By Callistus Davy
Sri Lanka’s most iconic and crowd-pulling rugby club, Kandy SC, bowed out of the 2024/25 season by clinching the Knockout prize for a record 22nd time, defeating Colombo giants CR and FC 41-33 in the tournament’s final, played in front of a packed Nittawela Stadium on Sunday.
The occasion also marked a solemn and fitting retirement tribute to one of its most capped players, fly-half Nigel Ratwatte, who sealed Kandy SC’s final points with a conversion following a last-minute try by scrum-half Heshan Jenson.
Nigel Ratwatte, making his 188th appearance, proved he was the best bet to step into the boots of another iconic player, Tharinda Ratwatte, who watched the final from the stands, unable to recover in time from an injury sustained during the League tournament—which Kandy SC also won, remaining unbeaten double champions.
The sign-off try by Jenson not only ensured a decisive margin of victory for the home team, but also highlighted the gap between Kandy SC and the rest of the eight teams in Sri Lanka’s premier domestic rugby scene.
Up until that point, with just three minutes of play remaining, only one point separated the two teams, with CR and FC trailing 33-34.
Sunday’s final delivered all the excitement expected from a high-stakes rugby clash, with Kandy SC leading 17-14 at half-time and just three points separating the teams overall.
Ultimately, Kandy SC’s forwards proved too strong for the Colombo side to contain, with the home team scoring two of their five tries through the dreaded rolling maul after securing the ball from two line-out put-ins.
Few would dispute that the match turned on its head just three minutes before the final whistle when CR and FC’s centre, Manelka Ruberu, brushed aside four defenders to score under the posts, bringing the score to 34-33.
But it wasn’t enough to give a similar farewell to CR and FC’s retiring player, the veteran Soyuru Anthony, who made his 169th appearance on the rugby field.
Kandy SC’s winning squad comprised skipper Srinath Sooriyabandara, Malitha Wijesundara, Kenula Hettiarachchi, Milan Weerasinghe, Thilina Bandara, Chathura Soysa, Wewela Panditha, Tharinda Chathuranga, Dahan Wickremarachi, Heshan Jenson, Nigel Ratwatte, Dinal Ekanayake, Diluksha Dange, Dhanushka Ranjan, Kavindu Perera, Dilshad Fareed, Lasitha Attanagoda, Akil Mohammed, Wajid Faumy, Nalan Premnath, Suranga Tennakoon, Asiri Seneviratne, and Sahid Zumri.
