COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 12, 2024 (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka has named a powerful 35-member national rugby squad for the crucial Asian Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship Play-Off against Malaysia, scheduled for April 19 at the Racecourse Grounds in Colombo.
The squad was picked by the National Selection Committee led by Sudath Sampath, following a competitive selection trial held at the same venue on Friday. The squad will now begin an intense training programme under veteran head coach Sanath Martis, with support from forwards coach Dushanth Lewke and backs coach Saliya Kumara.
However, the squad will miss two key players due to injury – Kandy SC’s dynamic centre and top points scorer Tharinda Ratwatte, and CR and FC’s hard-tackling flanker Omalka Gunaratne. They are among 15 players from the original 64-member preliminary pool who have been ruled out.
The Competent Authority of Sri Lanka Rugby and Director General of Sports, Professor (Rear Admiral) Shemal Fernando, had instructed the selectors to choose the best 35 players available in the country. “I believe the selection panel has done an excellent job,” Prof. Fernando said. “They have chosen the best talent from all nine ‘A’ Division clubs.”
Kandy Sports Club, who dominated the 2024/25 season by winning both the League and Clifford Cup Knockout tournaments, leads the squad with nine players. CR and FC has contributed seven players, while CH and FC has six and Havelocks SC four. The three armed forces teams and the Police Sports Club collectively provide eight players. Newcomers Sri Lions also have one representative in the squad.
Significantly, the selectors have included fresh young blood – two 19-year-olds, three 20-year-olds, and another three players aged just above 21 – indicating a vision for the future beyond this play-off.
Prof. Fernando added that he is confident the coaching staff now has “the cream of Sri Lanka’s rugby talent” to prepare for this high-stakes encounter.
The final 25-member squad will be announced at the dawn of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, while the match-day 23 will be named on the eve of the clash with Malaysia.
The winner of this play-off will advance to the top tier of Asian Rugby, making the clash at Racecourse Grounds a must-watch for Sri Lankan rugby fans.
Sri Lanka’s 35-member rugby squad:
Forwards (1–8)
Props (1, 3)
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Janidu Fernando – Prop (Havelocks)
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Senura Perera – Prop (CR and FC)
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Malitha Wijesundara – Prop (Kandy SC)
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Vimukthi Gamage – Prop (CH and FC)
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Thanuja Jayaweera – Prop (CR and FC)
Hookers (2)
6. Pulasthi Dassanayake – Hooker (CH and FC)
7. Shamika Kaushan – Hooker (Air Force SC)
8. Venura Kodagoda – Hooker (CR and FC)
Second Row / Locks (4, 5)
9. Naveen Marasinghe – Second Row (CR and FC)
10. Thilina Bandara – Second Row (Kandy SC)
11. Nirosh Perera – Second Row (CH and FC)
12. Hafiz Thabeeth – Second Row (Police SC)
13. Lahiru Thilakaratne – Second Row (Police SC)
14. Nalaka Maduranga – Second Row (Army SC)
Flankers (6, 7)
15. Nizran Nillar – Flanker (Sri Lions)
16. Tharindu Chathuranga – Flanker (Kandy SC)
Number 8 (Third Row / No. 8)
17. Lasindu Karunathilake – Third Row (CR and FC)
18. Dahan Wickramarachchi – Third Row (Kandy SC)
19. Danuwan Hasanka – Third Row (Navy SC)
Backs (9–15)
Scrum Halves (9)
20. Heshan Jansen – Scrum Half (Kandy SC)
21. Mohamed Rifan – Scrum Half (Havelocks)
22. Primesh Dhanushka – Scrum Half (Police SC)
Fly Halves (10)
23. Nigel Ratwatte – Fly Half (Kandy SC)
24. Thenuka Nanayakkara – Fly Half (CR and FC)
25. Dinesh de Silva – Fly Half (CH and FC)
Centres (12, 13)
26. Janidu Dilshan – Centre (CH and FC)
27. Akash Madushanka – Centre (Police SC)
28. Dhanushka Ranjan – Centre (Kandy SC)
29. Hirantha Perera – Centre (Police SC)
30. Sudesh Jayawickrama – Centre (Havelocks)
31. Shaahid Zumry – Centre (Kandy SC)
Wingers (11, 14)
32. Dinal Ekanayake – Winger (Kandy SC)
33. Pasindu Bandara – Winger (CH and FC)
34. Jayathu Rajaratne – Winger (Havelocks)
Fullback (15)
35. Mursheed Doray – Fullback (CR and FC)
