An encouraging decision has been made by the governing bodies of Rugby in Sri Lanka to bridge the age old gap between the two unions. Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR-formerly SLRFU) and the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) have formed a 10 man committee to ensure that the two bodies work cohesively to uplift the quality of National Rugby.
Despite the speculation and baseless allegations that SLR is plotting on taking over the schools tournament it’s reliably learnt that the SLSRFA will hold all the school’s tournaments while the joint committee will work on a long term vision to lift Sri Lanka rugby to the next level in the international arena.
There have been numerous coalitions between the two organizations in the past regarding various matters. Recently Sri Lanka Rugby high performance director lashed out at schools union for the lack of professionalism and negligence in not holding trials for the Under 20 team that will take part in the Asian rugby Championship in December hampering and limiting the time for preparation. SLSRFA was in the headlines again when a they organized a Under-18 7s tournament without the prior approval of SLR and the Ministry of education.
Under-19 Schools league is the most attended and followed tournament with more spectator attendance for even the B division games and exceeds the crowds at club rugby games. However SLSRFA have run into numerous altercations with schools which have ended up in courts. SLR has come to the rescue of the schools body when they have fallen short with the Asian and World rugby in more than one occasion.
The10 member joint committee which will have 05 members from each association will look to seek long-term solutions to the conflict. They will also overlook Under 14 to Under 20 national development plan that will be the feeder program for the National 7s and 15 a side outfits. Uplifting the standards of the game at the junior level will also be an important aspect the latest collaboration will focus on.
These issues should have been ironed out years ago, however as the saying goes better late than never and the rugby fraternity who loves the sport and wishes to see Sri Lankan rugby elevate to the next level in the international arena will be hoping that this new coalition will work towards the betterment of the game we all love.
 and the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) have formed a 10 man committee to ensure that the two bodies work cohesively to uplift the quality of National Rugby.){kind=link}