Sri Lanka make one change for Singapore Rugby Sevens

Ranjeeva Seneviratne

The Sri Lanka Sevens Rugby team will be brimming with confidence when they leave for Singapore today to take part in the final leg of the HSBC Asian Rugby Sevens Series 2012 at the Singapore Cricket Club grounds on November 2 and 3, 2012.

The Sri Lanka Sevens Rugby Team which will take part in Singapore Sevens 2012. Pictures by Bhagrawa Kithsiri

Coach Ben Gollings	Team Manager Colonel Mohan Ratnayake	Sri Lanka Sevens Captain Fazil Marija

The Sri Lankans who clinched the plate championship of the Mumbai Sevens by beating Malaysia in extra time by 24-17 in the final have made one change by bringing in Havelocks Shenal Dias in place of his club-made Mithun Hapugodage for the Singapore Sevens.

The Sri Lankans have been practising hard for the last 12 days under the watchful eyes of coach Englishman Ben Gollings who expressed confidence that the Sri Lankans could finish within the first three at the Singapore Sevens which will guarantee them a place in next year’s Rugby Sevens World Cup in Moscow.

“The boys have the skills and speed to match upto the elite Sevens teams of Asia-Japan, Hong Kong and Korea” said Gollings on the eve of the team’s departure to Singapore.

Gollings the highest points scorer in IRB Sevens Rugby has taken great pains to motivate and mould them into a formidable outfit who are likely to give another fine display in Singapore having already bagged two Plate Championships in Shanghai and Mumbai.

The Sri Lankans will launch their campaign on November 2 by confronting the minnows of Asian Sevens Rugby Indonesia at 12 noon followed by the game against mighty Japan at 2.00 pm and a victory against Indonesia will see the Lankans enter the quarter-finals of the Cup Championship where they are likely to lock horns with heavyweights Korea at 4.20 pm.

The Sri Lanka squad for Singapore Sevens - Fazil Marija (Captain) and Saliya Kumara (both from Kandy SC), Srinath Sooriyabandara, Vishwamithra Jayasinghe, Nigel Ratwatte, Sajith Saranga and Dilip Selvam (all from Up Country Lions), Dinusha Chathuranga, Chula Susantha, Sayuru Anthony (all from Navy) Saliya Handapangoda (Army), Shenal Dias (Havelocks), Officials - Ben Gollings (Coach) Colonel Mohan Ratnayake (Manager), Amith Jayasekera (Physiotherapist)