Rugby will come alive once again when the Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) organizes an under-24 Open 7-a-side rugby tournament at Police Park today (11).
The number of teams is restricted to just 18 due to the limited time frame to finish the tournament in just one day. Matches will begin at 8.30 a.m. and the final is scheduled to begin at 5.30 p.m.
“The teams will be divided into two groups with 12 teams in the development sector while six teams will be the main clubs sector. The development sector teams will be from the universities in the Western Province that extends from Kalutara to Gampaha,” said Roshan Deen the president of the WPRFU.
“We could not conduct any rugby tournaments for about two years due to the pandemic depriving talented players from being active in the game and improving in their skills. We also needed a sponsor for this endeavour and we are thankful to Prima Group for coming forward to extend their support,” added Deen.
He also said that they plan to conduct more tournaments for the under-21 and an Open 10-a-side so that the budding rugby players can display their talents and be called up by clubs who will be searching for talented players.
“Rugby is a passionate sport in Sri Lanka. Sports help to build character and this will help them to uplift their skills and look forward to represent clubs and the national team some day. This is why we have come forward to sponsor the sport,” said Sajith Gunaratne Deputy GM of Agro Industries.