Moose Clothing powers Zahira Rugby 2023
View(s):Zahira College Colombo, one of the pioneers at school-level rugby in Sri Lanka who started competitively playing the sport in 1924, is all set to return to Division ‘A’ Rugby in the 2023 Schools Rugby League with Moose Clothing coming forward to support the side as the main sponsor.
In addition, ROZA from Diamond Best Foods, has come aboard as the co-sponsor of Zahira Rugby this year.
Sports at Zahira has achieved rapid growth over the past few years, and this includes rugby. Zahira played top division Rugby in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and after playing just one year (2022) in the low segment, they have returned to Division ‘A’. They were unbeaten in the league stages last year and ended up as runners-up in the Premier Trophy.
In the recently concluded CR&FC Centenary Rugby 7s Tournament, Zahira displayed exceptional prowess on the field beating Vidyartha and D.S. Senanayake colleges and ended up as runners-up in the Plate segment.
This year, Adhil Rafeek will captain the Zahira First XV unit with Abdullah Rizvi as his deputy, while the coaching staff will be led by former Sri Lanka player Anuranga Walpola. The team has the full backing of the college administration, including the Principal and the Sports Council. Inzam Irfan will be the Team Manager and Dinesh Kumara will serve as the team’s trainer and backline coach. Kicking will be overseen by Dev Anand, with Mohamed Nafess serving as an assistant trainer. Dilupa Chathuranga will be the team’s masseur and Sanjeewa will be the team’s physiotherapist. Dr. K.D. Devapriya will serve as the official doctor for the Zahira First XV team.
Zahira College is one of four schools in the island to begin rugby as a sport, and won the maiden League title in 1934. They dominated the rugby arena until the 1960s, winning the League title last in 1962.
They are keen to become a force to be reckoned with in the ongoing Dialog Schools Rugby League 2023. This year, they will kick off their season on June 24 at Bogambara Stadium with their first match against Dharmaraja College.
| Zahira First XV Rugby Squad 2023 | |
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