The de Costa brothers - Lasintha and Ashan - are a much sought out duo on the rugby field these days. The brothers are the best set of centre three-quarters in the island and their performance for the CR&FC alone speaks volumes of their speed and skills.

Hailing from Isipathana the pair played together for the ‘Green shirts’ in 2004 under the watchful eyes of Sanath Martis. In 2005 and 2006 former Sri Lanka skipper Hisham Abdeen, himself an Old Boy of Isipathana, coached their rugby team. That year Isipathana emerged Schools Seven-a-side champions and were placed second in the League.

The Costa brothers - Lasintha and Ashan.

Lasintha too came under the expert tutelage of Sanath Martis from 2002 to 2004 as a fly half and fullback until Sanath Martis sought greener pastures with St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya as their coach.

Ashan joined CR in 2007 and the Longden Place Club knowing well his talents fitted him as a centre and he did extremely well to catch the eyes of the Rugby Selectors and was an automatic choice for the Hong Kong Sevens. That year CR was coached by Laga, the Fijian coach, who later went on to train Kandy SC.

Before that Ashan represented Sri Lanka at the Doha Sevens and was the only schoolboy to be included in the National team.

Ashan says that he acquired his rugby skills and knowledge at Isipathana and polished them after joining CR&FC. Lasintha - the quieter of the two - before becoming a blazing center for the CR and the National team - worked as a layout designer for the Wijeya Newspapers. He recalls his days at Wijeya Newspapers with a lot of satisfaction and immediately went on to inquire about his old colleagues.

Both brothers were full of praise for CR’s vibrant President Jehan Canageratnam and coaches Bilal Yusuf and Viraj Prasanna. They were quite saddened by the state of Sri Lanka’s international rugby exposure and hoped that the AGM would be held soon and they will be able to play rugby at international level soon. “Gaining foreign exposure is very important for rugby. Otherwise we are like frogs in a well,” they said in unison.

Speaking about CR&FC’s chances in rugby this year they said that they too were fed up by playing second fiddle to Kandy SC and were just rearing to get their hands on the Kandy team. Kandy watch out!
According to them the CR team is a fine blend of youth and experience. “CR will be a good strong side. They are being put through their phases by Bilal and Viraj. They are physically and mentally tough,” said the brothers in unison.

Both are attached to MAS Holdings, a firm that is giving all possible breaks to sportsmen and women in the country.