Kandy SC-Sri Lanka Rugby standoff over Club Sevens participation

Thursday, 12 March 2026 03:45 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Shamseer Jaleel

A dispute has arisen between Kandy Sports Club and Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) regarding participation in the 2026 Club Sevens Series, placing the involvement of one of the country’s leading rugby clubs, Kandy SC not in the scrum. The disagreement centres on Kandy SC’s inability to take part in the Colombo leg of the tournament while requesting permission to compete only in the Kandy round.

Kandy SC President Mahesh Weerasinghe informed the governing body SLR that the club is unable to participate in the Colombo leg due to financial and logistical constraints. However, the Hill Capital club expressed its willingness to compete in the Kandy leg scheduled at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium, emphasising the importance of providing rugby fans in the region the opportunity to witness top-level sevens rugby.

The club pointed out that as the only outstation team in the top-tier league competition, it has already travelled to Colombo eight times during the season, which included of four weeks in tandem. These journeys have cost the club nearly Rs. 9 million in travel and related expenses, placing a considerable burden on its finances.

Kandy SC further noted that its operations rely heavily on sponsorship funding and that additional travel for the Sevens tournament would add to an already demanding financial commitment. As a result, the club sought a compromise that would allow them to participate in the home leg while avoiding further travel costs.

In addition, Kandy SC proposed that the Club Sevens Series be rescheduled to July 2026. The club argued that such a move would provide players with adequate recovery time after the domestic season and also align better with the international Sevens calendar scheduled for September and October.

However, SLR President Pavithra Fernando rejected the proposal, stating that the tournament schedule forms part of the governing body’s High Performance program aimed at preparing the national sevens squad for the upcoming Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, during October 2026, plus the sevens players in the squad are tipped to be contracted with SLR.

Fernando explained that shifting the tournament to July would significantly reduce the preparation window for the national team and therefore would not serve the interests of the country’s sevens program. As a result, SLR confirmed that the tournament would proceed as originally planned.

Fernando said some top-class sevens players, such as Soori, Kavindu, Dinal, Akash, and Dange, will miss out on participation opportunities. As a player, this is a big loss for them and, in the end, for the country and medal prospects at the Asian Games in Japan. “For me, rugby is number 1, and I want to send the best sevens outfit for both the Asian Games and Asian Sevens series,” he added.

With Kandy SC failing to confirm participation for both legs before the deadline, SLR announced that the club would not take part in the 2026 SLR Sevens Series. Consequently, the Kandy leg originally planned for Nittawela has been moved to Colombo, while the competition will also feature an international club side from Dubai.