Marija and Terrence to play for Essex in English Rugby League

Ranjeeva Seneviratne

Two outstanding ruggerites - Kandy Sports Club and Sri Lanka fly half Fazil Marija and CR and FC lock forward Henry Terrence have been picked by the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union to play in the English Rugby League.

On an invitation extended by the English Rugby Union through its Sri Lanka representative Mohan Samarasinghe, the former Thomian and Dickoya fly half the SLRFU has selected Marija and Terrence to play for Essex County in the English Rugby League for six weeks in February - March 2008 which would give them the much needed foreign exposure which would stand them in good stead when they play in the 2008 inter-club season for Kandy SC and CR and FC.

Fazil Marija played a key role in the success of Kandy Sports Club and also turned out for Sri Lanka against Arabian Gulf and Kazakhstan in the Asian Nations Tourney in May, 2007 and in the Singer Rugby Asiad in November, 2007 and was picked as the most outstanding player by the SLRFU and received the Caltex-Observer Rugby Award in 2007.

Burly Henry Terrence had an excellent season for CR and FC helping the club to clinch the President's Trophy and emerge runners up of the Caltex 'A' Division League and Clifford Cup and was rewarded by being picked for the Sri Lanka pool and was a stand-by of the Sri Lanka Team for the Singer Rugby Asiad.

Last year the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union picked Kandy SC's Dushanth Lewke and Sean Wijesinghe to play for Taranaki Province in New Zealand's domestic rugby tournament and they benefitted immensely from the experience gained and gave a superb display for Kandy SC in the 2007 rugby season.