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Radhika to lead Sri Lanka
By Shamseer Jaleel
The dashing Kandy Sports Club winger Radhika Hettiarachchi will lead the Lankan side at the International Rugby Boards ( IRB ) 2003-2004 sevens series when it will be kicked off in Dubai on 4th December, 2003. The 8 venues selected for this year will remain for another three years and the new venues will be the USA ( Feb. 14, 15) and Bordeaux in France (May 28, 29).

The New Zealand All Blacks will open the defence of their title when they lock horns at the Dubai sevens. IRB Sevens circuit will see forty nations competing in the 2003-2004 sevens season taking place in 8 countries on 5 continents.

The 2004 titles will most likely be fiercely contested between New Zealand, England, Fiji, South Africa, Australia and Samoa with side like Kenya can make an upset.
The Emirates Airlines Dubai rugby 7s boasts as the strongest international field in the history of the event. With an expected crowd of 20,000 the Exile Rugby Club of Dubai will be hosting the tournament.

The Lankan side has done very well at the previous Dubai 7s though going down to some very strong teams. The Sri Lankan side came up to the semi finals in the year 1988 under rugby Legend Hisham Abdeen where the present coach of the side Chandrishan Perera was awarded as the Most Outstanding player in this tournament. Young Antonian Prasad Chathuranga will be making his debut at top level rugby at this tournament. The young nippy scrum- half who showed lot of promise during the recently concluded Singer Sri Lanka sevens.

The side for the Dubai and George sevens are as follows: Radhika Hettiarachchi (Capt), Sumedha Jayasinghe, Dilip Selvem, Amjad Buksh, P Chathuranga, P.Liyanage, Dilan Abeygunawardena, Sajith Mallikarachchi, Lalindra Rodrigo, Mohamed Mushtaq,Lakala Perera and Nilufer Ibrahim.

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