Dialog Schools Rugby 7s kicks off from December 18

B.A. Abeyratne, President of SLSRFA (third from right) flanked by Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa receiving the sponsorship package for the Dialog Schools Rugby 7’s from Amali Nanayakkara, Group Chief Marketing Offficer Dialog Axiata. -Picture by Kithsiri de Mel  

By M. Shamil Amit

Inter-school rugby, which came to a standstill due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March last year, will return after the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) received approval from the Ministry of Sports and Ministry of Health to conduct the Dialog Schools Rugby 7s from December 18.

Minister of Sports Namal Rajapaksa gracing the occasion stressed that with the aim of promoting rugby, plans have been drawn up to have training sessions in all the provinces and also to conduct rugby tournaments, with top players selected to form a pool to undergo training.

The minister further stressed that the cradle for any sport is the school level where they turn up future national players. 

“We will give our fullest support to schools associations with the aim of boosting Sri Lanka’s standard in the international tournaments that they will be participating,” he said. 

The tournament will see 48 schools in action that will be played in six segments which is virtually a provincial level tournament. The six segments comprise of teams from Western Province, Central Province, Wayamba Province, Sabaragamuwa Province and Southern Province.

Nirodha Wijerama, Secretary of the SLSRFA speaking on the occasion stated that they will strictly adhere to the rules set by the health authorities and no spectators will be allowed to any venues of the tournament. 
The Western Province tournament will be played in two divisions of Division A and B with 12 in the Division A and eight in the Division B. In the Central Province eight teams will be in action, seven in Wayamba, five in Sabaragamuwa and eight in Southern Province.

The first tournament will be played on December 18 at the Royal Sports Complex ground which is the Western Province Division B category and will be fought out by Mahanama College Colombo, Carey College, CWW Kananngara MMV Colombo, Siri Piyaratana MMV Padukka, Moratu MV, Sri Sumangala Panadura, Piliyandala Central, Nalanda College, St. Benedict’s College and St. John’s College Nugegoda.

The Western Province Division A tournament will also be played at the Royal Sports Complex ground and will be contested by Royal College, Zahira College, Ananda College, Wesley College, S. Thomas’ College, Thurstan College, St Joseph’s College, Isipathana College, DS Senanayake College, St. Peter’s College, Science College and Prince of Wales.

Central Province tournament will be the third to be played at the Pallekele Rugby ground on December 27 with Trinity College, St. Anthony’s College, Dharmaraja College, Sri Rahula College, Kingswood College, Vidyartha College, Sri Sumangala and St. Sylvester’s College being the contestants.

This will be followed by the Wayamba Province tournament to be played on December 28 at Kurunegala and the teams in action will be Maliyadeva, Welagedera College, Sir John Kotalawala College, St. Anne’s College, Ibbagamuwa Central, Lakdas de Mel College and Kuliyapitiya Central.

The Sabaragamuwa Province tournament is scheduled to be played on December 30 at the Ruwanwella Rugby ground with Eheliyagoda Central, Talduwa MV, Kegalu MV, Dehiowita MV and Zahira College Mawanella being the teams in action.

The tournaments will end with the Southern Province category which will be played at the Koggala Rugby ground on December 31 with the teams competing being St. Aloysius College Galle, Mahinda College Galle, Vidyaloka MV Galle, Rahula Matara, Devapathiraja MMV Rathgama, Richmond College, Debarawewa NS and St. Servatius College Matara.