“We cannot change the fixtures and reschedule matches just to please outside parties. We cannot and we will not. Doesn’t matter if it’s 8 teams or just two teams, we will play the tournament according to the rules.” – Ranjith Chandrasekara (President – SLSRFA).
The Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) along with Nestle Sri Lanka, held the official media briefing of the 27th Milo Knockout Championship 2019, at the CR & FC lounge earlier this evening.
Read More : Royal, Trinity & S. Thomas’ are OUT!
Sharing his thoughts about the forthcoming tournament, the Brand Manager of Nestle Sri Lanka, Mohommed Ali, stated:
“To play any sport you’ve got to be disciplined, energetic and passionate. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to bring out of these schoolboy rugby players, so that we could produce quality sportsmen for the future of Sri Lanka Rugby. That will be our main goal this year.”
The speech that followed by the President of the SLSRFA, Mr. Ranjith Chandrasekara, spoke on the matter of schools pulling out of the league.
Read More : Royal, Trinity & S. Thomas’ are OUT!
Apart from stating that the association will not change their plans for anyone, he also went on to add that;
“According to our new plans, if any school pulls out of the Knockouts, their rankings in the league table will decrease for the following year’s tournament”.
He further shared his opinion admitting that the Knockout Championship holds more value than the league title, which is why the association encourages all eligible schools to participate.
However, with regards to Royal College and S. Thomas’ College, who have reportedly opted to pull out of the tournament, Mr Chandrasekara stated that neither school has informed the association of their non-participation in writing. He went on to say that he had only received a letter regarding the matter from the Royal College Old Boys Union, which he had rejected.
Read More : Milo President’s Trophy 2019: Fixtures OUT!
The fixtures:
| Quarterfinals | ||||||
| Quarterfinal 1 | 4thJuly | Royal College (Walkover) | vs | Vidyartha College | SPC Grounds | 4.15 p.m. |
| Quarterfinal 2 | 5thJuly | S. Thomas’ College (walkover) | vs | Wesley College | Royal Complex | 4.15 p.m. |
| Quarterfinal 3 | 6thJuly | St. Joseph’s College | vs | Isipathana College | Royal Complex | 4.15 p.m. |
| Quarterfinal 4 | 7thJuly | Kingswood College | vs | St. Peter’s College | Royal Complex | 4.15 p.m. |
| Semifinals | ||||||
| Semifinal 1 | 12thJuly | Wesley College | vs | Vidyartha College | Royal Complex/ SPC Grounds | 4.15 p.m. |
| Semifinal 2 | 13thJuly | Winner QF 3 | vs | Winner QF 4 | Royal Complex/ SPC Grounds | 4.15 p.m. |
| Final | 20thJuly | Winner SF 1 | vs | Winner SF 2 | Royal Complex/ SPC Grounds |
4.15 p.m. |
