K.G.Saliya Kumara is one of the finest Rugby Sevens players in the recent past in Sri Lanka. He was interested in Rugby at a very young age, he started playing with his cousins at the age of nine years.
He was admitted to Vidyartha College,Kandy and continued Rugby in School and became a talented Junior Rugby Player and Saliya was the Vice Captain of the Vidyartha under11 up to Under 18 teams. He represented Sri Lanka Junior Rugby team in the Junior Rugby Asiad in Hong Kong and this Tour helped him to improve his skills in rugby. As Saliya was really talented in Rugby Trinity College, Kandy offered him a Scholarship in the year 2003. He received School colours in that short period at Trinity College and he was named the Best Sportsman of the year.
After leaving School he started his Rugby career at Havelocks Sports Club and after sometime he joined CH & FC in the year 2006. His biggest dream came true in the year 2007 when he was persuaded to join the Kandy Sports Club by the legendary Rugby player Sanjeewa Jayasinghe. Saliya became the Captain of the Kandy SC Rugby team and guided his team to become the Best Rugby team of the Country in the year 2012, the most memorable year of his Rugby career. He dedicated most of his time to his hard work ,and represented many International Tournaments through-out his Rugby career Hong Kong World Rugby Sevens Series Six times, Commonwealth Games in Australia, Asian Games in Doha Qatar, Asian Sevens Series for seven years, 15-a-side Asian Five Nations Rugby Tournament three times and Singer Sri Lankan Sevens for four consecutive years His biggest International Rugby Achievement was beating USA Rugby Sevens team in Hong Kong World Sevens Series in 2006 by19/12 points and he got the match winning try for Sri Lanka at this tournament.
Saliya was a Mercantile Rugby Player for the Ceylinco VIP team,MJ Penguin team and MAS Holdings team and he is grateful for the exposure given to the up-and-coming Rugby players of Sri Lanka at the Carlton Sevens Rugby tournament in 2013 and 2014
He qualified as a World Rugby Educator and Level II IRB Coach and Level I Strength and Conditioner. He hung up his boots In the year 2015 and became a full time Rugby Coach. Saliya is thankful to his Coaches Robert Navaratne, George Simkin,Ben Golling, Imthi Marikkar and Yohan Taylor and to Ravi Balasuriya,Gamini Fernando, Malik Samarawickrema, and to his family and friends for the support extended to him.
