St Peters College Colombo 04 will be organizing an International U20 Rugby Sevens tournament to celebrate their 100th anniversary on 14th and 15th October 2023. The press conference and the tournament draw successfully concluded on the 4th of October at Maurice Legoc Memorial Hall at St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya.
The event was opened by Mr. Samson Roy, the president of the rugby foundation at St. Peter’s College Rugby, who thanked the sponsors, the participating teams who accepted the invitation, and the media personalities for making this tournament a success. Next, Mr. Dilroy Fernando, the tournament director, addressed the gathering to conduct the draw of the 7s championship.
“After four years without an international rugby competition, this tournament is the windows and the gates opening to international rugby in Sri Lanka”- Dilroy Fernando, the Tournament Director
As Mr. Fernando mentioned, apart from the Asian Games 2023, this is the first international exposure for our young rugby tuskers here in Sri Lanka after 4 years.
>>Photos – Launching of the St. Peter’s College Centenary International U20 Rugby 7s Tournament
The event’s standout moment was announcing the participation of Wallabies U-18 national team member Aden Ekanayake, who is of Sri Lankan descent. He will lead the Gordon Rugby Football Club in Australia’s New South Wales as he takes foot on home soil once more with his team. Additionally, he expressed his feelings in a video, expressing his eagerness and excitement to play in Sri Lanka.
The committee has agreed to grant opportunities to two additional local rugby-playing schools and two additional international rugby-playing institutes in order to expand the event. 16 teams, including 10 local schools and 6 international rugby-playing institutes, will compete. Mr. Dilroy Fernando conducted the draw after declaring the teams.
Ds Senanayake College, Royal College, St Peters College, Zahira College, Wesley College, Thurstan College, Sri Sumangala College, Vidyartha College, Lumbini College are the local schools and University of Technology Sydney, Australia, Gordon Rugby Football Club New South Wales, Australia, Bahrain RFC, Negeri Sembilan Rugby, Malaysia and Dubai college team A and B are the international rugby playing institutions that will be partaking. All the 16 teams were divided into 4 groups and below is a mention of the draw
| POOL A | POOL B | POOL C | POOL D |
| ST. PETER’S | GORDON RUGBY | BAHRAIN RFC | TBN |
| UTS-AUSTRAILIA | DUBAI COLLEGE – B | SRI SUMANGALA | DS SENANAYAKE |
| ZAHIRA | ROYAL | NSR – MALAYSIA | DUBAI COLLEGE – A |
| THURSTAN | LUMBINI | VIDYARTHA | WESLEY |
St. Peter’s College vs. Thurstan College will commence the first of 24 tough rugby matches that will take place on October 14th starting at 9 a.m. There will be matches every 20 minutes throughout the Day 01. Also, each team will play three group-stage matches that will take place on the first day. The first quarterfinal of the bowl championship will kick off the final day of the competition. The winning teams and players will get the Bowl, Plate, and Cup trophies as well as the tournament’s most valuable player award. The cup final will take place at 4 pm as per the schedule.
- Trinity College conquer the Under 16 Ten-A-Side Elite Tournament 2023
- St. Peter’s College crowned unbeaten Double Champs with Knockouts win
- SPC Centenary International U-20 Rugby Sevens on 14th and 15th October
The two-day competition will be officiated by SLSRF Referees, who four foreign officials will support. The Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association and the Minister of Education oversee the tournament.
The committee has put a lot of precautions in place during the competition with a focus on the athletes’ welfare and safety. Three ambulances with medical equipment, a WR-qualified doctor and medical team of 16 to 18 medical personnel, an abundance of drinking water and ice, and an ice bath were all provided during the competition. All overseas teams and outstation teams will also have access to accommodations throughout the competition. All participating teams will receive lunch at the location on both Saturday and Sunday.
The Platinum sponsor will be TDM International, and the bronze sponsors will be George Stuart Sports and Nalin Jayasundera. The following companies are the sponsors of the products: BaseHP, American Water, Sound EFX, Frosty, Agoal, Yes 101, The Papare, Hemas Hospitals, Dialogue, Digiscan and Aarons.
>>Photos – St. Peter’s College Centenary International U-20 Rugby 7’s | Tournament Draw
Two days of intensive rugby will be broadcast on local, national, and international radio, TV, and social media outlets. There will be nonstop entertainment, including music, food stalls, merchandise stalls, and face painting, in a carnival-like setting. A band and DJs will also be performing live music at the venue. Additionally, there will be kids rugby games between the hours of 12.30 and 1.30 on both days during lunch.
On Sunday, October 15th, the magnificent closing ceremony will be followed by a Gala Dinner hosted by the St. Peter’s College Rugby Foundation. The invitation will be extended to all competing teams, match officials, other event officials, sponsors, and partners.
The managers of every team will be checking the playing ground and their seatings on the teams on 13th of Friday evening.
