# Serendib International Cup

The Serendib International Cup (known as the Dialog Serendib International Cup for sponsorship reasons) was an international rugby union competition for emerging nations held in Sri Lanka in 2013 (Serendib is the old Arabic, Persian and Urdu name for Sri Lanka). The Serendib Cup was contested by the hosts Sri Lanka and the Malagasy and Polish national rugby teams. The tournament was backed by the International Rugby Board and was played over three match days in Colombo between 26 October and 1 November, coinciding with the 2013 end-of-year rugby union tests.
The tournament served as a pan-regional competition in Asia that will further the profile of Asian rugby and international rugby in Sri Lanka, as the region prepares to host the Rugby World Cup for the first time in 2019 in Japan. The tournament also provided an invaluable platform to step up in performance and ranking for all three Unions as well as the opportunity for the emerging nations to play internationals matches outside of their own region.
The competition was set bring together thriving Unions that are experiencing unprecedented growth, participation and interest in the sport. Its future plans are to make it into a second tier World Cup, which is set to expand to 16-24 teams in the years to come. It will be the launch of a new era in Sri Lankan Rugby as the country is becoming a leading contender in Asia.
The competition was won by Madagascar following their 17–12 victory over the hosts on Day 1, and their 25–21 victory over Poland on Day 2.

## Background

The three participating unions are high performance emerging nations with the sport having an ever growing presence. The competition comes as all three unions are still in the process for qualifying for a place in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The national sport in Madagascar, Test matches regularly attract 40,000 capacity crowds against others high performers of the region such as Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Madagascar is two wins away from qualifying for the 2015 Rugby World Cup placing third in the 2013 Africa Cup. Poland is a highly competitive FIRA-AER Union currently placing third in the 2012–14 European Nations Cup First Division B.
Sri Lanka has one of the largest number of registered players in the world currently boasting 58,000 players, positioning the Union within the top 15 in the world. With Sri Lanka's win the 2013 Asian Five Nations division 1, the 2014 Asian Five Nations will see their return to the top ranks of the championships. This tournament will be preparation for the Union's high performance programme for next year's Asian 5 Nations. The winner will qualify directly to 2015 Rugby World Cup as Asia 1, while the runner-up will enter the Repechage.
For the development of the sport in Sri Lanka, the hosting of such a tournament is key in growing awareness by building stronger commercial and broadcasting platforms. It comes in addition to the annual Asian Five Nations Asian championship, founded in 2008. Rugby in Sri Lanka is currently worth more than 1–2 billion Rupees and is widespread throughout the country. According to SLRFU President Asanga Seneviratne rugby could become Sri Lanka's most popular sport within the next decade. The SLRFU envisions the tournament to becoming a second-tier world cup.
Namal Rajapaksa has been named as the captain of the Sri Lankan team ahead of the tournament, as Yoshitha Rajapaksa is out of the squad due to injuries.

## Format

The tournament is a round-robin, where each team plays one match against each of the other teams, with points being awarded at the end of each match: 4 points for a win, 3 points for a draw and 0 points for a loss. Bonus points are also awarded: 1 point for scoring 4 tries or more in a match whether the team loses or not and 1 point for a loss within 7 game points. A loss by 8 points or more would give the team no bonus point.

## Participants
### Table

| Position | Nation | Games | Games | Games | Games | Points | Points | Points | Bonus points | Total points |
| Position | Nation | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference | Bonus points | Total points |
| 1 | Madagascar (44) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 33 | +9 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | Sri Lanka (39) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 38 | 42 | -4 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Poland (28) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 51 | -5 | 2 | 2 |
Pre-tournament IRB rankings in parentheses.
Points are awarded to the teams as follows:
| Results | Points |
| Win | 4 points |
| Draw | 3 points |
| 4 or more tries | 1 point |
| Loss within 7 points | 1 point |
| Loss greater than 7 points | 0 points |

## Fixtures

All matches are to be played under lights.

### Sri Lanka v Madagascar

* 26 October 2013 17:30 SLST (UTC+5:30)
| Sri Lanka | 12–17 | Madagascar |
| Pen: Mubarak (4/6) 5', 26', 31', 74' | Report | Try: Rakotonirina 19' m Razafindranaivo 55' c Tolotra Ramaromiantso 79' m Con: Rakoto (1/3) 56' |
* Colombo Racecourse, Colombo Referee: Taku Otsuki (JRFU)

### Madagascar v Poland

* 29 October 2013 17:30 SLST (UTC+5:30)
| Madagascar | 25–21 | Poland |
| Try: Razafindranaivo (2) 12' c, 15' c Rakotoarivelo 43' m Con: Rakoto (2/3) 13', 15', Pen: Rakoto (0/1) Drop: Rakoto (2/3) 33', 46' | Report | Try: Sirocki 36' c Pawelec 68' m Con: Banaszek (1/2) 36' Pen: Banaszek (3/4) 8', 29', 40' |
* Colombo Racecourse, Colombo Referee: Irshad Cader (SLRFU)

### Sri Lanka v Poland

* 1 November 2013 19:30 SLST (UTC+5:30)
| Sri Lanka | 26–25 | Poland |
| Try: Fernando (2) 37' c, 56' c Con: Mubarak (2/2) 36', 57' Pen: Mubarak (3/5) 21', 34', 52' Drop: Mubarak 61' | Report | Try: Bachurzewski 18' c Pawelec 31' m Sirocilli 77' c Con: Banaszek (2/3) 18', 78' Pen: Banaszek (2/4) 27', 50', |
* Colombo Racecourse, Colombo Referee: Taku Otsuki (JRFU)

