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by DINESH WEERAWANSA

The national rugby selection committee, headed by Group captain Tikiri Marambe are due to meet this weekend to name a new 38-member Sri Lanka national pool in preparations for the 2002 Rugby Asiad.

Informed sources said at least six members of the 25-member Sri Lanka rugby team which took part in the recent 14th Asian Games will be dropped when the selectors name the Sri Lanka national pool for next month's 2002 Rugby Asiad in Thailand. Sources said about six or seven players who have been identified as weak links would be dropped from the Sri Lanka national squad, which had a dismal performance at the Busan Games in South Korea. However, two of the three schoolboys who were in the squad, are to retain their places. Sri Lanka takes on Kazakhstan in the opening match of the Rugby Asiad.

Dynamic No.8 Harris Omar is strongly tipped to be retained as Sri Lanka captain for the Rugby Asiad. Among the up and coming players who made it to Asian Games, Royal schoolboy centre Rajitha Jayasundara and his partner in the three quarter line P.D.N. Fernando are set to retain their places, along with Peterite Dilanka Wijesekera.

Following the injury to scrum half Milinda Jayasinghe during the Asian Games, the national selectors are expected to recall Tuan Bohoran and Leonard de Zilva to join Champika Nishantha in the new look national pool to be named this weekend.

Originally, the selectors were due to meet today but was later postponed the meeting.

Veteran hooker and former Sri Lanka captain Viraj Prasanna, second rower Berty Jayasinghe, P.Pushpakumara, Tuan Bohoran and Leonard de Zilva would be among the additions to the new national pool.

The national selectors will originally name a 38-member pool, which would be pruned down to 26 by the first week of next month.

Sri Lanka team manager Brian Baptist has got down video clippings of Sri Lankan matches at the Asian Games. They will take a stock of what went wrong in Korea, particularly in the crucial game against Taiwan.

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