Sri Lankan born and former St. Anthony’s rugby player Imad Reyal will be a part of the United Arab Emirates Sevens team who will arrive in Colombo for the Asia Sevens Series final showdown that will kick off at the Racecourse Complex on the 10th and 11th October .
Imad Reyal, represented his alma-mater St. Anthony’s College Kandy in the fifteens format and later played for Trinity College in the sevens tournament. Moving to Dubai for his commitments, he had the privilege of representing UAE in the sevens format made his debut in the 2011 Dubai Sevens. He is remembered by the rugby masses for his breathtaking try he scored against Samoa for UAE in front of thousands who had gathered around the stadium that day.
In an attempt to pursue his professional rugby career, Imad made his move to New Zealand having been awarded a scholarship to join the Bay of Plenty Academy. It was an impressive start for the young man but things didn’t turn out to be quite favorable as his time ran out for his stay. Determined to achieve his goal, Imad plans to pursue an education in sports management in the years to come in Auckland while trying his luck at entering the professional arena.
Reyal is back in the UAE signing a fresh contract with the UAE Premiership team Jebel Ali Dragons and looks at making his way back to the top. Known in the Middle East to be one of the best finishers in the game, he is set to make a comeback in the sevens circuit in the final showdown of the Asia Sevens Series.
UAE coach Roelof Kotze picked his 22-man squad for the Sri Lankan trip a day back and had the 24-year-old Sri Lankan’s name on it as well. This will probably be the best outfit that UAE has ever fielded and it will be an easy task for Reyal to get accustomed to the conditions, as it was the place where he nurtured the sport in the first place.
Imad Reyal was the missing piece in UAE’s puzzle and with him, the outfit will look quite destructive and will be looking to play fast moving rugby while Reyal will be at the far end waiting for his turn to do the finishing honors.
