Champion Southern Province Women’s Rugby Team
Southern Province put up a fine all-round performance to win the Gold Medal at the 47th National Sports Festival Women’s Seven-A-Side Rugby Tournament held at Havelock Park in Colombo.
The Southern Province Team remained unbeaten and went on to beat the strong Western Province Team in a fiercely contested final encounter of this tournament, which was revived after a lapse of three years and organised by the Department of Sports Development and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
In fact, this was the second time that Southern Province had emerged champions in this tournament following their success in the inaugural year in 2017.
Teams from Southern Province, Western Province, Central Province, North Central Province, North Western Province, Eastern Province, Uva Province, Eastern Province and Sabaragamuwa Province participated in this tournament.
A notable highlight of this year’s tournament was the inclusion of the Women’s Sevens Rugby Team from the Eastern Province, marking their debut in this esteemed competition.
The team was carefully selected through an Inter-District Tournament that included teams from Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara Districts.
The remarkable progress of rugby in the Eastern Province was evident because of the efforts made under Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) Developmental Programmes held from 2020 to 2022.
As part of this initiative, SLR actively supported the formation of the Provincial Union in 2022, with the first-ever Women’s Provincial Union president being elected. Additionally, the province saw its first-ever 15-a-side Inter-Club games played, featuring four Men’s Club Teams from Kalmunai, Akkaraipattu, Oluvil and Ampara.
Meanwhile, Sabaragamuwa Province, which had won the title in 2018 and 2019, had to be content with third place this time.
The Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament Award went to Sanju Wijethilake, who played a major role for the Southern Province Team with her all-round skills.
All participating teams were nurtured and trained by some skilled coaches developed through the SLR Provincial Development Programme, which has played a vital role in honing the players’ abilities and ensuring their readiness for the prestigious national tournament.
This tournament also witnessed a groundbreaking moment in the history of the sport as the first female rugby referee, Udeshika Abayeyasinghe took the field.
Hailing from Central College in Akuramboda, Matale District, her presence marked a significant step forward for gender representation in rugby officiating.
Overall, the event highlighted the rapid growth and increasing popularity of Women’s rugby across different provinces in Sri Lanka, setting the stage for even more thrilling competitions in the future.