Aruna Rankothge to officiate at Dubai Sevens Rugby

by S. M. Jiffrey ABDEEN - Kandy Sports Corr.

RUGBY: Aruna Rankothge from Kandy has been nominated to officiate at the Dubai Sevens Rugby Championship organised by the International Rugby Board (IRB) which will be held in Dubai from December 2 to 4.

Aruna Rankothge is one of the top rugby referees in Sri Lanka and is a member of the top panel having nearly 20 years experience in handling the whistle.

He is a product of St. Sylvester's College where he excelled as a flanker when rugby was at its infancy at his alma mater. He played for Kandy Youths and also Kandy Sports Club before taking to the whistle. He coached St. Sylvester's College and they gained promotion to the 'A' division in the schools rugby tournament and had the distinction of defeating Trinity College and lost by a narrow margin to S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. He is presently attached to Trinity College as a junior coach. His employers Amaya Hills Hotel has been a tower of strength to him and have always been flexible in contribution to rugby, giving him the necessary leave. He works as a Human Resources Executive.

This will be Aruna Rankothge's fourth trip to Dubai as an official. The Dubai Sevens will feature countries like New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Samoa, England, France, South Africa, Kenya, Wales, Scotland, Ireland. It is going to be a wealth of experience for him. Apart from Dubai, he has officiated in countries like Thailand, Singapore, Pakistan, India, Malaysia and Korea. He is also a member of the Asian Rugby Union's panel of rugby referees. He has experience of officiating in top schools and club matches including the Bradby Shield and also the under 20 World Cup.