Colombo have defied all expectations this season, even those of their coach Chris Columbo, in blazing a path into second place and giving the Sri Lankan expansion side a very real chance of appearing in Premier League next season. Their opponents, the quietly achieving Canberra Chargers, may prove to be the biggest wildcard in this year's finals however- with the side finally getting back towards full strength after an injury ravaged season.

Colombo Harlequins Canberra Chargers
1 Luke Phillips 1 Ben Hornby ©
2 Wes Davies 2 Reece Simmonds
3 Anthony Himmler 3 Paul Whatuira
4 Aaron Moule 4 Christophe Lamaison
5 Dennis Hickie 5 Jamie Burrows
6 Graham Appo © 6 Brandon Costin
7 Matt Dawson 7 Sean Towers
8 Bryce Edkins 8 Troy Stone
9 Shane Millard 9 Johnny Lawless
10 Braden Mohammed 10 Sonny Nickle
11 Luke Isakka 11 Solomon Haumona
12 Martin Johnson 12 Michael Smith
13 Damien Fields 13 Ian Watson
++Interchange
14 Eorl Crabtree 14 Josh Miller
15 Jake Lamia 15 Chris McKenna
16 Doug Rumble 16 Richard Peleasina
17 Pascal Jampy 17 Michael Monaghan

A big Sri Lankan crowd was on hand to witness the side's first finals berth, and they got plenty to cheer about in the early stages of the clash, with Aboriginal sensation Damien Fields coming up with the game's first linebreak in only the second minute of play. It didn't result in a try, thanks largely to some marvellous cover defence from the Chargers.

After the initial flurry in Colombo's favour, it proved to be Canberra who would draw first blood, with former Queensland representative, Sean Towers, knocking over a penalty goal to give his side an early 2-0 lead. The two point lead soon became an eight point defecit for the home side, with Paul Whatuira scoring the easiest of tries after a penalty gave the Chargers excellent field position. In fact, after that initial burst by Fields, it was all one way traffic- and it was going in the wrong direction for an increasingly restless Colombo crowd. While Canberra played mistake free football, the Harlequins showed signs of inexperience by immediately trying to play catch up.

It hurt them in the 17th minute, when once again Paul Whatuira showed why he has pulled on the Kiwi jersey twice this season, a brilliant line break allowing Jamie Burrows to score out wide. Whatuira got around his man and then drew Colombo's Luke Phillips before producing a miraculous around the corner pass to the supporting Burrows. Towers' attempted conversion landed well wide, but 12-0 didn't look good for the struggling Harlequins. If 12-0 was a worry for the Harlequins, 18-0 was a nightmare. From the kick off the Harlequins were made to look like an under eight's side when Jonny Lawless tore them up with an intelligent piece of dummy half running. Collecting the ball twenty out, Lawless ran through a yawning hole to score under the posts- with Luke Phillips vainly trying to hold him up. Towers converted without difficulty to put Canberra into a comfortable position as 18-0 leaders.

The 25th minute brought some joy to the home crowd, with local hero Damien Fields grabbing a crucial try on the back of some sloppy Canberra play. A big lead always makes players overconfident, and veteran Frenchman Christophe Lamaisson presented Colombo with a gift set when he threw the ball into touch on halfway. Fields was quick to capitalise, the mobile backrower getting some assistance from good decoy running to snare his club's first ever try in finals' football. He duly converted his own effort to put his side within striking distance at 18-6 with ten remaining in the first half.

As halftime drew near, it became clear that the Chargers had expended a lot of energy in their early offensive flurry, and were now relying on half time to interrup Colombo's momentum. With troops tiring, the Chargers did an admirable job of stemming an increasing amount of Colombo offense, but eventually cracked on the stroke of halftime- with Graham Appo dancing down the sideline and then running the ball around under the posts to give Fields a gift two points. The conversion came after the halftime siren, and the Harlequins had clawed back into the game to trail 18-12 at the break.

HALFTIME: Colombo 12 trail Canberra 18

The second half got underway with the skies above Colombo Stadium opening and flooding fans and players alike. The wet conditions forced the two clubs to rein in their flamboyant attack and play safety first football- and this hurt the usually reckless Harlequins. Whereas Canberra are generally a fairly safe side, the Harlequins found it difficult to change from their usual style of long passing and regular offloading.

In the new situation, Canberra thrived, and crossed for their fourth try of the match through Brandon Costin in the 53rd minute. The underrated five eighth chased his own grubber into the in goal, where he wrestled the pill from the hands of Dennis Hickie to score a strong individual try. Towers converted his half partner's effort to put his side ahead 24-12.

The game was now balanced on a knife's edge, with the Harlequins needing to be next on board if they wanted to come from behind and secure a place in the preliminary finals. Canberra, however, were playing to stay alive- and it showed. In the 61st minute Ben Hornby was denied a try through some desperate defence from Martin Johnson, and only two minutes later it was a matter of inches that stopped Appo from scoring his second of the game- the fleet footed fullback touching the corner post marginally before grounding the ball.

The game continued to ebb and flow, with the Colombo fans getting more and more vocal as time became the Harlequins' greatest enemy. As the 70th minute ticked over, the Harlequins were still twelve points adrift. While they had learned to better cope with the wet conditions, it still didn't look promising for the first time finalists. Brandon Costin's second try of the night put an end to any hopes of a Harlequin fightback, the wet conditions allowing Costin to slide in for a try from five out. Towers converted to give his side a match winning 30-12 lead.

Colombo fought valiantly, turning the ball over on the fifth tackle twice while trying to penetrate Canberra's defence close to the line- and again being denied by the video referee in the 75th when Wes Davies was ruled to have dropped the ball in a heavy Michael Smith tackle. In fact, in the final five minutes, the Harlequins turned over the ball on the sixth tackle five times- an indication of both their desperation and inexperience. The siren sounded with, fittingly, the Harlequins going to ground with the ball on the last tackle of another set of six.

FULLTIME

Canberra Chargers 30
Brandon Costin 2
Paul Whatuira
Jonny Lawless
Jamie Burrows
Towers 5/6

defeated

Colombo Harlequins 12
Damien Fields
Graham Appo
Fields 2/2

PoM Points
Christophe Lamaisson............3
Ian Watson...........................2
Paul Whatuira.........................1

Stats
Penalty Count
Colombo Harlequins- 4 : 8 -Canberra Chargers

Possession (%)
Colombo Harlequins- 44 : 55 -Canberra Chargers

Time in Opposition Half
Colombo Harlequins- 33 : 47 -Canberra Chargers

Handling Errors
Colombo Harlequins- 14 : 13 -Canberra Chargers

Completion Rate (%)
Colombo Harlequins- 67 : 74 -Canberra Chargers

Tackles
Colombo Harlequins- 243 : 213 -Canberra Chargers