Sri Lanka national rugby union team
Encyclopedia
The Sri Lanka national rugby union team represents Sri Lanka
in international rugby union
competitions. Sri Lanka have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup
. They have the longest tradition of organised club rugby in Asia, dating back to 1879, which was just 8 years after the founding of the world’s first rugby union in England. They regularly compete in the Asian Five Nations
tournament and are currently in Division I. In the 2010 tournament, they made it to the finals beating Chinese Taipei
37 to 7.
. The first High school to introduce Rugby to Sri Lanka is Kingswood College in Kandy, with the first club, Colombo Football Club, being established in 28 June 1879.
(the New Zealand rugby league team
) under rugby union
rules on their 1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain
.. The professional All Blacks won the match 33-6. The Ceylon Rugby Football Union was founded 10 August 1908. In 1974 it changed its name to the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union
.
Bothe the 1930
and the 1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
played unofficial matches in Ceylon on their way home.
Mahesh Rodrigo
, better known as an international cricketer, also captained the national team.
1995 was the first time Sri Lanka entered into a World Cup qualifying tournament. Sri Lanka was in Group A along with Japan
, Taiwan
and Malaysia
. They lost all three games scoring an aggregate of 30 against 155. Japan went on to qualify for the World cup
.
in France. The Sri Lanka rugby team performed above expectations during the qualifying campaign for the world cup, and saw its world ranking improve from 68th place to 43rd place, and its Asian ranking improve to fifth place.
Sri Lanka won Division One of the 2010 tournament beating Singapore (23-16), thereby winning promotion to the 2011 Asian Five Nations
Top Five.
Asian Division 1
(2006–2007) Dawie Snyman (2007–2010) Johan Taylor (? - 2011)
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
competitions. Sri Lanka have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
. They have the longest tradition of organised club rugby in Asia, dating back to 1879, which was just 8 years after the founding of the world’s first rugby union in England. They regularly compete in the Asian Five Nations
Asian Five Nations
The Asian Five Nations, known as the HSBC Asian 5 Nations due to its sponsorship by HSBC, is an annual international rugby union competition held between the top five Asian national rugby sides...
tournament and are currently in Division I. In the 2010 tournament, they made it to the finals beating Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei national rugby union team
The Chinese Taipei national rugby union team represents the Republic of China in international rugby union. Chinese Taipei have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup, but have attempted to qualify since Wales 1999.-History:...
37 to 7.
Introduction of rugby to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Rugby has a long history, dating back to the days of British colonialismBritish Ceylon
British Ceylon refers to British rule prior to 1948 of the island territory now known as Sri Lanka.-From the Dutch to the British:Before the beginning of the Dutch governance, the island of Ceylon was divided between the Portuguese Empire and the Kingdom of Kandy, who were in the midst of a war for...
. The first High school to introduce Rugby to Sri Lanka is Kingswood College in Kandy, with the first club, Colombo Football Club, being established in 28 June 1879.
International competition begins
The nation's first "national" match was on 12 September 1907 and involved an All Ceylon team against the professional All Blacks1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain
The 1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain was a tour made by a group of New Zealand rugby footballers who played matches in Australia, Ceylon, England and Wales between 1907 and 1908. Most of the matches were played under the rules of the Northern Union, what is today...
(the New Zealand rugby league team
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
) under rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
rules on their 1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain
1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain
The 1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain was a tour made by a group of New Zealand rugby footballers who played matches in Australia, Ceylon, England and Wales between 1907 and 1908. Most of the matches were played under the rules of the Northern Union, what is today...
.. The professional All Blacks won the match 33-6. The Ceylon Rugby Football Union was founded 10 August 1908. In 1974 it changed its name to the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union
Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union
The Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in Sri Lanka. It is one of the oldest governing bodies in the world, being founded as the Ceylon Rugby Football Union in 1908...
.
20th century
In 1932 the Ceylon RFU XV won the All India Cup at all India Rugby Football TournamentBothe the 1930
1930 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
The 1930 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia was the twelfth tour by a British Isles team and the fifth to New Zealand and Australia...
and the 1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
The British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1950 was the first post-war tour made by the Lions; there had not been one since 1938....
played unofficial matches in Ceylon on their way home.
Mahesh Rodrigo
Mahesh Rodrigo
Mahesha Rodrigo was a Ceylonese sportsman who represented his country in first-class cricket and rugby union.Rodrigo sometimes played as Ceylon's wicket-keeper and his 12 first-class appearances consisted of matches against Pakistan, the West Indies, Commonwealth XI and the Marylebone Cricket...
, better known as an international cricketer, also captained the national team.
1995 World Cup
1995 was the first time Sri Lanka entered into a World Cup qualifying tournament. Sri Lanka was in Group A along with Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
, Taiwan
Chinese Taipei national rugby union team
The Chinese Taipei national rugby union team represents the Republic of China in international rugby union. Chinese Taipei have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup, but have attempted to qualify since Wales 1999.-History:...
and Malaysia
Malaysia national rugby union team
The Malaysia national rugby union team represents Malaysia in international rugby union. Malaysia have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup, but have attempted to qualify since the South African World Cup in 1995.-History:...
. They lost all three games scoring an aggregate of 30 against 155. Japan went on to qualify for the World cup
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
.
New millennium
The furthest they have made was to Round 2 of the Asian qualifying competition for the 2007 Rugby World Cup2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
in France. The Sri Lanka rugby team performed above expectations during the qualifying campaign for the world cup, and saw its world ranking improve from 68th place to 43rd place, and its Asian ranking improve to fifth place.
