The SLR League Rugby tournament 2022 is set to kick off today Friday (21) with Army SC hosting CR & FC in the curtain raiser at Havelock Park at 4.00 pm.
Meanwhile fifteen side rugby has returned almost after the lapse of nearly two years with Army Sports Club going out as the firm favourites to overcome a rejuvenated young CR & FC outfit.
The game could be a closely fought out battle for supremacy as Army boasts of having in their ranks several talented players who are playing a key role in this game. The granite hard forwards of the calibre of Nalaka Maduranga, Thirusha Adikaram, Chameera Silva, Chalika Sadaruwan and three quarters Ashan Bandara, Sudaraka Dikkumbura, Danushka Talwatte and ever reliable full back Gayan Salinda.
CR who are facing an unexpected plight losing several of their key players to other clubs yet bound to field a couple of experienced big names like Kavindu Costha, Supun Warnakulasuriya, number eight Thisila Karunathilake, Sabar brothers, Jero Dananjaya, Royalist third row Achitha Radeeshan, fly half Kalindu Nandila, Sri Lanka national centre Kanchana Ramanayake, Chamod Fernando and former Wesley skipper and Sri Lanka youth full back Murshid Doray (son of late Zubair Doray) for today’s game.
However adding to their woes would be the absence of their granite hard number eight cum Sri Lanka fifteen a side skipper Omalka Gunaratne who has joined CH and FC this year.
CR will face an acid test and might look to register a shock win through their think tank and former national player cum scrum half Kavindu De Costa, who is leading them from the front in this season against the high riding soldiers, while the Army full back Gayan Salinda will lead the team well with his experienced players and the young resurgent force in this game.
Hence Army will go all out as the favourites to pull this one through with a victory.
Teams:
CR & FC (Probable XV): Yohan Dilanjala, Supun Warnakulasuriya, Zayan Sabar, Yohan Kanishka, Gayan Jayamanna, Jero Dananjaya , Achintha Radeeshan, Dayan Sabar or Thisila Karunathilake, Kavindu de Costa (Captain) and Kalindu Nandila, Eranda Harshana, Navindu Madushan, Kanchana Ramanayake, Chamod Fernando, Murshid Doray, Head Coach: Dushanth Lewke, Assistant Coach: MJM Mushtaq
Army SC (Probable XV): Kalum Madusanka, Chalika Sadaruwan, Buddhi Srimantha, Nalaka Maduranga, Thirusha Adikaram, Nalan Deshappriya, Chameera Silva, Vinod Kumar, Wasantha Kumarasinghe and Ashan Bandara, Sudaraka Dikkumbura, Danushka Talwatte, Lasantha Kumara, Niroshan Jayakodi, Gayan Salinda (Captain), Head coach: Radhika Hettiarachchi, Assistant coach: Anuranga Walpola
Referee : Priyantha Gunaratne
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