School rugby will come alive for one final act for the year 2015 with the production of the Colombo combined schools vs Kandy combined schools encounter that will kick off at Havelocks Sports Club grounds tomorrow at 4.30 p.m.
It is after a long lapse of over two months that the rugby fraternity in the country will get to see more from school rugby as the players get themselves ready to represent their respective hometowns. This year’s tournament will be split into two legs in order to take the game beyond Colombo and will be played in Kandy as well.
The first leg will be played tomorrow the 23rd of October 2015 (tomorrow) and the Colombo team will travel to Kandy on the 30th for the returning fixture. The primary intentions for this year’s fixture will be to select the national contingent for the upcoming Junior ASIAD that will be played in Singapore in December.
The Colombo battalion will be lead by the former Isipathana skipper Omalka Gunaratana who was a part of the last year’s under-20 team as well. The Colombo team will be the team to watch out for, as it is a compilation of an all start outfit from the schools rugby league. One of the most celebrated players in the school rugby format, Omalka has built his reputation to be one of the most destructive third-row forwards in school rugby and earlier in the year represented Sri Lanka in the under 20 sevens contingent that toured Hong Kong and Malaysia under the captaincy of Kevin Dixon.
The Peterite skipper Kevin Dixon will be Colombo’s starting full back and is set to be a key player in their game. Playing for St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya for five years, Kevin Dixon had captained Sri Lanka at two occasions; in the Commonwealth under 18 sevens and in the recently concluded Asia under 20 sevens series. Both Omalka and Kevin will have three other skippers with him that includes Taariq Salih of St. Jospeh’s, Bhanuka Gamage of Royal College and Lasindu Ishan of Science College.
Lasindu Ishan and Royalist Supun Warnakulasooriya will power the front rows of Colombo while Vimukthi Rahul and Shawketh Lahir will team up with Omalka in the back rows. Sri Lanka under 20 sevens caps Chamika Kusal of Wesley, Budhdhima Priyaratna of D.S. Senanayaka and Rehan Silva from Isipathana will be the strongholds in the three-quarters.
The Trinity skipper Isuru Rangala will lead the XV from Kandy for tomorrow’s encounter. Rangala who had his fare share of exposure had donned the college jersey for five years and represented the Junior Tuskers last year in the under 20 ASIAD. Leading a fresh Kandy outfit this season, he will have the assistance of Reeza Raffaideen who was the leading point scorer of the league.
Viraj Weerasekara of Dharmaraja College and Ryan Weerakoon from Trinity College will be the key architects in the Kandy backline and speedster Saranga Gunathilake will be the missing piece in Kandy’s attacking three quarters. Kandy will be lacking the presence of expertise in the front row with only Dhirendra Ratwatte retaining from last year’s national squad. Hirantha Manamendra and Sanoj Malan of Kingswood College will aid Ratwatte in the breaks and Rahul Karunathilake will be entrusted with the duties to add in the extra energy to the forwards.
The Colombo team is coached by Sanath Martis and Collin Denish will be the assistant. Nihal ‘viper’ Gunarathne heads the coaching team of Kandy while Nalaka Weerakkody and Pradeep Basnayake will be the assistants.
The encounter will kick off at 4.30 p.m. at Havelocks Sports Club and ThePapare.com will be brining live action as it happens from the venue.
Teams
- Western Province –
o Head Coach – Sanath Martis
o Asst. Coach – Collin Denish
Lasindu Ishan (SC), Supun Warnakulasuriya (RC), Charana Chamikara (SJC),
B.D Umesha Madushan (RC), Matheesha Saratchandra (IC), Taariq Saalih (SJC), Shawket Lahir (RC), Omalka Gunarathne (IC), Vimukthi Rahula (SJC), Buddhima Piyarathne (D.S.S), Bhanuka Gamage (RC), Nishon Perera (SPC), Kevin Dixon (SPC), Sajith Roshan (SC), Rehan Silva (IC), Nikhila Gunadeera (RC), Ayesh Gallage (RC), Nishal Deshatha (IC), Mithila Perera (WC), Chathura Dilshan (IC), Suneth Chathuranga (SJC), Isuru Umayanga (IC), Asitha Gayashan (IC), Gayal Jayasinghe (RC), Udara Anjana (SPC), Vishwa Kiriella (D.S.S).
- Central Province
o Head Coach – Viper Gunarathne
o Asst. Coach – Pradeep Basnayake / Nalaka Weerakkody
Dileepa Madushanka (VCK), Dhirendra.Ratwatte (TCK), Hashan Fernando (VCK), Sanoj Malan (KCK), Hirantha Manamendra (KCK), Raveen Alexander (VCK), Pruthuvi Attanayake (SSCK), Rahul Karunathilake (TCK), H.N.A.S.Bandara (VCK), H.Keshara (KCK), Y.A.K.S.Wimalaweera (KCK), M.A.Manushka (DRCK), Rajith Samarasekera (TCK), Anjana.Bandara (TCK), Isuru Rangala (TCK), Sanushka Abewickrama (TCK), Niroshan Madushanka (VCK), C.Dilshan (VCK), Fariz Ali (KCK), Viraj Weerasekera (DRCK), Rayan Weerakoon (TCK), H.Dilshan (SACK), S.Sangasinghe (TCK), Geshan Pethiyagoda (TCK), Tiron Jeyaraj (SACK), Saranga Gunathilake (TCK), Reeza Rafaideen (KCK), Dave Dias (TCK).
