CR & FC edges past Havelocks to win prestigious Clifford Cup
March 7, 2026 08:01 pm
Newly crowned league champions CR & FC claimed a hard-fought 12-10 win over Havelock Sports Club in the final encounter of the 2025/26 rugby season to secure the prestigious Clifford Cup at Longdon Place this evening (07).
CR also defeated Kandy Sports Club in the league final a fortnight ago to win the Inter-Club Rugby League tournament.
The Clifford Cup Knockout Rugby Tournament final clash between traditional rivals was expected to be a close affair and it lived up to the expectation despite not being an enthralling high-scoring encounter.
Havies fly-half Samuel Maduwantha opened the scoring in the fourth minute of the game by putting over a penalty to take a 03-00 lead.
Although Maduwantha had a chance to double the lead within minutes, the experienced fly-half fluffed the opportunity.
In-form Thenuka Nanayakkara then put over two decisive penalties to give the home side the lead.
At lemons, CR led 06-03.
The second half saw both sides missing out on a number of scoring opportunities and the shorelines remained unchanged at the hour-mark.
In the 61st minute of the final, Thenuka Nanayakkara was on the scoresheet once again by putting over his third penalty to extend CR’s lead to six points.
While Havelocks fluffed their chances to bridge the gap, Thenuka Nanayakkara put over his fourth penalty in the 72th minute to give CR a 12-03 lead.
As the home side was heading towards a memorable win, on the 76th minute, Havelocks SC was given a penalty try for repeated infringements by CR.
Despite some tense moments, CR prevailed in the dying stages of the game and sealed the Cup and League double much to the jubilation of the Longdon Place crowd.
Havelocks who finished third in the league completed the season as runners-up in the Clifford Cup tournament.
Kandy SC meanwhile finished empty-handed as curtains came down on the 2025/26 domestic club rugby season.
