Thursday, 25 July 2013 00:06
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The Carlton Super Sevens 2013 is officially under way with the rugby tournament having kicked off on 29 and 30 June in Nuwara Eliya and continued with the second round on 6 and 7 July. The third and fourth final rounds featuring a host of international players will be played in Galle and Colombo on 27 and 28 July and 3 and 4 August respectively.
Organised for the fourth time, the tournament’s big draw will most definitely be the expat players retained by the ten teams, who have looked for big names in the international sevens format that can promise some exciting games this season. The Western Warriors team was formally launched and introduced to the media and special invitees at an event held at the Park Street Mews on 23 July. The team, led by Sri Lankan Five Nations Team Captain Yoshitha Rajapaksa is owned by Western Sports Management (Pvt) Ltd., a company under the Entrust Group. The rest of the local players in the team will consist of Niranjan Wickremaratne, Gayan Iddamalgoda, Migara Wijerante, Bilal Hassen, Dilan Soyza, M. E. R. C. De Silva, Thilina Weerasinghe and Samitha Dananjaya. The Warrior’s international picks for this year are Fijians Stefano Cakaunivalu, Peniase Tokacece, Lote Raikabalu, Rokobiau Nasoni, Jone Vota and Osea Kolinisau and a lone Samoan, Reupena Levasa. The team is coached by Sri Lankan seven’s veteran Inthisham Marikkar, with Manger S. W. Chang and D. Darmaratna and the team Physiotherapist. Team Manager and Sri Lanka Rugby stalwart S. W. Chang said: “The Carlton Super Sevens is a good concept and a great opportunity for the boys to show their professionalism. They have been training hard and we look forward to some very good rugby in the days to come.”
An Entrust spokesperson stated that the group remains confident that the team will perform exceptionally well at the tournament under its captain Yoshitha Rajapaksa and with its mix of local and international talent. He added that the group expects the Carlton Super Sevens tournament will help inculcate team work and fair-play and also create a healthy environment to work with others, paving the way for a better society and an enhanced corporate culture.
In addition to rugby, Entrust is involved in a number of sponsorships of sporting activities, ranging from cricket, golf and horse racing as well. Present at the media conference were Entrust Group Chairman Isira Dassanayake, Entrust Group Managing Director Chanuka Ratwatte, Entrust Group Executive Director / COO Romesha Senerath, Western Warriors captain Yoshitha Rajapaksa, Team Manager S. W. Chang and Coach Inthisham Marikkar.
