The Dialog Inter-Club Division ‘A’ League Rugby tournament is set to kick off next Friday with ten teams in the fray, including the exciting titleholders Havelocks Sports Club and debutants Hambantota Sharks, who will inaugurate the action. 
The curtain-raiser, to be played at Havelock Park, will be a testing battle for the defending champions, whose strength will be evaluated by the brand new outfit from Down South. Besides this match, the Dialog Inter-Club Division ‘A’ League will feature fixtures involving multiple former League and Knockout champions, Kandy Sports Club, CR&FC, CH&FC, Police Sports Club, Army Sports Club, Navy Sports Club, Air Force Sports Club and the impressive Upcountry Lions, who made their debut last season.

In five more days, the 2013 club rugby season will set off. - Pic by Amila Gamage

Titleholders Havelocks SC will be led by Diran Warnakulasuriya. Tongan National third-row forward Paula Kaho will play a dual role as coach and player. Kaho (29) is a veteran of eight test matches. The side will be managed by former player and part-time coach Rajiv Perera. Among the new additions to this season’s Havelocks outfit are Sharo Fernando, Asitha Perera and Shehan Pathirana. School-leavers Danushka Ranjan and Dulaj Perera of St. Peter’s College will add spice to the side along with the inclusion of Chathuranga Mendis and Anuranga Walpola. Two more Tongans and a junior All Black is set to join the Havies unit.

The Hambantota Sharks, a team consisting of young and promising players with a majority of school-leavers, is yet to name the skipper of the side. The management has made a change in the coaching department, which will be led by a Samoan, who will take over from Viper Gunaratne. Pradeep Kaluarachchi is the manager of the team. Their home games will be hosted at Beliatta National Stadium.

Former champions Kandy SC have made a change in the captaincy for this season with the appointment of Roshan Weeraratne, who will take over the leadership from his injured brother Gayan Weeraratne. Kandy SC, coached by Neil Foote, will have most of their regular players in the side, such as Fazil Marija, Saliya Kumara, Sean Wijeratne and Pradeep Liyanage. The hill capital team has obtained the services of a few school-leavers from Dharmaraja and Trinity colleges according to its manager Kapila Liyanage. Four New Zealanders will turn out for Kandy this season.

CR&FC will be captained by lock forward Ishan Noor and have managed to bring back Vishwamithra Jayasinghe, Kasun de Silva and Dinesh Kumara in addition to drawing in Anoja Perera and Amila Bandara. The Red Shirts will own a fleet of last year’s school rugby stars, namely Royal College skipper Rimze Jamaldeen, Wesley College skipper Rahul de Silva in addition to former Royal forward Eroshan de Silva. Anushka Herath, Thilina Perera and Hamza Hassan are the new additions to the team which hopes to field four tough Samoans. The team will be coached by Tavita Tulagaese a.k.a. Laga with Bilal Yousuf to assist him. The team is managed by Dunstan de Silva.

CR’s traditional rivals CH&FC will field a team with a majority of youngsters, under the leadership of three-quarter player Indika Udayakumara. Sanath Martis is the coach of the side and will have Lakala Perera to assist him. The team has many new faces fresh out of school and two Tongans, a Fijian and a New Zealander will add verve to the Maitland Crescent side. Anver Jayah will manage the side.

Australian Ben McDoogle will continue to coach the Army SC team, which will be captained by Asanka Perera this season. Despite their regular recruits such as Asoka Jayalal and Imanka Ariyapala to name a few, the Soldiers have contracted eight school-leavers from St. Peter’s, Lumbini, St. Anthony’s and Vidyartha colleges. Two Fijians and a Tongan are expected to make the Army side well-balanced. Nishal Meepage is the manager of the team.

Former Isipathana player Chandana Deepthi has taken charge of the Air Force side as coach though the team is yet to decide on the captaincy. Air Force will field an unchanged squad from last season and they have added three school-leavers for this season. According to manager A. Janaka, Air Force will not field any foreigners.

Jeewan Amaradasa will lead the Police SC side for this season and he will be relieved to have his fellow comrade Romesh Achirige by his side to motivate others. Former Royal team mates Arshad Jamaldeen and Ijaz Bohoran will be the key school-leavers who have joined the Cops in addition to nine others. Four Fijians are set to inject more force into the Cops, who will be coached by former Police and Sri Lanka skipper Nizam Jamaldeen and his assistant Sudath Sampath. Nilame Samarakoon is the manager.

Navy SC will include Sajith Saranga, Saliya Handapangoda, Achala Perera and Nuwan Hettiarachchi among their new additions, under the leadership of Rohitha Rajapaksa. The Sailors also have welcomed four more players in addition to last year’s Science skipper Richard Dharmapala, Dharmaraja’s Jason Dissanayake and Trinity’s Thisila Karunathilake along with three Fijians who will strengthen their three quarters. Leonard de Silva and Mothilal Jayathilake make up the coaching staff while Roshan Ranasinghe will function as manager.

Sri Lanka Sevens player Srinath Sooriyabandara has been appointed to lead the Upcountry Lions this season. The Lions’ key playmakers are widely considered to be Nigel Ratwatte and Dilip Selvam but they have a fleet of youngsters who have joined them this season. Among them are Sajid Suhaib, Nipuna Devinda, Arun Kumar, Hirantha Perera and Rochana Hettiarachchi. In addition, four New Zealanders will add more vigour to the side. The manager of the side is Hassan Sinhawansa.

The tournament will run along for nine eventful weekends with a total of 45 matches scheduled to be played at ten different rugby venues around Sri Lanka from November 15, 2013 to January 19, 2014.