The newcomers in the top division of club rugby, Sri Lions Sports Club, which is aiming to escalate Sri Lankan rugby to greater heights, have appointed Dulanjana Wijesinghe as their new head coach for the upcoming inter-club rugby season.
Wijesinghe started his sporting career as a cricketer at Wesley College, and he went on to captain the 1st XI cricket team in the 2009-10 season. Still, he had passion for the oval-shaped ball, and he made the switch to rugby around 2008/09 when the rugby master-in-charge at Wesley asked him to join the rugby side purely because of his size and agility. He enjoyed a short but memorable couple of seasons with the Wesley 1st XV rugby outfit as a brilliant hooker and occasional loose forward.
Wijesinghe’s club career began when Navy Sports Club offered the school leaver a professional contract in 2009. After deciding to be a professional rugby player, he embarked on a bright journey, and he was soon fast-tracked to be the 1st choice hooker in the Navy outfit. Since then he has been a pillar of success for the sailors, and his performances were instrumental when the Navy SC went on to lift the Dialogue Rugby League in 2014 for the first time.
During his nine-year stint in the Navy SC, he has had the privilege of donning the national jersey on two occasions for the Asia Division I Championship, including the victorious year in 2015. During 2018, he crossed over to the prestigious CR & FC club and spent the rest of his playing career there by contributing to multiple victories of the Red-shirts.
While engaging in professional rugby, Dulanjan has stepped into the coaching field with the primary objective of giving something back to his alma mater. Without wasting much time, this fine talent found his tempo in the coaching field, and he rendered his service to Wesley’s 1st XV outfit as the Assistant Coach (Forwards) from 2016 to 2020.
After restarting the game after the COVID pandemic, Dulanjan was appointed as the Assistant Coach (Forwards) at St Joseph’s College, Maradana. After serving for three consecutive seasons in the same capacity, he was appointed as the head coach of the Joes.
As the assistant of the Dulanjan, the club has appointed another cricketer who was turned into a ruggerite, Leonard De Zilwa. The nippy halfback has captained both St Peter’s College and Havelock Sports Club during his playing career, and he represented the Sri Lanka national outfit in both 7s and XV’s formats. Later he stepped into the coaching field, and he was appointed as head coach of St Joseph’s College, Colombo, rugby in 2014. Later he rendered his service to Navy SC and Air Force SC as the head coach.
Dulanjan and Leonard have vast experience in the field, as they have played and coached at every level of the game. Further, Dulanjan is a proven leader who knows how to get the best out of his players and build a strong team identity and culture. Hence, under Dulanjan’s guidance, Sri Lions will be optimistic for a better finish and a higher honour during the upcoming Inter-club League Tournament.
Apart from the coaching staff, the national capped player Ganidu Lakshan will be the captain of the club, and he will be assisted by the former Peterite and Sri Lanka national player Nizran Nilar.
Sri Lions Sports Club – Captains and officials for 2025/2026 Club Rugby Season
- Head Coach – Dulanjana Wijesinghe
- Assistant Coach (Backs) – Leonard de Zilwa
- Team Captain – Ganindu Lakshan
- Vice captain – Nizran Nilar
- Rugby COO – Sudath Sampath
- Trainer – Dulitha Nuwan
- Manageress – Sujani Rathnayake
- Assistant Manager – Achala Senevirathna
- Director – Nalin Thabeeth
