| Birth name | Sharana Nigel Patrick Ratwatte | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 30 April 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kandy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80 kg (12 st 8 lb; 176 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Trinity College, Kandy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nigel Ratwatte (born 30 April 1990) is a Sri Lankan rugby union player who is the current captain of Kandy SC in Dialog Rugby League. He has represented Sri Lanka in both Rugby 7s and 15s. His usual position is Full-back but due to his versatility, he often covers Fly-Half and Inside Centre.
Ratwatte began his education at Trinity College in Kandy, Sri Lanka, where he captained the school’s under-13 team. [1] At the age of thirteen his family moved to Mauritius, where he played competitive rugby at St. Nicholas’ Grammar School and at the Black River Rugby Club. [2] In 2007 he was selected to represent the national under-18 team during a tour of Madagascar. [1] At eighteen he was selected to play for the Mauritius national rugby union team, becoming the first Sri Lankan national to play for a foreign national rugby team. [2]
Ratwatte completed his schooling in South Africa at the King Edward VII School in Johannesburg. He was successful in completing the Matrix Examination which is equivalent to the Sri Lanka’s Advanced Level Exam.
In 2009 Ratwatte played for the Division 'A' rugby union team, Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club in the Sri Lankan Rugby League competition before transferring to the Up Country Lions in 2012 [3] Following the demise of the Up Country Lions he signed with Kandy SC.
In 2012 he made his international debut with the Sri Lankan national rugby sevens team, competing at the HSBC Asian Sevens tournament. [3]
He played his first game with the Sri Lanka national rugby union team in March 2014 against Portugal.
The Sri Lanka Sevens is an annual international rugby sevens tournament held in Sri Lanka. Sponsored by telecommunications provider Dialog, the event has been part of the Asian Sevens Series since 2015. It was founded in 1999 as the Singer Sri Lankan Airlines Rugby 7s.
Rugby union in Sri Lanka is mainly played at a semi-professional and recreational level. It is a popular team sport with a history dating back to 1879. In 2012, according to International Rugby Board figures, there were over 103,000 registered rugby union players in Sri Lanka, making it the second largest rugby-playing nation in Asia, behind Japan.
Sport in Sri Lanka is a significant part of Sri Lankan culture. Although the Sports Ministry named volleyball the national sport, the most popular sport is Cricket. Rugby union is also popular. Other popular sports are water sports, badminton, athletics, football, basketball and tennis. Sri Lanka's schools and colleges regularly organize sports and athletics teams, competing on provincial and national levels.
Lohan Evindra Ratwatte is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the State Minister of gem and jewelry and a Member of Parliament from the Kandy District. He is the eldest son of General Anuruddha Ratwatte, former cabinet minister and deputy defense minister.
Kandy Sports Club is a Division 'A' rugby union team, based in Kandy, Sri Lanka, competing in the Dialog Rugby League. The club has been the most successful Sri Lankan club in the Sri Lanka Rugby Championship, winning 18 league titles in the last twenty years, which is the most wins by any club since the expanded competition commenced in 1950. The club has also won twenty Clifford Cups and in the period between 1995 and 2012 the club did not lose a Clifford Cup title, although in 1998 there was no tournament and in 2006 the club withdrew from the tournament. Kandy SC had won the league title for a record nine consecutive years between 2000 and 2009.
Colombo Hockey and Football Club is a Division 'A' rugby union team based in Colombo, Sri Lanka that competes in the Dialog Rugby League in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Army Sports Club is a Division 'A' rugby union team based in Sri Lanka that plays in the Dialog Rugby League in Sri Lanka. It is the rugby union team of the Sri Lanka Army Sports Club and was founded in 1963.
General Anuruddha Leuke Ratwatte, frequently referred to as Anuruddha Ratwatte, was a Sri Lankan soldier and politician. He was a Cabinet Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence.
The Sri Lanka Rugby Championship, known as the Dialog Rugby League due to its sponsorship by Dialog Axiata, is the major national rugby union club competition, held between the top Division 'A' rugby sides, in Sri Lanka. The annual home and away competition, featuring eight Division 'A' teams, has been held since 1950. The competition has been held between November and February for the last three seasons. The first round of the tournament runs for seven weekends with the final match of the first round in early January, no games are played over the Christmas holiday period. The second round also runs for seven weekends, with the final match in the beginning of March.
The Clifford Cup is the most prestigious club rugby knockout tournament in Sri Lanka, and arguably the oldest rugby tournament in Asia. The Clifford Cup commenced in 1911 and has been played continuously since 1950, having completed 79 seasons. The tournament began as a competition between the mercantile executives in Colombo and planters in the hill country.
Up Country Lions were a Division 'A' rugby union team based in Sri Lanka, competing in the Dialog Rugby League.
Fazil Marija is a former rugby union player of Sri Lanka. Marija is known as one of Sri Lanka's finest rugby union players and one of Asia's best. He was the former captain of the Sri Lanka national rugby union team. Marija comes from a sporting family background, with at least 17 members through two generations having represented various Clubs, Services Teams and National Rugby teams during the past four decades. Marija hails from the hill capital Kandy.
Srinath Soori Sooriyabandara is a Sri Lankan rugby union player who currently plays for the Kandy SC in Dialog Rugby League. He represented Sri Lanka in the 15-man code between 2009 and 2014. He is also a vital part of the National Sevens Team since 2010 and was appointed as Captain of the team for the 2018 Asia Rugby Sevens Series. He usually plays at Scrum half, but due to his versatility he can also cover Fly-Half and Full-back.
Chethiya Wadugodapitiya is a Sri Lankan international rugby union player whose favoured position is at Flanker.
Sudharshana Muthuthanthri or Sudarshana Muthuthanthri is a Sri Lankan rugby player and the current captain of the Sri Lanka national rugby union team. He replaced former captain, Fazil Marija as the new skipper of the Sri Lankan rugby union team in 2015.
Ratwatte may refer to:
Radhika Hettiarachchi is a Sri Lankan rugby union player and coach. He captained both Sri Lanka national rugby union team and Sri Lanka national rugby sevens team. He is regarded as one of the finest rugby sevens players to have emerged from Sri Lanka and he is also nicknamed as Iron Man of Sri Lanka Rugby.
Indrajith Bandaranayake is a former Sri Lankan rugby union player and coach. He currently lives in Australia.
Tharinda Ratwatte also known as Ashan Ratwatte is a Sri Lankan rugby union and sevens player who plays as a fly-half. His father Ashan Ratwatte was also a rugby union player having played for both Kandy SC and Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club. His granduncle Anuruddha Ratwatte was a politician.
Dansha Dayan Chandradas also known as Dansha Chandradas is a Sri Lankan rugby union and rugby sevens player who currently plays as a fullback.
