Three local referees officiate at Labuan International 7s in Malaysia
The members from the Western Province Rugby Referees’ Society received the rare honour of officiating at the prestigious Labuan International Rugby 7s and 10s Tournament that was held in Malaysia. The three members from the Western Province Rugby Referees’ Society to receive invitations from Malaysia to officiate one of their topmost international rugby tournaments were Priya Suranga, Pradeep Fernando and Thilina Dasun Rathnayake.
(From left) Fernando, Suranga and Dasun
Suranga, a Grade A1 referee, has over 17 years of experience as a top-level rugby official. A former student of Science College, Mt. Lavinia, Suranga captained his school first XV team. Suranga has also served as a rugby coach at Science, Wesley, St. Joseph’s, and St. Peter’s colleges. He currently serves as a referee manager for the Western Province Rugby Referees’ Society.
Fernando, another Grade A1 referee is an alumni of Royal College, Panadura with experience in refereeing for more than 24 years. Known for officiating at top school and club-level matches, Fernando has also refereed a Clifford Cup final and has officiated at Dubai 7s, Cobra 10s, and the Indian Club 7s.
Thilina Dasun, a former player of Isipathana College, has been a rugby referee since 2014. With over 10 years of experience, Dasun has officiated at schools top division matches and also coached at Thurstan College Academy. Internationally, Dasun has refereed at Singapore Midnight 10s and Thailand Chiang Mai 11s.