COLOMBO, August 21 (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka Rugby has launched the Next XV Rugby League, bringing together 140 of the country’s leading Under-19 players in a major new selection and development programme aimed at qualifying for the World Rugby Under-20 Championship and building a pathway towards the Rugby World Cup 2035.
Sri Lanka Rugby President Pavithra Fernando, speaking at the official launch press conference on Thursday, said the tournament would mark the first step in the governing body’s long-term “Road to Rugby World Cup 2035” plan.
The programme has been introduced to tackle one of the biggest problems facing Sri Lankan rugby — the loss of talented players after they finish their school careers.
Fernando said more than 90 percent of young players do not continue playing rugby after leaving school, despite the large amount of talent produced by schools every year.
The Next XV will attempt to close that gap by creating a clear bridge between schools rugby and the senior national set-up.
An extended national pool of 140 Under-19 players will take part in the league. They will be divided among four franchise teams through a structured draft, with organisers aiming to create teams of similar strength.
Players will then be assessed over a longer competitive period on their performances, physical development, technical skills, discipline and character.
Fernando stressed that national selection would not depend on a player’s reputation, school, province, personal connections or previous achievements.
Instead, players will have to earn their places through performance, discipline, fitness, attendance, commitment and their contribution to the team.
The best performers will move into the Sri Lanka Under-19 High Performance Programme and compete for places in the national team for the Asia Rugby Under-19 Championship.
Sri Lanka will host the championship in Colombo this December after a 25-year lapse, with the tournament serving as a qualifier for the World Rugby Under-20 Championship.
Fernando said Sri Lanka’s immediate target was to perform strongly at the Asian tournament and earn qualification for the world Under-20 event.
But the programme has a much bigger goal.
Sri Lanka Rugby hopes that some of the young players entering the system now could eventually form the backbone of the senior national side as the country works towards its ambitious Rugby World Cup 2035 vision.
According to Fernando, the initiative is, to the best of Sri Lanka Rugby’s knowledge, the first programme of this scale and nature in the country’s 147-year rugby history.
The programme will also place strong emphasis on discipline, leadership, player welfare and education.
Fernando told the young players that being selected for the programme was only an opportunity and not a guarantee of representing the country.
He said wearing the Sri Lanka jersey should never be considered an entitlement and must be earned through commitment, discipline and hard work.
Sri Lanka Rugby also praised the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association and schools for developing the young talent entering the programme.
Fernando said schools rugby remained the foundation of the sport, while the Next XV would provide the missing structured link between the schools game and the senior national programme.
The Sri Lanka Rugby chief admitted rebuilding the country’s game would take time, but said the new league represented a commitment to creating a system capable of producing results for years to come.
The launch, Fernando said, was therefore about much more than starting another rugby competition — it was about creating opportunities, building a national pathway and giving the next generation a clear target for the future.
