Defending Champions; Havelocks SC a club with an illustrious history will look to revive the glory days and continue to establish themselves as a powerhouse in the local rugby structure.
Propelled towards victory by dynamic coach Tavita Tulagaese ‘Laga’ last year the boys from Havelock Park have a lot to prove this year as the league continues to increase in competitiveness.
Champions Last Year
Many would say the revival of the Havelock Park Club was completed last year, and rightly so taking into account their phenomenal performance in the Dialog Rugby League. Last year, the team led by Henry Terrence proved to be extremely tough contenders, as they broke the Kandy reign in style to claim dibs on the League championship.
Athaui Nisan was a key figure in last year’s Havelock set up, as he dominated games playing in the all important number 08 position. Chamara Dabare, Lee Keegel, Niroshan Fernando and many other players showed their immense talent, that eventually earned them a chance to represent the Tuskers in the Dialog Serendib Cup and the HSBC Asian5Nations Division I tournament.
Dhiren Warnakulasuriya to Lead
One of the reliable forwards in the Havelock pack, and a star player for Royal in his school days, Dhiren Warnakulasuriya takes over as captain. His experience will be immensely valued, as the team looks to rebuild on last year’s platform. A confident figure, Dhiren definitely has the charisma and confidence to lead his team to glory this year as well.
Speaking to ThePapare.com Dhiren believes that this year, Havelocks SC will look to defend their title and take each game as it comes, and also thanked all the supporters for sticking with the club through the years.
‘The Pack’
The forwards will be led by the experienced Henry Terrence and Dushmantha Priyadarshana who will also have Liston Silva to back the scrum. Anjula de Silva will most probably be the first choice Hooker for Havies while team manager and player Rajeew Perera will provide support.
Sharo Fernando, Shehan Pathirana ,Asela Dissanayake, along with captain Dhiren Warnakulasuriya, Sudarshan Muthuthanthri will make up the rest of the forwards set with Tongan coach cum player Paulo Kaho and Daniel Faleafa battling for the No 08 spot.
In conclusion, Havelocks SC will have a strong set of forwards that will be a force to reckon with, especially when contending for the title. A setup mixed with youth, experience and foreign exposure makes the job much easier for the coach who will also be a part of the set up.
‘They run the line’
Rizwan Meedin will take over as the first choice scrum-half for Havelocks SC while the experienced Zulker Hameed who returns to club rugby will be back up. Sri Lanka fly-half Niroshan Fernando will have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, but Havelocks will also have the able Peterite Dulaj Perera to back the team.
Vilami Hakalo, Dhanushka Ranjan, and Thusitha Samarathilaka will vie for the spots as Centres, with speedsters Chamara Dabare and Sadun Herath making rest of the line, along with Mohamed Sheriff and Mithun Hapugoda.
‘New faces’
Dhanushka Ranjan, Shehan Pathirana and Dulaj Perera will be three new additions to watch out for, especially Ranjan who took a break from rugby due a horrendous injury in the schools league year before last.
Conclusion
It will be interesting to note how much of an impact the absence of ‘Laga’ in the coaching setup will be, however this team has been very much together for the past two years and will look to capitalize on the platform that was set. The Tongan Coach Paulo Kaho will have a lot on his plate, especially since it is not an easy task to play and coach at the same time, and more importantly getting used to the Sri Lankan rugby set up is more of a challenge.
However, Havelocks SC this year will have a well balanced side, with both the forwards and the backs looking very strong on paper. It will be very important to have a good link between the two sects, as that will be key to future successes. As defending champions, the team also understands what it takes to win, and that will be another interesting fact to note, especially going in to games with the ‘big guns’ in the league.
The Papare.com wishes the Havelock Park boys all the very best!
Props – Henry Terrence, Dushmantha Priyadarshana, Liston de Silva
Hookers – Anjula De Silva, Rajeew Perera
Second Row – Sharo Fernando, Shehan Pathirana, Asela Dissanayake
Flankers – Dhiren Warnakulasuriya (c), Sudarshan Muthuthanthri
No. 08 – Paulo Kaho, Daniel Falaefa
Scrumhalf – Rizwan Meedin, Zulker Hameed
Flyhalf – Niroshan Fernando, Dulaj Perera
Centre – Dhanushka Ranjan, Vilami Hakalo, Thusitha Samarathilake
Wingers – Chamara Dabare, Sandun Herath
Fullback – Mohamed Sheriff, Mithun Hapugoda
