Uphill task for Sri Lanka Juniors to beat HK
By Shamzeer Jaleel
Sri Lanka Youth Rugby team will depart to Taipei later
this week in order to participate at the Asia Rugby Championship under 19
tournament which will take place at the Taipei Municipal Stadium.
Defending champions, Hong Kong are hotly favored to
pull it off who will play alongside Sri Lanka, Taipei and Korea in the group
format encounters.
Sri Lanka Youth outfit under Head Coach, Dushantha
Lewke and Assistant Coach, Mohamed Mustaq will have to come up with some plan
to topple the mighty Hong Kong who has been an obstacle to Sri Lanka at
any level in Asian Rugby either in fifteens or sevens.
Former Joes player Gemunu Chethiya heads the team with
some outstanding players such as Janidu Dilshan (Royal), Vishwa Ranaraja
(Trinity) and Mohamed Shabeer (St Anthony's Kandy) included in the 27 member
touring squad. On record Sri Lanka been never been able to beat Hong Kong at
junir level.
Sri Lanka will play Taipei (December 12), Hong Kong
(December 15) and Korea (December 18) in the league format encounters. Taipei
leg 4th placed team will be demoted for the 2019 events. Winner
of Taipei leg will represent Asia at the Junior World Rugby Tournament Division
I in 2019.
Gemunu Chethiya (Capt), Tharindu De Alwis, Shan Akila,
Keshan Kavinda (all from St Joseph%u2019s), Praveenda Wijethilake and Vishwa
Ranaraja (both from Trinity), Himantha Hirushan, Ifham Fareed, Fadhil Adhan,
Visitha Kavinjana, Maleesha Maduwan, Mubeen Faleel, Kalindu Nandila and Janidu
Dilshan (all from Royal), Rashmika Chandrarathne (Kingswood), Adeesha
Handunpathirana (St Thomas), Julian Charles, Jason Karunaratne and Rukshan Madushanka
(St Peters), Mohamed Sabeer, Ishara Liyanage (both from St Anthony%u2019s), Dayan
Sabar, Sabar, Ishara Herath (Maliyadeva), Ravindu Anjula(Isipathana), Tuan
Zamil (Lumbini) and Tharindu Hettiarachchi (Vidyartha)
Head
Coach
Dushantha Lewke
Assistant Coach/Team Manager Mohamed Mushtaq
Meanwhile the Division I will take place between
Singapore, China, Philippines and Thailand. This event will take place in
Thailand. The winners of this event will be promoted to top division in 2019.
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