After a lapse of 30 years, the President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union(SLRFU) Asanga Seneviratne is pleased to inform the reintroduction of the Gratiaen Cup in a bid to revive old traditions and bring an increase in interest towards rugby throughout the country.
The ‘Gratiaen Cup’ will be awarded to the winners of the match between the Western Province Schools and the Central Province Schools which will be played on the 25th of July 2013(Thursday) at the Havelock Park Grounds at 6.30p.m.
The match which is sponsored by Asian Finance PLC. will be played under lights and will also serve as a selection for the U20 ARFU Division II tournament which will be held in Chinese Taipei later this month.
Mr. Rizly Illyas Hony. Secretary of the SLRFU and President of the Western Province Rugby Football Union(WPRFU) will grace the occasion as chief guest.
Initially, the winner of the annual match between Colombo Schools and Outstations Schools was presented the prestigious ‘Gratiaen Cup’ as both teams were represented by the crème of young rugby players in the country.
Inaugurated in 1959, the first match between teams was played at Longden Place with the Colombo Schools represented by Royal, St. Peters, St. Josephs, Thurstan, Wesley and Zahira while S.Thomas, Trinity, St. Anthony’s represented the Outstation Schools. The first match ended, with the Colombo Schools clinching the Gratiaen Cup, which was surrendered in the following year to the Outstation Schools.
Since then, the match became a part of the then Ceylonese Rugby Football Union (CRFU) calendar where the encounter played until 1979 and was resumed again after four years in 1983, the year in which it was last awarded. Interestingly, this was also the year where currently SLRFU Chairman Asanga Seneviratne led his Outstation Schools team to victory against the Colombo Schools 10-06 in which he starred throughout the game.
The game in 1983 featured a few key players such as Asanga Seneviratne, Nizam Jamaldeen, Anil Jayasinghe and many more key individuals who are still part of developing rugby in Sri Lanka.
A former Ceylon and CR&FC ruggerite, Justice E.F.N. Gratiaen donated this trophy before he left for migration to England. He was also manager of the Ceylonese team who participated and made history in Madras in the All- India tournament and also served two terms as the President of the Ceylon Rugby Football Union from 1948-1950.
