Blue Bird Rugby Academy win the Under-20 Cup at the HARFA ruby carnival

By Shamseer Jaleel

The annual HARFA rugby carnival organised by the Hisham Abdeen Rugby Football Academy took place at the Havelocks Sports Club grounds recently in front of an appreciative crowd.

The eighth HARFA Rugby Extravaganza was recognised by Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association, Sri Lanka Rugby, and the Ministry of Education, and included many leading schools and academies in Colombo and from outstation. Some of the teams that participated are Summa Navaratnam Royal College Junior Rugby Academy, St. Thomas’ Prep, Mahanama College, Thurstan College, Lyceum International, St. Aloysius College, Galle, Kandy, Synergy, Blue Bird, Panadura and Sri Lions Rugby Academies.

In total, there were 54 teams from the age groups of under 8 to 20. They locked horns in the rugby carnival which saw more than 600 youngsters showing their skills with the oval-shaped ball.

In the Under-20 event, Blue Bird Rugby Academy showed their class by winning the cup. The Thomians (Prep), Harfa, and Panadura RA won their respective age groups (Under 14, 16 and 18).

In the Under-20 segment 

Under-14 Cup 

St. Thomas’ Prep beat HARFA Green 12-7 

Plate 

Thurstan beat HARFA White 14-7 

Bowl 

Kandy Rugby Academy B beat Mahanama 17-5 

  Under-16 

Cup 

HARFA Green beat Mahanama 35-0 

Plate 

St. Thomas Prep beat Panadura RA 19-5

Bowl 

Synergy Rugby Academy beat Kandy Rugby Academy A 14-0 

Under-18 

Cup 

Panadura RA beat Kandy Rugby Academy 7-5

  Plate 

HARFA beat Lyceum International

Under-20 

Cup 

Blue Bird Rugby Academy beat Sri Piyaratne Padukka 15-5 

Open 

BMS beat Puffins RFC 17-0 

Plate 

HARFA beat ZOBRA 12-5 

Over-40 

ZOBRA beat Puffins RFC on penalty shootout after the scores were 10 apiece