## Squads

The SLRU announced their 28 man squad on 26 October. Head Coach: Ronnie Ibrahim
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| Bilal Hassan | Hooker | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | Sri Lanka Navy Sports |
| N. A. Jayalal | Hooker | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | Sri Lanka Army Sports Club |
| Namal Rajapaksa (c) | Hooker | (1986-04-10) 10 April 1986 (age 38) | {{{caps}}} | Sri Lanka Navy Sports |
| Achala Perera | Prop | | | Kandy Sports Club |
| Duminda Pullikuttiarachi | Prop | | | |
| Dushmantha Priyadarshana | Prop | | | Havelock Sports Club |
| Eranga Swarnathilake | Prop | | | Sri Lanka Army Sports Club |
| Henry Terance | Prop | | | Havelock Sports Club |
| Hasitha Perera | Lock | | | |
| Sathya Ranatunga | Lock | | | Sri Lanka Navy Sports |
| Danushka Perera | Flanker | | | Sri Lanka Navy Sports |
| Ishan Noor | Flanker | | | Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club |
| Rohitha Rajapaksa | Flanker | | | Sri Lanka Navy Sports |
| Sharo Fernando | Flanker | | | Upcountry Lions |
| Sajith Saranga | Number 8 | | | Upcountry Lions |
| Kavindu de Costa | Scrum-half | | | |
| Rehan Weerakoon | Scrum-half | | | Sri Lanka Navy Sports |
| Dave Anand | Fly-half | | | |
| Fazil Marija | Fly-half | | | Kandy Sports Club |
| Niroshan Fernando | Fly-half | | | Havelock Sports Club |
| Dinusha Chathuranga Fernando | Centre | | | |
| Lavanka Perera | Centre | | | |
| Lee Keegal | Centre | | | |
| Pradeep Liyanage | Centre | | | Kandy Sports Club |
| Chamara Dabare | Wing | | | Havelock Sports Club |
| Sandun Herath | Wing | | | Havelock Sports Club |
| Nuwan Hettiarachi | Fullback | | | Sri Lanka Navy Sports |
| Riza Mubarak | Fullback | | | Sri Lanka Navy Sports |
Poland's 21 man squad was announce on 17 October. Head Coach: Tomasz Putra
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| Craig Bachurzewski | Prop | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | Glasgow Hawks |
| Adrian Chróściel | Prop | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | MKP Pogoń Siedlce |
| Mateusz Bartoszek | Flanker | (1990-01-20)20 January 1990 (aged 23) | 12 | Glasgow Hawks |
| Paweł Dąbrowski | Flanker | (1981-05-13)13 May 1981 (aged 32) | | RC Arka Gdynia |
| Karol Perzak | Lock | | | RC Arka Gdynia |
| Piotr Zeszutek | Flanker | | | |
| Marek Płonka | Flanker | | | RC Lechia Gdańsk |
| Cyprian Majcher | Prop | | | RC Lechia Gdańsk |
| Stanisław Niedźwiedzki | Hooker | | | |
| Rafał Janeczko | Scrum-half | | | RC Lechia Gdańsk |
| Dawid Banaszek | Fly-half | (1987-02-04)4 February 1987 (aged 26) | 19 | Arka Gdynia |
| Dawid Lorentowicz | Fly-half | | | MKP Pogoń Siedlce |
| Marek Przychodzki | ?? | | | |
| Rafał Szrejber | Centre | | | RC Arka Gdynia |
| Robert Pawelec | Centre | | | MKP Pogoń Siedlce |
| Tomasz Rokicki | Centre | | | RC Lechia Gdańsk |
| Szymon Sirocki | Wing | | | RC Arka Gdynia |
| Tomasz Gasik | Centre | | | MKP Pogoń Siedlce |
| Sebastian Łuczak | Centre | | | |
| Robert Kwiatkowski | ?? | | | |
Madagascar's 29 man squad was announce on 18 October. Head Coach: Bertin Rafalimanana
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| Rantoniaina Hasina Rakotoarivelo | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Christian Jean Felix Andrianjaka | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Maroson Vonjiniaina Andriamananjara | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Dimbiniaina Jean Willy Rabemananjara | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Rodolphe Randriamanantena | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Hajanirina Randrianambinina | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Ratsimba Tolotra Ramaromiantso | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Tahina Hery Zo Randrianarisoa | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Maminandrasana Solomampionona | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Tolotra Claudio Ravelonomenjanahary | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Guy Rolland Randriamiarana | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Nirina Jacky Bayard | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Romuald Rafaralahy | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| José Rakoto (c) | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Juliot Mahavy | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Deraniaina Rakotozafy | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Alain Rakotonirina | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Serge Rajoelina | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Benjaniaina Mandimby Rakotoarivelo | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Soloniaina Herizo Rasoanaivo | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Bernard Razafindranaivo | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Tiana Nirina Ravelomanantsoa | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Tolotra Mampionontsoa Rakotoson | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |
| Michael Raharijaona | ?? | {{{age}}} | {{{caps}}} | {{{club}}} |

## Sponsorship & Broadcasting rights

Dialog are the title sponsors of the tournament as the premier sports sponsors in the country, while MTV Sports is set to broadcast all matches live as the tournament's official broadcaster. Atom Technologies is the other principal sponsor of the tournament as well as the official digital signage provider at all the matches.