The much anticipated Dialog Club Rugby season is scheduled to get off ground in all its splendor this weekend with matches scheduled in Welisara, Nawalapitiya, Diyagama, Kandy and Colombo.
Rugby has taken a new high in Sri Lanka with the national team, the Tuskers hitting number 3 spot in Asia and jostling the national pride of the island nation in the recently concluded sevens series. Further highs were witness in the way of the exciting Dialog Serendib cup, a triangular which featured Madagascar, Poland and Sri Lanka where the host country beat Poland and narrowly missed beating Madagascar.
The Dialog Club League has further accented themselves with the addition of a new club the Hambantota Sharks who grouped with a younger brigade and some veterans look to making an impact on the tournament.
The league rules allow for 4 foreign players to represent each club and most of the clubs have availed themselves of this privilege and included foreigners in their squads. This will certainly infuse a great deal of competition with the local players having to push the envelope to keep a breast with standards.
Further, the forces teams Army, Navy, Air Force and Police have also infused professional coaches and training and together with foreign players will add a lot of quality competition to the league and look to creating upsets. Out of the forces the Sri Lanka Navy packed with Tuskers will look to dominate the league and certainly lay claim to it.
Kandy SC having ruled club rugby for decades will no-doubt be out the grab back the league from current champions last years’ winners the Havelock Sports Club.
Kandy despite losing their captain Gayan Weeraratne to injury have a delightful mix of national caps and young warriors and look flamboyant on paper.
Saturday the 16th is opening day with 3 matches on the cards. In Nittawela the den of Kandy Sports Club will see the home side take on CH and FC while up in Nawalapitiya the Upcountry Lions who debut the previous will meet CR & FC one of the foremost Rugby clubs in the country. A forces battle is on the cards when the Sri Lanka Air Force trots off to the Navy which is considered an impregnable fortress of the home side, where Navy supporters including their majestic guard dogs pack in numbers to watch the rugby.
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