Kandy strongest among 8 teams for Dialog Inter-Club league rugby
Eight teams are set to compete for the Dialog Division ‘A’ Inter-Club Rugby League Tournament for the 2015/2016 season but sans the glamour that it featured during the past couple of seasons.
Unlike the past season, the tournament will feature only eight teams with title holders Kandy Sports Club tipped to be the strongest of the contenders.
The tournament has been pruned down to eight teams this year after the disappearance of two newly formed teams with political connections, Upcountry Lions and Hambantota Sharks.
There were fears revolved over CH&FC, one of the oldest clubs in the domestic circuit, would suffer the same fate , but they have survived. CH&FC pulled out midway last season due to specified reasons — financial being the main reason, but, they are back on track.
While Kandy SC target to retain their title, CH&FC will be try to come as a strong team this season - File pic
One of the other reasons for the upcoming competition to be termed as a total domain of a few clubs is the non-participation of overseas-players – decision taken by the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU). The tournament, being an eight-team battle sans foreign players, has its good and bad according to rugby experts.
Many believe in the fact that eight teams make the competition more interesting and the non-participation of overseas players give the local players more opportunity – plausible according to some.
Kandy SC, Havelocks SC, CR&FC, Navy SC and CH&FC have indicated that they are ready to forgo a season or two without foreigners in their respective sides, mainly due to financial constrains.
Surprisingly teams representing the military sector, namely Police SC, Army SC and Air Force SC have made inquiries from the rugby hierarchy of the possibility of fielding foreign players
. However SLRFU top officials are optimistic of the return of foreign players to the Sri Lankan domestic circuit after a season or two.
Besides Kandy SC and CH&FC, other teams in the fray are Havelocks SC, CR&FC, Navy SC, Army SC, Police SC and Air Force SC.
The curtain raiser game of the tournament will be between Navy SC and Air Force SC on November 20, Friday at Welisara at 4.00pm.
The first round of the tournament beginning, November 20 will run for eight weekends with the final match of the first round set for January 10, 2016 between Kandy SC and Navy SC at Nittawela.
During the holiday weekend, which falls from December 25 to 27, the competition will not be played. The rest of the seven weekends, beginning from next week, will be in full swing with top teams eyeing for supremacy.
Meanwhile, with six more days before the opening game of the tournament, the SLRFU Referees Committee released its squad of referees to officiate at the Dialog League Division ‘A’ Tournament with the inclusion of six top referees.
They are: Irshad Cader, Aruna Rankothge, Dinka Peiris, Priyantha Gunaratne, Rohan Fernando and S.B. Madugalle. This squad of six has been selected by SLRFU’s Referee Consultant Garratt Williamson, Referee Committee Chairman Chula Dharmadasa and Referee Coach Dilroy Fernando.
| Dialog Rugby League 2015/16 First Round – Week 1 |