The highly anticipated action packed rugby festivity, the 2016 School Rugby Season will finally see a start this weekend with a participation of 69 schools from around the country.
The final preparations are currently in progress for school rugby’s premiere event and weeks of hard work will all come down to the moment when the players take the field. The 69 schools participating in the tournament will be divided into three divisions and subcategorized to segments. The Division I, that is the premiere group in the arena, will consist of 6 segments of 6 teams each and the remaining Divisions will be split accordingly.
Singer Sri Lanka will once again be the empowering force rallying behind Sri Lanka Schools Rugby as they team up with the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) for the 13th consecutive year to back the prestigious tournament. Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Mahesh Wijewardena mentioned that they primarily intend to empower and instill belief in the youth of the country to become prospective sportspersons.
The league that will be governed solely under the SLSRFA will follow the new league system that came into place in 2014 where each league is separated into two groups and after the conclusion of the first round of games, four teams will be eliminated from the top tier and the four teams from the lower division will compile in to play for the Plate, Bowl or Shield trophies.
Photo Album – Singer Rugby league 2016 press conference
This year’s schools league will consist of teams from the Western, Central, Southern and Sabaragamuwa provinces indicating a positive sign in the growth of the oval ball sport in the island.
Mr. Susantha Mendis, the secretary of the SLSRFA also mentioned that the 2017 season will be slightly different to this years as the fixtures will be shifted forward and will start in early March with the League, followed by the President’s trophy and finally the Sevens competition. The sole reason for this shift in the fixtures will be to pick the best one out for the Asian level championships that will commence in August with the under 20 sevens.
In addition to the current rules, the SLSRFA makes a minor adjustment to the rulebook allowing any three individuals to be seated in the bench as water boys. Earlier the rule was that it was mandatory for three players to gain access to the field but this rule will clarify the confusion that existed last season.
On a final note, the head table at the press briefing highlighted that they would comply with the rules with regard to anti-doping and will carry out random tests of the players during the season with the help of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union.
