Five top Sri Lanka rugby players are to be axed from the national squad to take part in next month’s Asian meet in Colombo after missing out of training and opting to witness the current World Cup in France.
The five players are fly-half Fazil Marija, winger Sanjeewa Jayasinghe, flankers Imran Bisthamin and Sean Wijesinghe and Number Eight Dushanth Lewke who left the country on October 12.
By the time they return they would have missed as many as ten training sessions which the chairman of the selection committee Anton Benedict says is unforgivable in the context of the Asiad build-up.
Ironically all five players are from the champion Kandy team.
Benedict said the squad for the Asiad will be selected as scheduled on October 20 and no concessions will be made on behalf of the five players.
The Daily Mirror learns that the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) is however pushing for the postponement of the final selections suggesting October 24 as the new date at which time the five players currently in France would return.
To press ahead with their case the SLRFU has conveyed to the selectors that 20 of the current 32 players in training are nursing injuries according to coach Rob Yule.
But the selectors, it is learnt, are not willing to fall for such a request as they do not accept that players currently at training are nursing injuries.
It is learnt that the selectors were against the five players travelling to France with the blessings of the SLRFU which is reported to have organised visas for the players.
“We will stick to our original preparation schedule, have the final trial and form the final 23-member squad with the available players on October 20. We need at least two weeks of final training before the Asiad begins”, said Benedict.Benedict hit out at the five players saying they had mixed up their priorities.
“Players should first and foremost value the national jersey and we (selectors) would leave no room for interference in selection matters”, said Benedict, a former SLRFU president.
The SLRFU’s secretary Fazal Mohammed claimed they were not favouring the five players who were granted permission to witness the World Cup and that a postponement of the final trial was requested on a recommendation made by the team management.
The five players are fly-half Fazil Marija, winger Sanjeewa Jayasinghe, flankers Imran Bisthamin and Sean Wijesinghe and Number Eight Dushanth Lewke who left the country on October 12.
By the time they return they would have missed as many as ten training sessions which the chairman of the selection committee Anton Benedict says is unforgivable in the context of the Asiad build-up.
Ironically all five players are from the champion Kandy team.
Benedict said the squad for the Asiad will be selected as scheduled on October 20 and no concessions will be made on behalf of the five players.
The Daily Mirror learns that the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) is however pushing for the postponement of the final selections suggesting October 24 as the new date at which time the five players currently in France would return.
To press ahead with their case the SLRFU has conveyed to the selectors that 20 of the current 32 players in training are nursing injuries according to coach Rob Yule.
But the selectors, it is learnt, are not willing to fall for such a request as they do not accept that players currently at training are nursing injuries.
It is learnt that the selectors were against the five players travelling to France with the blessings of the SLRFU which is reported to have organised visas for the players.
“We will stick to our original preparation schedule, have the final trial and form the final 23-member squad with the available players on October 20. We need at least two weeks of final training before the Asiad begins”, said Benedict.Benedict hit out at the five players saying they had mixed up their priorities.
“Players should first and foremost value the national jersey and we (selectors) would leave no room for interference in selection matters”, said Benedict, a former SLRFU president.
The SLRFU’s secretary Fazal Mohammed claimed they were not favouring the five players who were granted permission to witness the World Cup and that a postponement of the final trial was requested on a recommendation made by the team management.
