Several new teams for Club Rugby Sevens

Ranjeeva Seneviratne

Several new teams will take part in the second leg of the Club Rugby Sevens which will be worked off on February 28 and March 1 at CR and FC grounds, Longdon Place.

Matale RFC, Old Kannangara RFC, Gampaha RFC, Panadura RFC, NCP RFC, Old Nalandians RFC and Eheliyagoda RFC will be taking part in Club Rugby Sevens for the first time and will be pitted against leading clubs - Kandy SC, CR and FC, CH and FC, Havelocks SC, (two teams), Air Force (two teams), Army (two teams), Police, Old Zahirians, Petersons, Navy, Kurunegala RFC, Uva RFC, Jawatte Lions and Galle RFC. The 24 teams will be divided into eight groups.

Defending champions Kandy SC will face a strong challenge from CR and FC, Ch and FC Air Force and Navy. The Red Shirts will have players of the Calibre of Ashen Karthelis, Danushka Perera, Lasintha de Costa, Ashan de Costa, Dinesh Kumara, Reza Mubarak and Chamara Vithanage. Plate Champions of the first leg CH and FC will have the services of Dilanka Wijesekera, Sajith Bandara, Shane Dissanayake Lakala Perera, Niranjan Wickremaratne and Tuan Shamrock.

Navy led by former Thomian skipper Yoshitha Rajapaksa will have outstanding ruggerites Samantha Lakshan, Nuwan Hettiarachchi, Dilip Methruwan and are bound to give of their best having won the Bowl Championship in the First Leg played at Nittawela. The runners up of the Plate Championship at Nittawela Air Force will also field a formidable team comprising Suranga Arunashantha, Rohan Fernando, Radeesha Seneviratne, Chanaka Chandimal, Charith Seneviratne, Siraj Niranga and Pradeep Kurukulasuriya.

After the tournament a 22 member pool will be picked in preparation for the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens which will be worked off in Hong Kong from March 27 to 29, 2009.