Pavithra to retire from international rugby

Dinesh WEERAWANSA

RUGBY: Sri Lanka flanker Pavithra Fernando has decided to retire from international rugby in disgust.

Hurt by the circumstances that forced Sri Lanka national coach George Simpkin to step down and leave for New Zealand and the way the coach was treated by the SLRFU after being threatened by a player, Fernando has decided to quit international rugby with immediate effect.

However, Fernando said he would continue to play for his club CR & FC but will not be available for national pool selection in future. A product of Royal College, Fernando has been one of the best forwards produced by Sri Lanka and captained CR & FC for two seasons.

He has been one of the most outstanding players in the Sri Lanka 'pack' and his premature retirement will be a big blow for Sri Lanka team, especially at a time Sri Lanka plans to host the next Rugby Asiad later this year.

"It's a really sad day for me. Retiring from international rugby at age of 25 years was not my plan but I was forced to take that hard decision. I feel that I will be able to serve my country better by being involved in rugby administration and clean it up for the best interest of the game," he said.

Fernando added that Sri Lanka needs genuine set of rugby administrators to serve the game better. "It's very difficult for me to do that while being a player. However I will continue to play for CR & FC as my love for the game as a player as not stopped," he added.