Kandy SC pulls out of Club Sevens

Sri Lanka Sevens player Wilwara held by a HK player this week ends club sevens will not see many top players from Kandy due to keeping away from tournemanet due to injuries

By Shamseer Jaleel 

A total of 13 clubs will participate at the Inter Club Rugby Sevens 2017 First leg which will be worked off at the Race Course rugby grounds today. 

Kick off is scheduled at 12 noon today. 

Second day’s play will continue tomorrow with the knockout being worked off after the first day’s group encounters. 

The tournament is sponsored by Dialog which is propping up with the Sri Lanka Rugby for the fifth year. 

Kandy Sports Club, the defending champions, pulled out of the tournament citing many players being injured after a long club and national representation at both forms of the games. Havelocks were the runner-up at last year’s tournament. The second leg of the tournament will now take place a week later at the same venue. This tournament was to be taken as a yardstick to select the national sevens pool for the Asian Rugby Sevens 2017, but this is in doubt as the majority of the quality players will not participate at this event. 

Asian Sevens will take place in September/October this year hosted by Hong Kong, South Korea and the final leg in Sri Lanka. Further the first and the second placed teams at this three-leg event will book their berth for the 2018 Rugby World Cup sevens in San Francisco.

Joes through in a tensed game

St Joseph’s College pulled off a close 43 points (6 tries, 5 conversions, 1 penalty) to 29 points (5 tries, 2 conversions) win over Wesley College in their Milo President Trophy Inter school knock out rugby encounter which was worked off at the Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday. 

At the short breather Wesley 

led 24/21. 

Wesley played well in the  initial half dishing out some quality running rugby but the Joes who stood out with fitness came back strongly to spread and play in the full 80 minutes of the game. Once again for Joes Chathura Seneviratne was outstanding in attack as well in defense. His touch kicks gained much needed territorial advantage for the Darley Road outfit. 

Wesely tries were scored by Shashika Fernando, Harshana Eranda, Avishka Lee, Avantha Lee and Musheen Zubair. Avishka Lee converted 2 of them while for the Joes tries were scored by Chathura Seneviratne, Gemunu Cheethiya (3), Vinul Fernando and N Kavinda. Sachith Silva converted 5 of them while Chathura Seneviratne put over a 

penalty. 

Referee Irshard Cader 

Now Joes will meet Dharmaraja in the first semi finals on June 17 at the Race Course rugby grounds. 

Today in the second quarter final encounter Trinity will lock horns with the Petrites at the Sugathadasa Stadium. (SJ)

DS beat Mahanama

​D. S. Senanayake College beat Mahanama College 46/9.

At the short breather, the winners led 27/9 at the Havelock Park grounds yesterday.