Silva’s return a morale-booster for Army team
Ranjeeva Seneviratne
Former Sri Lanka full back T.A. Silva who missed the entire season
last year makes a welcome return to the Army rugby team and has been
entrusted with the task of leading the soldiers in the Caltex ‘A’
Division League Rugby Tournament which kicks off on May 2. The soldiers
will come out for the first time when they confront Havelocks Sports
Club on May 4 (Sunday).
Silva has turned out for Army with distinction for over a decade and
was an automatic choice for the Sri Lanka rugby team in 2005 and 2006 in
their Rugby World Cup qualifying matches against Thailand, Singapore,
Kazakhstan, China and Hong Kong before being left out of the team last
year.
He is an accurate place kicker and a fine attacking full back who has
the knack of joining the line to form the overlap and his return should
be a morale-booster for the soldiers who finished fifth in last year’s
Caltex ‘A’ Division League Tournament.
With Silva manning the last line of defence last year’s full back
Kapila Knowlton will move to his accustomed position of centre and will
play alongside either former Sri Lanka Sevens player Asanka Perera or
Suranga Pilimatalawa. That powerful runner Saliya Handapangoda will
occupy one wing with either Perakum Fernando or Duminda Wickremaratne
filling the other berth.
Young Tharindu Darshana will once again operate from the base of the
scrum and will pair off with the vastly improved fly half Upul Kumara.
The soldiers will once again field a formidable pack spearheaded by
Sri Lanka poolist Nushal Meepage and also includes prop forward Asela
Palihena hooker Asoka Jayalal, lock forwards Ajith Pushpakumara and
Ratnayake, No. 8 Manoj Silva and flankers Nishantha Kobbekaduwa and
Asoka Jayasena.
Havelocks Sports Club which won both league matches against Army by
20-10 and 25-13 last year will be led by former Sri Lanka second row
forward Kavinda Jayasena and will field virtually the same team which
did duty for them last year.
Veteran prop forward Shafi Hassen will once again bind down with
either Sandaruwan or Kasun Yasaisuru in the front row with the
experienced Rajiv Perera occupying the hooker’s berth. Skipper Jayasena
and burly Chathuranga Amarasinghe will be the lock forwards while the
formidable third row will comprise former Sri Lanka No. 8 Rajiv
Ganapathy and flankers T.D. Seneviratne and Ravi Jayasuriya (who had a
marvellous season last year).
Young Dilan de Zoysa or the experienced Roshan Rajapakse will operate
from the base of the scrum and will pair off with Samantha Lakshan while
two hard runners and solid tacklers veteran Ruwan Suranga and Nuwan
Samith are likely to fill the centre berths. Sri Lanka ‘Sevens’ player
Wasim Thajudeen will occupy one wing with the other position being
filled by either Ruchira Ratnage or Chanaka Fonseka.
The experienced Dilip Methruwan or Sri Lanka Youth player Nuwan
Hettiarachchi from Dharmaraja will be manning the last line of defence
for the Park Club. |