Navy to comeback to big-time rugby

By Jatila KARAWITA

RUGBY: Navy Sports Club who withdraw from top-flight rugby due to pressure of work on the North-East war front in 2005, is all set to return to action following a four-year "holiday" in the 2009 inter-club season. This was disclosed to the "Sunday Observer" by Navy's Rugby Committee chairman N. K. Nanayakkara.

"We are in the process of forming a preliminary pool with the aim of fine-tuning our preparations for the new season", Nanayakkara said, and added" It was a long absence for our players, having been pressed into duty due to the escalation of the North-East conflict during the past four years.

The situation has eased and normalcy has returned to the East. The Navy is now able to get back to the normal sports activities, Nanayakkara added. He said that Navy Sports Club were the only notable absentee from top-division domestic rugby tournaments contested by the forces teams and they had received the greenlight from Navy Commander Vice Admiral, Wasantha Karannagoda to resurrect their defunct first XV rugby team.

Commodore Nanayakkara noted that during Navy SC's absence from the inter-club rugby arena only Army SC, Air Force SC and Police SC had contested in the two major local rugby tournaments (League & Clifford Cup K-O). It is important for the Navy to catch-up on lost ground in 2009. He said that once preparations for the forthcoming rugby season are streamlined and finalised, they will make an endeavour to get back the services of some of their star players like Sumedha Malewana, Ravi Jayasuriya and a few others who had joined leading Colombo Clubs to pursue their rugby careers during Navy SC's absence from competitive rugby scene.