Danushka and Jabbar to play for CR and FC

Ranjeeva Seneviratne

Last year's Kandy Sports Club winger and Sri Lanka poolist Mohamed Jabbar and ex-Kandy SC and Sri Lanka flanker Danushka Perera will turn out for the Ceylonese Rugby and Football Club in the first leg of the Inter-Club Rugby Sevens which will be worked off in Bandarawela on February 2 and 3, 2008.

Jabbar a powerful runner played a key role in Kandy SC's success last year while Danushka Perera was a member of the champion Kandy SC team of 2006 and also represented the Sri Lanka Sevens team in the same year but did not play club rugby last year.

Their presence should strengthen the CR and FC team which is making a determined bid to wrest the Rugby Sevens title from Kandy SC which won both tournaments played last year by beating CR 28-5 in the final at Radella and 15-7 in the final at Longden Place.

The Red Shirts will field a star studded outfit and are likely to be led by Sri Lanka scrum half Amjad Buksh in the absence of regular skipper Shamil Mohamed. They will have the services of Sri Lanka ruggerites Ashen Karthelis, Anuradha Dharmatilleke, Senthil Kumar Lasintha de Costa, Ashan de Costa, Mohamed Sheriff, Dinesh Kumara and Amjad Buksh in addition to Jabbar and Danushka Perera.

Kandy Sports Club which has reigned supreme by winning the club rugby Sevens title for six years in a row from 2002 will field a virtual national team under the leadership of Sri Lanka flanker Sean Wijesinghe and will go all out to retain the title for a record seventh successive year.

They will have in their ranks Sri Lanka ruggerites Sean Wijesinghe, Imran Bisthamin, Anuranga Walpola, Dushanth Lewke, Pradeep Liyanage, Sanjeeva Jayasinghe, Fazil Marija and Saliya Kumara. They have been further strengthened by the return of Sri Lanka full back and ex-sevens skipper Radhika Hettiarachchi who turned out for CH and FC (2006) and CR and FC (2007).

Kandy Sports Club clinched both 'Sevens' titles last year - Singer Professional 'Sevens' at Radella and Qi Professional 'Sevens' at Longden Place.

They also won the overall title in 2006 by bagging the first leg of the Singer Professional Sevens in Colombo and third leg played at Nuwara Eliya with the CR and FC winning the second leg played at Ratgama by beating Air Force (36-29) in the final.

Kandy SC and CR will face a fierce challenge from CH and FC, Army and Havelocks. CH and FC will be led by Sri Lanka winger Lakala Perera and will have the services of Sri Lanka ruggerites Dilanka Wijesekera, Achala Perera, Dinesh Sanjeewa, Milinda Jayasinghe in addition to Matheesha de Silva, Indika Udayakumara and 'Sevens' specialist Tuan Shamrock.

Army which clinched the Bowl Championship of the Rugby 80 Championship in Phuket, Thailand will also field a formidable side which includes powerful runners in Sri Lanka 'Sevens' player Asanka Perera, Saliya Handapangoda, Ambuwangala, Tharindu Dharshana, Perakum Fernando, Manoj Silva and Duminda Wickremaratne and the experience gained in Phuket should stand them in good stead at this year's 'Sevens'.

Havelocks Sports Club will also field a strong team and should make their presence felt in this tournament. Three national players - Niroshan Karunanayake, Dilan de Zoysa and Ravi Jayasuriya will turn out for the Park Club in addition to outstanding ruggerites of the calibre of T. D. Seneviratne, Prasad Perera, Dilip Methruwan, Roshan Rajapakse, Chanaka Fonseka and Ruchira Ratnage and skipper of the champion Peterite team of last year Ranuka Jayasinghe.