Six key players have stepped down from the Sri Lanka rugby Sevens team that was selected to participate in the second leg of the Asian Sevens Series that is scheduled to take place in South Korea on November 12 and 13.
Most of these players who have pulled out are from Kandy SC for reasons best known to them. They are winger Buddima Piyarathana along with former Sri Lanka Sevens skipper Danush Dayan a key forward in the team.
The others who have pulled out are Avishka Lee, Heshan Jenson, Gemunu Chethiya and former Kandy winger Anuruddha Wilwara who has returned to competitive rugby.
Being a regular player of the national Sevens team Piyarathana displayed outstanding performances at the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham. His absence will be greatly felt by the Sri Lanka team.
The selection committee has included three school leavers in DS Senanayake College captain Dinupa Seneviratne, Soorya Dodangoda the Isipathana lock forward, Mathisha Perera of Mahanama College and a Kandy SC player in Dinal Ekanayake.
The first leg saw Hong Kong take the men’s title while China took the women’s title in the Thailand Sevens tourney that concluded last Sunday (23).
Minister of Sports Roshan Ranasinghe met the president of Asian Rugby and obtained permission for the Sri Lanka team to participate in the Asian Sevens series.
However, they will have to participate under the National Olympic Committee flag as Sri Lanka Rugby is serving a suspended sentence. (TBR)