Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club is a Division 'A'

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

team based in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It is the rugby union team of the Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club. In 2014 they won the

Clifford Cup 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. ...

, for the first time, defeating Havelock Sports Club, 27–22 in the final. Navy SC also completed the 'Grand Double' by winning the Dialog Rugby League Championship with an undefeated season that same year.

History

In 1961 the Navy Sports Club together with Division 'B' teams from

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

, Army SC,

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

and University were permitted to play alongside the Division 'A' clubs,

Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club, also known as CR & FC, is a Division-A rugby union team based in Colombo, Sri Lanka which plays in the Dialog Rugby League. Established in 1922, the club has won the Clifford Cup Knockout Tournament fifteen times ...

Colombo Hockey and Football Club Colombo Hockey and Football Club (also known as CH & FC) is a Division 'A' rugby union team based in Colombo, Sri Lanka that competes in the Dialog Rugby League in Sri Lanka. History The Colombo Football Club was established in 1879, playing ...

, Havelock SC, Kandy SC, Dimbulla Athletic & Cricket Club, Dickoya Maskeliya Cricket Club, Uva and Kelani Valley Club in the

competition. The expanded competition, allowed all thirteen clubs to play each other once on a home and away basis in alternate years and at the end of the season the best eight teams went on to play in a knock-out tournament for the Clifford Cup. In 1975 they competed for the first time in the "Division A" Rugby League, under the captaincy of P. L. B. Nandasiri. In their first game against the 1974 Clifford Cup champions, Havelock SC they narrowly lost by 13 points to 9. In 1976 Navy SC competed in their first final of the Clifford Cup, captained by Ilex Perera, again losing to Havelock, 15-3. It wasn't until 1989 that Navy SC appeared in their next Clifford Cup final, losing to Ceylonese R & FC, 6-3. In 2010 and 2011 they again were successful in reaching the Clifford Cup final, falling short both times to Kandy SC. The club's next Clifford Cup finals appearance wasn't until 2014, where they capped off an undefeated league season by also winning the Clifford Cup for the first time in the club's history.

References

External links

Sri Lanka RFU Official website

{{Rugby union in Sri Lanka Sport in Colombo Rugby union teams in Sri Lanka