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| Sunday, 19 March 2006 |
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Two Aussies and an Englishman may play for Sri Lanka by Lal Gunasekara Two Australians and an Englishman with Sri Lankan identities may represent Sri Lanka at the Hong Kong 7's later this month as well as in the Rugby World Cup (Asia qualifying) games with China and Hong Kong in April and May. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU), Dilroy Fernando, told the Sunday Observer that if the parents of expatriates are born in Sri Lanka, they are qualified to play for Sri Lanka. He said that there are two players in Australia (a fly-half and a scrum-half) who are keen to represent Sri Lanka and are to be introduced to George Simpkin the New Zealander, who is Sri Lanka's national coach now in Melbourne, Australia at the Commonwealth Games. Simkin will look into their credentials and then inform the SLRFU. The other player is Ravi Dassanayake who plays as an 'outside centre' for Combined Services in England. He is 26 years of age, 6' 2" in height and weighs 92 Kg. He was scheduled to arrive in the country yesterday (Saturday) and will figure in a trial on Tuesday. His father is a Sri Lankan. These expatriates will have to obtain dual citizenship if they are to play for Sri Lanka. According to the rules of the International Rugby Board (IRB), a person has to be a resident of the country for three consecutive years if he is to represent that particular country. There are numerous such players playing for countries in the Asian region. The Hong Kong 7's is scheduled for March 31, April 1 and 2, while the RWC games are on April 29 versus China at Longden Place and against Hong Kong on May 14 in Hong Kong. The Asiad will be staged in Colombo in November. A pool of 40 players are already in a training camp (presently under C. P. Abeygunawardene in the absence of Simkin who is away in Australia) at the Royal College Sports Complex and CR & FC, while the final team for the RWC qualifying games will comprise 24 players and two officials. Meanwhile, the Caltex League Championship is scheduled to kick-off on the new format in May where the top six teams (Kandy Sports Club, CR & FC, CH & FC, Army, Havelocks and Navy) will play each other in one group, while the other also comprising six sides (Air Force, Police, Old Zairians, Jawatte Lions, Combined Dimbulla-Dickoya and Combined Ruhuna) will also be playing each other once. "The Caltex League's second-round games will be fought out for the Cup,
Plate and Bowl (1 to 4, 5 to 8 and 9 to 12) and a promotion-demotion scheme
has also been introduced this year, where the tournament rules will cover
all loop holes" said Dilroy Fernando. |
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