Sri Lanka Sevens

The Sri Lanka Sevens is an annual international rugby sevens tournament held in Sri Lanka.[1] Originally developed as the Singer Sri Lankan Airlines Rugby 7s, the event was founded in 1999 and has featured as a part of the Asian Sevens Series in past seasons.

Sri Lanka Sevens
Tournament logo in 2015
SportRugby sevens
Founded1999 (Kandy)
2015 (re-est. Colombo)
No. of teams24
Most recent
champion(s)		 Japan (2019)
Most titles Japan (6 titles)

For ten seasons from 1999 to 2008, the tournament was hosted by the Kandy Sports Club at the Bogambara Stadium in Kandy. National men's teams from Asia and Europe were regular competitors. The event moved to Colombo for the 2009 and 2010 seasons after the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union formed a partnership with the Tharunyata Hetak youth organisation to organise the Sri Lanka Sevens tournament.[2]

The international team format was replaced in 2011 by the Carlton Super Sevens series, a competition featuring ten domestic Sri Lankan franchises. After four seasons the international format was re-established for 2015 with the Dialog Colombo Sevens held in Colombo.

History
Singer Sri Lankan Airlines Rugby 7s Logo

Singer Sri Lankan Sevens (1999–2008)

Initially the competition was part of the Kandy Sports Club's 125th anniversary celebrations in 1999.[3][4] The first tournament was limited to ten Asian rugby playing countries.[4] A schools event ran concurrently with the international competition, with sixteen schools competing.

The original naming rights sponsors of the tournament were Sri Lankan Airlines and Singer Sri Lanka. Other sponsors included Rolls Royce, Airbus Industries, SITA, Haesl, IAE International, CFM, John Keells Elephant House, Lion Brewery and Amaya Resorts.

The inaugural cup was won by South Korea in Kandy in 1999.[3][5] The tournament was made an open event and expanded to 16 teams in 2000,[4] with teams from Europe competing. In that year and the following, Chinese Taipei won the cup.[3][5] Portugal won in 2002.[3][5] In 2003 teams from Africa (Kenya, Morocco and the Arabian Gulf) and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands) competed and the Kenyan national team was the winner of the cup.[5]

The 2004 tournament was played as the Asian qualifier for the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens, and was once again limited to the Asian rugby playing nations.[3] The winner was Japan,[5] with Chinese Taipei and South Korea (second and third respectively) also qualifying for the Rugby World Cup Sevens. The tournament was subsequently recognised by the International Rugby Board as an IRB satellite event.[3][4] In 2005 Japan won the cup.[5] South Korea and Hong Kong won in 2006 and 2007, respectively,[5] however the Japanese team was conspicuous by its absence.[3]

The winner of the cup in 2008 was Malaysia.[5]

Carlton Sri Lanka 7s (2009–2010)

Carlton Sports Club, the sports wing of Tharunyata Hetak (A Tomorrow for Youth), took over the running of the Sri Lanka Sevens in a partnership with the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union in 2009.[2] The tournament was moved to Colombo. It was officially recognised by the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) in that year,[6] and became the last event of the 2009 IRB Asian Sevens Series.[2] Japan returned to play in the tournament and won the competition for a third time in 2009.[5]

A number of non-official national sides competed in the 2010 tournament, with the Fiji Barbarians becoming the eventual winners.[5] The 2010 event was also the last of the Carlton Sri Lanka Sevens under the international teams format due the introduction of the Carlton Super 7s series, featuring local Sri Lankan franchises for the 2011 season.

Carlton Super 7s series logo

Carlton Super 7s series (2011–2014)

In 2011, the Carlton Sri Lanka 7s was transformed into the Carlton Super 7s series; a domestic club competition comprising two tournaments hosted on consecutive weekends. This format continued until 2014, although additional selection tournaments for local players were included at the start of the final two seasons.b

Prominent players from around the world were contracted to join each local franchise to raise the standard of competition.[7] The tournament events were held at various locations in Sri Lanka, including Kandy, Galle and Koggala. The final leg of the series for each season was hosted in Colombo.

The Carlton Super 7s series was contested by ten teams, representing the nine provinces of the country and the Jaffna region:

  • Central Kings
  • Eastern Eagles
  • Jaffna Challengers
  • North Central Typhoons
  • North Western Blacks
  • Northern Gladiators
  • Sabaragamuwa Stallions
  • Southern Sharks
  • Uva Vipers
  • Western Warriors

Colombo Sevens (2015–present)

Following a sponsorship deal with telecommunications company Dialog, the international teams format was re-established in 2015 with the tournament hosted in Colombo. The 2015 event became the third and final leg of the Asian Sevens Series. The tournament was contested by eleven international teams over two days in October, with Japan the eventual winner, Hong Kong runners-up and Sri Lanka in third position. In 2016 the tournament was again the final leg of the Asian Sevens Series and contested by eight teams. The tournament was won by Hong Kong, with runners-up South Korea and third place going to China.

