In the 1960s and 1970s the mention of the “all-India tournament” inspired unprecedented motivation in any club rugby player in Sri Lanka.
The “all-India tournament” was the pre-eminent regional rugby championship.
Dominated by the European presence on the sub-continent at the time, the tournament captured the imagination as the pinnacle of club rugby supremacy in South Asia.
The Ceylonese Rugby and Football Club’s (CR&FC) recent release of Tackling Change, commemorating the club’s centenary year, bears excellent accounts of the club’s glory years as a serial winner of this championship throughout those decades.
CR&FC President Ted Hiran Muttiah paid a courtesy visit to High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay, to present a personalised copy of the centenary coffee table book.
Speaking after the presentation, Baglay observed: “Our two countries have centuries-old relationships in many facets of life. We share a sport-loving community culture. Therefore, a revival of the rugby link presents an exciting new opportunity for expansion of the game in both countries.”
Muttiah agreed, adding: “An Indian women’s rugby team is expected to participate in the CR&FC’s centenary 7s tournament in April 2023. It is a timely opportunity to revive the rugby links between the two countries.”
The CR&FC centenary 7s is scheduled from 7 to 9 April 2023 and will feature 10 school teams, eight men’s club teams, and six women’s club teams, including two international women's club teams from India and Thailand.
CR&FC’s ‘Tackling Change’ reignites all-India rugby tournament memories
10 Nov 2022
CR&FC’s ‘Tackling Change’ reignites all-India rugby tournament memories
10 Nov 2022