- Says future trajectory hinges on trio of past greats
- Asia Pacific Lions to face Northampton Saints on 28 Aug.
Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage in a damning indictment of the current Council of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), stated that in his view any future upward curve of the sport here, will hinge on the shoulders of three past greats of the game the country has produced.
He made this candid assessment addressing a media conference held at City of Dreams on Tuesday (28), to officially launch the inaugural Asia Pacific Lions vs Northampton Saints tour of Sri Lanka 2026.
The headline-grabbing fixture between the two sides is set to kickoff at 4.30 p.m. at Racecourse Stadium on 28 August.
The Minister said that the work rendered by the National Sports Council (NSC) Chair and legendary former skipper Priyantha Ekanayake, alongside two ex-stalwarts of the game, Inthisham Marikar and Rohan Abeykoon, will be critical for the future trajectory of the oval-shaped ball game in Sri Lanka.
The Minister interestingly did not even mention any member of the current SLR Council who have been at his crosshairs, ever since it failed to honour Sri Lanka’s Asia Rugby Men’s Emirates Championship tie against South Korea in Incheon last June over a visa-delay farce.
Lost face
Having lost face publicly and unable to front up to the press since the unprecedented fiasco, the SLR Council members were conspicuous by their absence at the official media launch of the forthcoming exhibition match-which Gamage felt would be a shot in the arm for sports tourism.
The Minister hoped that the upcoming clash would become an annual fixture in the local rugby calendar, and commended Founder and Director of SC Global Consultancy’s Asia Pacific Lions Saabir Cader, for putting across the eagerly anticipated game on home shores.
SLR no-show
Asked as to the no-show by any officials from the game’s domestic ruling body, Cader noted that the top officials from the SLR Council had been invited and stated that its head, despite his non-appearance, had conveyed his blessings to the impending event.
The event unveiled what is widely perceived to become one of the biggest rugby spectacles ever staged in Sri Lanka, with English Premiership champions Northampton Saints set to tackle the newly-formed Asia Pacific Lions – an invitational representative team in the mould of the Barbarians.
The Asia Pacific Lions are slated to bring together elite players from across Asia Rugby’s member unions alongside leading Pacific Island talent.
The visiting Saints squad are set to feature more than a dozen from England Rugby’s wider squad, including highly-rated Henry Pollock, Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell, Alex Coles and Tommy Freeman, all of whom were a part of the British and Irish Lions squad that beat Australia 2-1 last year.
The Asia Pacific Lions squad will consist of international stars such as former Wallabies captain Will Genia, ex-Fiji skipper Waisea Nayacalevu, and former Japan international Jamie Henry, who will lead the inaugural Asia Pacific Lions side, alongside several current Super Rugby players.
The brainchild behind the event Saabir Cader, presented the vision behind the initiative. “We want to unlock Sri Lanka’s untapped rugby tourism potential by bringing a world-class sporting event to our island nation,” he said.
“This creates an opportunity for our rugby-crazy fans to witness international superstars playing on home soil, while helping us establish a ‘Barmy Army’ culture for rugby in the years ahead. Great sporting nations are not built by waiting for opportunities. They are built by creating them.”
The press briefing also highlighted the comprehensive tour programme, which extends well beyond the marquee match.
Activities will include community rugby clinics, coach education programmes, youth engagement initiatives, corporate visits, tourism promotions and a charity T20 cricket match.
It is to feature Asia Pacific Lions and Northampton Saints rugby stars facing a team of Sri Lankan cricket legends including Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas, and others with the match to be played at Maitland Crescent under floodlights at 7.30 p.m. on 23 August.
British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Andrew Patrick, Project Chair Rohan Abeykoon and ex-Sri Lanka star batter Aravinda de Silva also spoke, while Dasa Group UK will be the Tour Title Sponsor.