Royal Rugby Fiesta on 20 Nov.

The Royal College Group of ’91 will hold the 15th consecutive Royal Rugby Fiesta 2016, a touch rugby tournament, on 20 November at the CR&FC grounds. 

This year’s event will be held on a grand scale as it is the 15th Royal Rugby Fiesta and incidentally the Group of ‘91 is also celebrating 25 years since its members left school. Rugby matches will start at 8.30 a.m. and go on until 6.00 p.m. 

Spectators can witness exciting touch rugby throughout the day. An estimated 25 rugby teams and 1,000 spectators are expected for the event. In the past, this event has been patronised by leading rugby players from Royal College, some of whom later went on to represent various clubs and the country. The participants include leading personalities from the corporate world and other distinguished professionals such as doctors, engineers, architects, accountants, academics, etc.  

Matches will be played under the 20-30 years (Junior Category for the Summa Navarathnam Challenge Trophy), 31-40 years (Mid Category for the Group of ‘91 Challenge Trophy) and 41 plus (senior category for the Senior Challenge Trophy) age categories. 

Each successive year, the organising committee made sure that novel items were introduced to make the event more attractive. This year too several new items will be included. 

This is an event for the entire family with several competitions for the ladies and children. There will be a special entertainment area for kids and adults. There will also be a magic show, face painting, bouncer, popcorn hut, magic balloons, clowns, beer garden, BBQ stations and cocktail bars. 

Music will also be played by a DJ from the beginning of the event and a popular live band will be in action in the evening. Food stalls will also be present at the grounds. 

The Royal College Group of ’91 is an alumni association comprising classmates who passed out from Royal College Colombo in 1991 and is affiliated to the Old Boys Union of Royal College.

With a global membership of more than 500 past pupils, the group said it prided itself on being a group that cared about its alma mater although the students left way back in 1991.  

“We started our journey by building an overhead water tank for the junior section which was a much needed requirement at that time. We constructed a staff room for primary teachers to enjoy their break and give a facelift to the rifle shooting/weightlifting arena which gave a boost to these two not so popular sports. We further invested in restoring the connecting bridges of the main college buildings and a part of the main parapet wall, while preserving its colonial ambience,” the Royal College Group of ’91 stated.  

Regarding the Rugby Fiesta they said: “This is probably the only tournament of this nature conducted in the country where rugby fans and players rally together to celebrate both the school and the game. The first Royal Rugby Fiesta was organised in 2002 with the prime objective of bringing various groups of past students together in order to promote goodwill and togetherness. This has been an exciting event for the Old Boys to get together and try their hands at their favourite sport at college. The Royal Rugby Fiesta has become one of the most important rugby events on the calendar of the Royal College Union.”