Bahrain RFC to tour Sri Lanka

The team with Director of Rugby Louie Tonkin, Assistant Coach Adam Wallace, Team Manager Tom Hanratty, Head of Medical Amy Bowzaylo, Physio/Strength+Conditioning Aidan Slattery/Christine Al Hakeem

By Shamseer Jaleel

Bahrain Rugby Football Club (BRFC) is hard at training in UAE before their next week tour of Sri Lanka where they will lock horns with defending League and Clifford Cup champions, Kandy SC at Nittawela Rugby Stadium on 31 August.

Kick-off is scheduled at 4 p.m.

 Bahrain RFC will arrive in the island on 30 August and involve in training on the same day evening at Nittawela Rugby Grounds. They will also involve themselves in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project when they teach the finer points of rugby to one of the local schools in Kandy. These young lads will be given some rugby gear free of charge as well. 

Bahrain RFC has been participating in the West Asia Rugby Championship for the last 16 years. Last year they beat Kandy in a tight and tensed encounter 24/23, although Kandy had many opportunities to win with kicks at goal but wanted the bonus point try to win the championship. At last they lost out on both.

Kandy will then tour UAE on 7 September and play Abu Dhabi Harlequins in their last game in the group. Bahrain will play the Abu Dhabi team one week later on 14 September in UAE. The highest point scorer in the three team event will walk away with the West Asia Rugby Championship for 2018.

Kandy SC is likely to be led by Richard Dharmapala if he recovers from his injury which kept him out of the Asian Games squad. Majority of the senior players who are in Indonesia will miss out this game plus the other one in UAE on 7 September due to the national sevens commitment.