“We have a very good chance”: Head Coach, Sri Lanka Youth Rugby

Tuesday, 16 September 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Shamseer Jaleel Former Kingswood, Kandy SC, Navy SC and Sri Lankan sevens specialist Nilfer Ibrahim was appointed as the Head Coach of the Sri Lanka Youth rugby team for this month’s Junior Rugby World Tournament (JWRT) Asia, which will take place at the Race Course rugby grounds from 21 to 27 September. Nilfer was instrumental in bringing the Sri Lankan sevens team into the number three slot last year in the Asian region and did a remarkable job. He guided Isipathana not only to win all trophies on offer but also to remain unbeaten this season. He will have his school mate Ananda Kasturiarachchi as the Technical Advisor for the team. Nilfer told the Daily FT: “We have some very good forwards and bigger-made guys. We want to stay on top and will find it tough against Japan and South Korea. We are playing in our home ground and crowd support is a major factor.” Nilfer added: “We have three players who represented last year’s Sri Lanka Youth team. They are Tharinda Ratwatte (Trinity), Basu Karunatilake (Trinity) and Sithum (Wesley) plus some very good talented players who performed well in the concluded inter school season this time around.” Japan already qualified for the Junior World Rugby Cup in Lisbon Portugal. The winners of this tournament will take part in another home and away match against the Pacific Island winners. The winner of this encounter will book their berth in next year’s Youth Rugby World Cup 2015.