The Sri Lanka Police which began the season with a sensational 12-11 win over CH and FC and then suffered two successive defeats at the hands of CR and FC (16-25) and Kandy SC (9-36) face the tough task of overcoming the unbeaten Havelocks Sports Club in their Caltex 'A' division league rugby match at Police Park today with the kick off scheduled for 4.45 p.m.
The Park Club is in a buoyant mood with three consecutive wins over Army (21-15), Old Zahirians (91-0) and Air Force (24-20) and will go all out to beat the Policemen and keep their unbeaten record intact.
Former Sri Lanka player Ravi Jayasuriya makes a welcome return to the Havelocks team and will play in his pet position of flanker while in the back division Sri Lanka Sevens player Wasim Thajudeen has been shifted to the centre berth.
The policemen will miss the services of two key players for today's game. Sri Lanka prop forward Nishantha Welagedera and young full back Jeevan Amaradasa. Welagedera has been sidelined by an injury while Amaradasa is down with flu.
The forte of both teams have been their power-packed forwards and a terrific tussle for supremacy can be expected up front with the Park Club 'eight' especially Shafi Hassen, Rajiv Perera, Kavinda Jayasena, Rajiv Ganapathy, J. D. Seneviratne and Ravi Jayasuriya being confronted by equally good forwards in Charaka Hewawasam, Ashen Dias, Pradeep Wilson, Nalin Archarige, Tuan Nizam and skipper Nilusha Fernando.
In the set scrums, the experienced Havelocks hooker Rajiv Perera should get the better of his vis-a-vas Gamage while the line outs should be shared between the Police duo of Wilson and Archarige and Havelocks' Jayasena and Jayasuriya.
The three quarters of both teams have failed to impress this season. The Park Club has an experienced halves combination in Dilan de Zoysa and Samantha Lakshan but the three quarters could not make much headway with the two centres either spilling their passes or being tackled in possession by their opposite numbers.
The experienced Police fly half Harshana Wijeweera too should strive to set his threes in motion at every turn instead of kicking ahead aimlessly as they have a hard running centre in Sri Lanka youth player Chula Susantha in addition to two powerful runners on the wings in Hasith Nilanga and Sanka Hettiarachchi.
Last year Police won the first round game by 16-12 but the Park Club made amends for their defeat by defeating the Policemen by 21-10 in the return match at Police Park.
Police - Charaka Hewawasam, R. U. Gamage, S. Abeykoon, Pradeep Wilson, Ashan Dias, Nalin Archarige, Nilusha Fernando (captain), Tuan Nizam, Milinda Bandara and Harshana Wijeweera, Hasith Nilanga, Chula Susantha, Priyantha Ekanayake, Sanka Hettiarachchi, Danushka Pubudu.
Havelocks - Shafi Hassen, Rajiv Perera, Kasun Yasaisuru, Kavinda Jayasena (captain), Mohamed Izzadeen, Ravi Jayasuriya, T. D. Seneviratne, Rajiv Ganapathy, Dilan de Zoysa and Samantha Lakshan, Chanaka Fonseka, Wasim Thajudeen, Dilip Mathruwan, Zakir Badurdeen, Nuwan Hettiarachchi.
The Park Club is in a buoyant mood with three consecutive wins over Army (21-15), Old Zahirians (91-0) and Air Force (24-20) and will go all out to beat the Policemen and keep their unbeaten record intact.
Former Sri Lanka player Ravi Jayasuriya makes a welcome return to the Havelocks team and will play in his pet position of flanker while in the back division Sri Lanka Sevens player Wasim Thajudeen has been shifted to the centre berth.
The policemen will miss the services of two key players for today's game. Sri Lanka prop forward Nishantha Welagedera and young full back Jeevan Amaradasa. Welagedera has been sidelined by an injury while Amaradasa is down with flu.
The forte of both teams have been their power-packed forwards and a terrific tussle for supremacy can be expected up front with the Park Club 'eight' especially Shafi Hassen, Rajiv Perera, Kavinda Jayasena, Rajiv Ganapathy, J. D. Seneviratne and Ravi Jayasuriya being confronted by equally good forwards in Charaka Hewawasam, Ashen Dias, Pradeep Wilson, Nalin Archarige, Tuan Nizam and skipper Nilusha Fernando.
In the set scrums, the experienced Havelocks hooker Rajiv Perera should get the better of his vis-a-vas Gamage while the line outs should be shared between the Police duo of Wilson and Archarige and Havelocks' Jayasena and Jayasuriya.
The three quarters of both teams have failed to impress this season. The Park Club has an experienced halves combination in Dilan de Zoysa and Samantha Lakshan but the three quarters could not make much headway with the two centres either spilling their passes or being tackled in possession by their opposite numbers.
The experienced Police fly half Harshana Wijeweera too should strive to set his threes in motion at every turn instead of kicking ahead aimlessly as they have a hard running centre in Sri Lanka youth player Chula Susantha in addition to two powerful runners on the wings in Hasith Nilanga and Sanka Hettiarachchi.
Last year Police won the first round game by 16-12 but the Park Club made amends for their defeat by defeating the Policemen by 21-10 in the return match at Police Park.
Police - Charaka Hewawasam, R. U. Gamage, S. Abeykoon, Pradeep Wilson, Ashan Dias, Nalin Archarige, Nilusha Fernando (captain), Tuan Nizam, Milinda Bandara and Harshana Wijeweera, Hasith Nilanga, Chula Susantha, Priyantha Ekanayake, Sanka Hettiarachchi, Danushka Pubudu.
Havelocks - Shafi Hassen, Rajiv Perera, Kasun Yasaisuru, Kavinda Jayasena (captain), Mohamed Izzadeen, Ravi Jayasuriya, T. D. Seneviratne, Rajiv Ganapathy, Dilan de Zoysa and Samantha Lakshan, Chanaka Fonseka, Wasim Thajudeen, Dilip Mathruwan, Zakir Badurdeen, Nuwan Hettiarachchi.
