The third edition of the ‘Nippon Paint Sri Lanka Rugby Major League Tournament’ for the 2023/24 season, conducted by Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), will kick off on December 1 with the participation of eight teams.
After the suspension was lifted by World Rugby, the rugby-loving fraternity in the country will have the opportunity to witness seven weeks of captivating games, where the top eight teams will compete across venues in the Western and Central Provinces.
“At the outset, I am obliged to thank the Minister of Sports and his Ministry officials, who played a pivotal role along with Asian and the World Rugby and all other stakeholders who worked tirelessly to lift the ban for us. Without their contribution, we wouldn’t have got this ban relaxed to play a tournament of this nature.”
“As the governing body, we are extremely delighted to kick-start Rugby in the country after a lapse of over a year. We are thankful to our sponsor Nippon Paint, who generously came on board for the third consecutive year. We also appreciate the eight clubs and their officials for consenting to participate in this year’s tournament during challenging times for the country,” said Group Captain Nalin de Silva at the media briefing.
The curtain-raiser of this year’s tournament will see Havelocks host Air Force in a night game at 6.30 p.m. on December 1 (Friday). Three games are scheduled for Saturday (2nd December), and defending champions Kandy will host CH & FC on Sunday, December 3, in Nittawela.
The tournament committee headed by Rear Admiral Udaya Hettiarachchi has decided to give a one-week break between December 17 to 28, coinciding with the Christmas festival season. Following this break, the tournament will resume and continue until February 21 before proceeding to the knockout stage
The top four teams at the end of the league stage will advance to the Cup Championship, while the bottom four will scrum down in the Bowl Championship.
SLR has also considered the women’s segment, with four teams participating in a 10-a-side league. The Defence Services teams – Army, Air Force, Navy, and CR & FC – are the four teams that will vie for honours. According to the SLR Tournament Committee, women’s games are scheduled to kick off before the men’s games, commencing at 3.45 p.m. The women’s games will have a timing of 20 minutes per half with a five-minute break.
“We have decided to schedule the women’s games before the men’s games in December, due to the prevailing weather conditions, where we observe early darkness. Only the matches hosted by Havelocks will be played under lights which have met the requirements to host night games,” said Udaya Hettiarachchi.
The Sri Lanka Rugby Referees Association (SLRRA) has designated eight of their top referees to officiate in this year’s tournament, with a three-member advisory committee reviewing their performances.
“We are very thankful to SLR for inviting us for yet another season for the third consecutive year. Our focus extends to supporting youth and young individuals in various other sporting disciplines. Being a sponsor, we aim to create a conducive environment for sports and ensure that we unite all under our National flag, a fundamental belief for us,” said Nemantha Abeysinghe, Director/General Manager of Nippon Paint (Pvt) Limited.
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