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| Sunday, 10 August 2003 |
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Sri Lanka eyes Junior World Cup Rugby spot by LAL GUNESEKERA Sri Lanka stands a good chance of qualifying for the final rounds of the Junior (under-19) Rugby World Cup with the preliminaries scheduled to be staged jointly by Malaysia and the Philippines in November. The Executive Director of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU), Chandrashan Perera, told the Sunday Observer that Japan and South Korea have pre qualified for the final rounds of the Junior World Cup, while the other countries to figure in the preliminaries are Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Sri Lanka. He further said that the national selectors headed by Dr. Maiya Gunasekera, will be picking a squad of 50 players next week and then prune it down further later. They will be coached by former national coach. C.P. Abeygunawardene, who is assisted by Sanath Martis with Lasitha Gunaratne being appointed as the manager. Perera further disclosed that the SLRFU are in the process of organising and conducting a Pentangular Championship involving Western Province RFU, Central Province RFU, Combined Defence Services and also India and Pakistan in the last two weeks of October in Colombo. He also said that the International Rugby Board (IRB) are keen to develop women's seven-a-side rugby and are to conduct an Asian Women's 7's tournament next year (2004) for which the venue and dates have to be finalised in consultation with the countries participating. Also, Sri Lanka, will be sending a women's 15-a-side squad to attend a training camp in Doha, Qatar in September-October and former Sri Lanka captain Hisham Abdeen has been appointed as the coach with Arjun Dharmadasa as manager. Also, the national men's 7's squad is to be "sorted out" this week and will come under Chandrashan Perera and Hisham Abdeen and to get the best 7's players and also for the national selectors to get an opportunity of seen every player, the SLFFU, are making every endeavour to get the eight clubs of the 'A' Division to host a 7's tournament, in December before the final squad is picked for the Hong Kong International 7's in March next year (2004). Sri Lanka will also figure in two 7's tournaments during this year. They are the King's Cup which has been revived by the Thailand RFU and scheduled to be played on November 29 and 30, and the Dubai International 7's in early December. Meanwhile, preparations are already under way for Sri Lanka's game with Hong Kong to be staged at Nittawela on October 11 and the present squad of 65 players will figure in two "trial" matches at the end of the League and Knock-Out tournaments for the national selectors to reduce the pool further to 32. A residential training camp, too, has been arranged for the Sri Lanka squad 11 days before the game at Kandy. They are being coached by George Simpkin with Rizlie Illyas as manager. |
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