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 160,000 registered rugby union players in Sri Lanka, making it the second largest rugby-playing nation in Asia, behind Japan.
The Sri Lanka national rugby sevens team, known as the Tuskers, represents Sri Lanka in men's international rugby sevens. They have competed in the Hong Kong Sevens since the 1980s. In 1989, veteran rugby commentator Bill McLaren mentions them in an article on the Hong Kong Sevens, saying that their team had players such as Kothalawala, Ekanayake and Lakshantha.
Fa'atonu Fili is a Samoan rugby union footballer. He plays as a fly-half.
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.
Priyaraj Lakmal Munasinghe, is a Sri Lankan rugby player.
Havelock Sports Club is a Division 'A' rugby union team based in Sri Lanka that plays in the Dialog Rugby League. The club has a long history and rugby is the club's main sporting activity. The "Havies", as they are commonly known amongst its members, is situated in Colombo and the club's ground is known as Havelock Park. The club has produced some excellent players over the last few decades including Sri Lankan Nationals such as Michael Jayasekera, Hisham Abdeen, Graham Raux, Sanjeewa Jayasinghe and Rajeev Ganapathy. The club has struggled over the last decade to retain its players with their star performers crossing over to more star-powered clubs.
Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club are a Division 'A' rugby union team, based in Sri Lanka. It is the rugby union team of the Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club.
Imran Bisthamin is a rugby union footballer in Sri Lanka who played for Sri Lanka, and Kandy Sports Club. He is a product of St. Anthony's College, Kandy, where he captained the college rugby team.
Weerasinghe Sujan Perera is a Sri Lankan professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for TC Sports Club and captains the Sri Lanka national team. He previously played for Kalutara Park in the Sri Lanka Football Premier League.
The Sri Lanka Rugby Championship, known as the Nippon Paint Inter-Club Rugby League for sponsorship reasons, 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.
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.
Nigel Ratwatte 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.
Sri Lanka competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to April 15, 2018.
Chandrishan Perera also spelt as Chandrashan Perera was a Sri Lankan rugby union player, coach, commentator, journalist, lawyer and administrator who also served as former captain of the national side. He represented Sri Lanka rugby sevens side from 1979 to 1994 in the position of winger. He was nicknamed as Shan.
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.
Bati Penia was a Sri Lankan-Fijian rugby sevens player. He predominantly played in the role of centre three quarter during his playing career. Born in Fiji with a Fijian heritage, he went on to represent Sri Lanka national rugby sevens team in 1992.
Rizvi Suhayb also spelt as Rizvie Suhayb or Rizwie Suhayb or Rizvi Suhaib was a Sri Lankan rugby sevens and rugby union player. During his playing career, he played predominantly in the position of a centre three quarter. He shot to fame and limelight for captaining his school rugby team S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia to title winning campaigns in 1989.
