pack that played brilliantly despite their lack of experience this season. Kandy are traditionally known for their excellent play among the backs, but this season there were games that were won by their forwards which is a great sign of their talent.
