Sri Lanka Tuskers under OCA flag in quest for Asian Games medal

The players who are representing the National Men’s Sevens Rugby team have been starving since the pandemic for an International Game of this magnitude. We are proud to say that we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel enabling our Seven’s Rugby team to represent our nation at the Asian Games which showcases the biggest rugby event in the continent (every four years). 

This was as a result of a tremendous collective effort by the Secretary, the Director General Sports (Ministry of Sports), the President and the Secretary General (NOC Sri Lanka), the Sports Medicine Unit, National Sports Council, National Sports Selection Committee and the Administrative Staff of Sri Lanka Rugby headed by SLR Executive Director Hassan Sinhawansa.

I, as the Deputy President of SLR, am humbled and sincerely grateful to all of them for their untiring efforts to enable our Sevens Rugby Team to be a part of the 19th Asian Games in China. 

We have a very promising team bringing in a good balance of maturity, experience as well as young energy and under the leadership of Tharinda Ratwatta who himself is a highly disciplined, well experienced and a young skillful player together with matured players such as Adeesha Weeratunga, Kavindu Costa, Anjula Hettiarachichi, Ramesh Fernando and Gamunu Chethiya, we strongly believe that they can create an impact and place the team within the first three out of the 13 teams in Asia. 

I, as a National player who has represented the Sevens’ team on many occasions including the winning team of Hong Kong Sevens Bowl Trophy – 1984, feel that even if they lack game exposure, due to their attitude, discipline, skills and mostly believing in themselves and the team spirit, they could show positive results. 

Our new Rugby National Coach, Dushan Lewke being a well-experienced schools and club rugby coach has done a tremendous job to raise the standard of individual and team skills to uplift the morale of the team. 

We also thank the very efficient and effective manager of our team Commodore Sanath Pitigala who has done a lot of work and faced challenges for the last two months.

Not forgetting the administrative support given by Vice President SLR Rear Admiral Udaya Hettiarachchi and Hon. Treasurer A. Riyaz.

(The writer is the Sri Lanka Rugby Deputy President.)