Sri Lanka’s top-most rugby referee Ishanka Abeykoon, said that he is willing to gladly forgo refereeing the final of the Asia Rugby Division-1 tournament, set to kick off next week, if Sri Lanka could go all the way and clinch the tournament.
He made this comment when pressed for his reaction, on being chosen by Asia Rugby (AR), to officiate at the upcoming tournament and termed it as a boost for his burgeoning career.
Asked whether the crowning glory of his refereeing career will be to officiate in the Asia Rugby Division-1 final, Abeykoon, who has previous experience with the whistle in UK and Japan responded in the affirmative.
“That would precisely be the case from a personal perspective,” he told The Daily Morning Sports.
“But, I will gladly swap controlling the final, if Sri Lanka could qualify for the final and go all the way to win the tournament,” he added being the modest referee.
Abeykoon, 30, is set to handle the curtain-raiser match of the tournament, between Qatar and Kazakhstan on 30 April, at Race Course Grounds in Colombo.
The former Nugawela Central, Katugastota player turned referee, said he was more than glad to have been chosen out of a host of other talented local referees, to handle a game in the middle, in the showpiece rugby championship in the region.
The experienced rugby referee, who has been officiating since 2013, having controlled both ‘A’ Division inter-club and inter-school matches, said ‘blowing’ in the forthcoming tournament, will only be the second such event, in which he has overseen the 15-a-side version internationally.
He had previously refereed an Asian Rugby Championship match between Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei, in Hong Kong last year.
He said that he will continue to referee till his body is able to withstand the physical rigours of rugby, but observed that he will gleefully accept more opportunities to officiate in international competitions, in a bid to further hone his craft.
Meanwhile, according to the rugby referees appointment list, issued to the media, Singaporean Just Wang, has been selected by AR to referee the encounter between hosts Sri Lanka and India, which will be the second game on day one.
Either Abeykoon or James Fairbourne of the UAE, have been provisionally pencilled in to control the final on 4 May by AR, but, the choice of the referee for it, will hinge on the two countries that will qualify for it.
Two other noted local referees, namely Raveen Alexander (Assistant Referee 1) and Gihan Yatawara (Assistant Referee 2), have also been selected by the ruling body for rugby in the region, to officiate in the tournament.
In the meantime, former rugby player and referee Wimal Senanayake will function as the Citing Commissioner for the knock-out tournament, with Shahid Sangani and former ‘A’ Division referee Aruna Jayasekera being the two Judicial Officers.
The overall victor of this tournament will directly qualify for the Asia Ruby Top 4 next year, while the losers will be relegated to AR Division-2, according to Asia Rugby.