2008 - 2010
Sri Lanka won Division One of the 2010 tournament beating Singapore (23-16), thereby winning promotion to the 2011 Asian Five Nations
2011 Asian Five Nations
The 2011 Asian Five Nations, known as the 2011 HSBC Asian 5 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the HSBC, was the 4th series of the Asian Five Nations rugby union tournament.The 2011 Asian 5 nations consisted of the best 5 teams in Asia...
Top Five.
Asian Division 1
Home grounds
- CR & FC Grounds – Colombo 7ColomboColombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
- CH & FC Grounds – Colombo 7
- Police Grounds – Colombo 5
- Army Grounds – Galle Face
- Nittawela Grounds – KandyKandyKandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
- Air Force Grounds – Ratmalana
- Navy Grounds – Welisara
- Havelocks Grounds – Havelock Town
- Maligawa Grounds - KurunegalaKurunegalaKurunegala , is the capital of the North Western Province, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was also an ancient royal capital for 50 years, from the end of the 13th century to the start of the 13th century. The town itself is a busy commercial and a transport hub...
- Bogambara StadiumBogambara StadiumBogambara Stadium is one of the oldest grounds in the country. It is a multi-use stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is currently used mostly for Rugby matches and hosts the games of the Singer Sri Lankan Airlines Rugby 7's.-Early history:...
- Kandy - Peoples' Park - AnuradhapuraAnuradhapuraAnuradhapura, , is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization.The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, on the banks of the historic...
- Slim Line Grounds - Pannala
- Vincent Dias Stadium - BadullaBadullaBadulla , is the capital of Uva Province, Sri Lanka. Badulla is located 60 km southeast of Kandy, almost encircled by the Badulu Oya River, about 680 metres above sea level and is surrounded by picturesque hills and mountains, most of which have tea plantations.-Geography:It is located on the...
- Army Grounds - Anuradhapura
Current squad
| Position | Club | |
| Roshan Weeraratne | Scrum-half | Kandy SC |
| Zulki Hamid | Scrum-half | CR and FC |
| Srinath Sooriyabandara | Scrum-half | CR and FC |
| Chanaka Chandimal | Fly-half | Air Force Air force An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or... |
| Ashan de Costa | Fly-half | CR and FC |
| Fazil Marija | Fly-half | Kandy SC |
| Chamara Vithanage | Centre | Kandy SC |
| Pradeep Liyanage(CAP) | Centre | Kandy SC |
| Chula Susantha | Centre | Navy Navy A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions... |
| Gayan Weeraratne | Centre | Kandy SC |
| Mathisha Silva | Wing | CH&FC |
| V S Handapangoda | Wing | Army Army An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps... |
| Vishvamithra Jayasinghe | Wing | CR and FC |
| Nuwan Hettiarachchi | Wing | Navy Navy A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions... |
| Reeza Mubarak | Wing | CR and FC |
| Prasanka Lucy | Fullback | Army Army An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps... |
| Saliya Kumara | Fullback | Kandy SC |
| Position | Club | |
| Rajiv Perera | Hooker | Havelocks |
| Bilal Hassan | Hooker | CR and FC |
| Achala Perera | Hooker | Kandy SC |
| Kishore Jehan | Prop | Kandy SC |
| Eranga Swarnatilleke | Prop | Kandy SC |
| Henry Terrence | Prop | CR and FC |
| Suranga Swarnatilleke | Prop | Navy SC |
| Ashen Karthelis | Lock | CR and FC |
| Ishan Noor | Lock | CR and FC |
| Dinesh Sanjeewa | Lock | CH and FC |
| Senaka Bandara | Lock | Kandy SC |
| Zaffer Jahn | Lock | Kandy SC |
| Danushka Perera | Flanker Flanker (rugby union) A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards... |
CR and FC |
| Kasun de Silva | Flanker Flanker (rugby union) A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards... |
Kandy SC |
| Yoshitha Rajapaksa | Flanker Flanker (rugby union) A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards... |
Navy Navy A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions... |
| Dilip Selvam | Flanker Flanker (rugby union) A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards... |
Kandy SC |
| Sean Wijesinghe | Flanker Flanker (rugby union) A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards... |
Kandy SC |
| R.M.G. Ratnayake | Flanker Flanker (rugby union) A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards... |
Army Army An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps... |
| Sharoo Fernando | Flanker Flanker (rugby union) A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards... |
Havelock SC |
| Dushanthe Lewke | Number eight | CR and FC |
| Sajith Saranga | Number eight | Kandy SC |
Council Members
- Chairman - Dr. Maiya Gunasekera
- Team Manager - Sanjaya FernandoSanjaya fernandoMagage Asantha Sanjaya Fernando is one of the two coaches of the first Sri Lankan women's water polo team. In 2009, under the supervision of Sanjaya, the women's team won the bronze medal at 11th Asia pacific water polo tournament held in Kowloon park, Hong Kong.In addition to coaching the National...
- SLRFU President - Nimal Lewke
- Vice President - Asanga Senevirathne
- Executive Director - Dilroy Fernando
Former coaches
Rob YuleRob Yule
Robin John Yule is a New Zealander rugby union coach.In September 2006, Yule, the Program Development Manager of New Zealand's Taranaki Rugby Football Union, was in Sri Lanka as a special observer for Singer Sri Lankan International Rugby Sevens in Kandy....
(2006–2007) Dawie Snyman (2007–2010) Johan Taylor (? - 2011)