North Western Blacks ready to storm

Anuradha ABEYSEKERA

North Western Blacks are ready to storm at the Carlton Super 7s with the ‘cream of the crop’ players when the tournament kicks off at the Bogambara grounds on Saturday, said the franchise holder of the team, former S. Thomas’s captain Johann Fernando during the team’s official sponsorship presentation ceremony at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel, Colombo yesterday.

He said that last year they could not lived up to expectations, but taking it as a trail, they will enter the tournament this year in a well organized manner with the great support of their sponsors, Asian Finance Ltd, TKS Finance, TKS Securities and V FM.

North Western Blacks will seek the leadership of Air Force and Sri Lanka National player Chanaka Chandimal who captained the team last year as well. Four top international players from the mighty All Blacks, Frank Halai, Joe Webber, Warwick Lahmert and Shane Christie will team up with a bunch of young talented local players to form the perfect combination to enter the battle.

Blacks will have the services of Sri Lanaka sevens player and Kandy SC captain Radhika Hettiarachchi, SL sevens and Kandy SC player Dilip Selvam, former SL, Navy Hooker and No-8 Bilal Hassen, former SL Youth player and Last year’s Isipatana College captain Prasad Devinda, Old Josephian and CR & FC scrum half Pium Jayasinghe, Old Peterite Soyuru Anthony, Pradeep Kurukulasuriya and Rishan Premageeth.

The team will be coached by the Canterbury and New Zealand Rugby Union Resource coach Chris Niell and assisted by former Sri Lanka captain and coach Sudath Sampath. Former New Zealand sevens player and current Canterbury trainer Jason Tiatia will be the team trainer while IRB referee Dilroy Fernando is the team manager of the North Western Blacks.

Blacks finished seventh in the last year’s first leg and became fifth in the second leg. When asked on what basis the foreign players have been selected Blacks’ selectors said they have used their contacts in New Zealand and on that recommendations they have chosen the best four players. Johann Fernando further said that during its short history, Carlton Super 7s has attracted the world attention in a big way and top foreign players are in a competition to sign up with the teams.

He thanked all the sponsors who stepped forward to invest on this venture and assured that the results will be fruitful as Blacks have all the determination and strength to win the tournament.

TSK Securities CEO Hussain Gani, Asian Finance CEO Sanathana Dalugoda, V FM Director Dilshad Hassan, TSK finance CEO Rasika Kaluarachchi and VFM CEO Clode Gurubawila participated in the sponsorship presentation.