Champions
Year Location Venue Winners Ref
Singer Sri Lankan 7s Cup Plate Bowl
1999 Kandy Bogambara Stadium  South Korea Malaysia India
2000 Kandy Bogambara Stadium  Chinese Taipei Japan Thailand
2001 Kandy Bogambara Stadium  Chinese Taipei Denmark Czech Republic
2002 Kandy Bogambara Stadium  Portugal South Korea Hong Kong
2003 Kandy Bogambara Stadium  Kenya Sri Lanka Arabian Gulf
2004 Kandy Bogambara Stadium  Japan Sri Lanka Kazakhstan
2005 Kandy Bogambara Stadium  Japan Sri Lanka Arabian Gulf
2006 Kandy Bogambara Stadium  South Korea Thailand Malaysia
2007 Kandy Bogambara Stadium  Hong Kong China India
2008 Kandy Bogambara Stadium  Malaysia Kazakhstan Singapore
Carlton Sri Lanka 7s Cup Plate Bowl
2009 Colombo Sugathadasa Stadium  Japan Thailand Pakistan
2010 Colombo Sugathadasa Stadium  Fiji Barbarians New Zealand Legends Germany
Carlton Super 7s Champion of Series Event winner Event runner-up
2011 Kandy Bogambara Stadium Central Kings Southern Sharks Central Kings [8]
[9]
Colombo Royal College Central Kings Western Warriors
2012a Kandy Bogambara Stadium North Western Blacks
Jaffna Challengers		 North Western Blacks Southern Sharks [10]
[11]
Colombo Police Park Jaffna Challengers Western Warriors
2013b Nuwara Eliya Racecourse Ground Jaffna Challengers Southern Sharks  North Central Typhoons [12]
[13]

[14]
[15]

Nawalapitiya Jayathilleke Stadium Central Kings Eastern Eagles
Galle International Stadium Jaffna Challengers Northern Gladiators
Colombo Racecourse Complex Sabaragamuwa Stallions Jaffna Challengers
2014b Kurunegala St Anne's College Western Warriors  North Central Typhoons Northern Gladiators [16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
[21]
[22]
Beliatta Rajapaksa Stadium Northern Gladiators  North Central Typhoons
Koggala Koggala BOI Ground Western Warriors Southern Sharks
Colombo Royal College Northern Gladiators Western Warriors
Dialog Sri Lanka 7s Cup winner Runner-up Third
2015 Colombo Racecourse Complex  Japan Hong Kong Sri Lanka
2016 Colombo Racecourse Complex  Hong Kong South Korea China
2017 Colombo Racecourse Complex  Hong Kong Japan Sri Lanka
2018 Colombo Racecourse Complex  Japan Hong Kong Philippines
2019 Colombo Racecourse Complex  Japan Hong Kong China

Key:
 Light blue line indicates a tournament included in the Asia Rugby Sevens Series.

Past champions (schools)
Year Venue Cup Plate Bowl
1999 Bogambara Stadium Isipathana CollegeKingswood Collegeno competition
2000 Bogambara Stadium St.Anthony’s CollegeTrinity CollegeWesley College
2001 Bogambara Stadium St Peter's CollegeWesley CollegeRuhunu Combined
2002 Bogambara Stadium Vidyartha CollegeSt.Anthony’s CollegeSt. Thomas' College
2003 Bogambara Stadium Isipathana CollegeRoyal CollegeDharmaraja College
2004 Bogambara Stadium Kingswood CollegeSt. Sylvester's CollegeIsipathana College
2005 Bogambara Stadium St.Anthony’s CollegeScience CollegeDharmaraja College
2006 Bogambara Stadium St.Anthony’s CollegeKingswood CollegeSt. Sylvester's College
2007 Bogambara Stadium Isipathana CollegeDharmaraja CollegeVidyartha College
2008 Bogambara Stadium Isipathana CollegeDharmaraja CollegeAnanda College
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See also

Notes

^a The Jaffna Challengers and North Western Blacks were declared joint champions of the 2012 Carlton Super Sevens series.

^b Local tournaments (shown in italics) were added to the Carlton series for the final two seasons. These tournaments were not part of the Carlton Super 7s competition that included marquee international players, but were used as preparation to select the best local players for the main competition later in the season.[12] In 2013 the local tournaments were at Nuwara Eliya and Nawalapitiya.[12] In 2014 they were held at Kurunegala and Beliatta.[16]

References
  1. "Japan secure double delight with victories in Colombo on Asian Sevens Series". Ultimate Rugby 7s. 12 October 2015. Archived from the original on 9 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  2. "Sri Lanka granted Asian Sevens Tournament". Ultimate Rugby Sevens. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  3. Vimal, Perera (7 September 2008). "Kandy International Sevens marks first decade". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  4. "Looking back at the Singer-Sri Lankan Airlines Sevens". The Island. 4 September 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  5. "Sri Lanka 7s". Rugby7.com. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  6. "Promising Start for Asia". Ultimate Rugby Sevens. 15 September 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  7. Abeysekera, Anuradha (15 October 2011). "Carlton Super 7s on a grand scale this year". Daily News. Archived from the original on 12 December 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  8. "Our Achievements". Southern Sharks. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  9. Nagahawatte, Ravi (7 November 2011). "Central Kings crowned Overall Winners at Carlton Super Sevens". The Island. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  10. Blacks emerge winners in Carlton Super Seven 1st leg
  11. "Challengers, Blacks Joint Champs". Daily News. 4 June 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  12. "Carlton Super Rugby Sevens kick off in Nuwara Eliya on June 29". Daily News. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  13. "Central 'Kings' at Nawalapitiya". Daily Mirror. 8 July 2013. Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  14. "Sabaragamuwa Stallions win Carlton Super 7s second leg". Sunday Observer. 4 August 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  15. "Jaffna Challengers win Carlton Super Sevens Series in Sri Lanka". Ultimate Rugby 7s. 4 August 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  16. "Carlton 7s first leg kicks off in Kurunegala". The Mirror. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  17. "Carlton Super Sevens 1st leg: North Central Typhoons win initial segment". CSN.
  18. "Gladiators and Typhoons first leg joint champs". Northern Gladiators. 11 July 2014.
  19. "Carlton Super Sevens 2014". Daily FT. 9 August 2014.
  20. Western Warriors defeat Southern Sharks
  21. Western Warriors lose final to Northern Gladiators but win overall title
  22. "Carlton Super 7′s 2014 : Western Warriors crowned as overall champions". SportsInfo.com. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
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