ECU Clinches Victory in Thrilling Rugby Battle Against APIIT
Edith Cowan University (ECU) Sri Lanka made history with a thrilling 13-7 win over APIIT in the inaugural ECU vs APIIT Annual Rugby Encounter. Packed with fierce energy, team spirit, and true sportsmanship, the match marked the beginning of an exciting sporting rivalry between the two universities.
Led by Captain Vibodha Dabare, who also coached and organized the event, the ECU team showed exceptional discipline and teamwork. Rigesh Muralitharan was named Man of the Match for capitalizing on key penalties in the final stretch. With most ECU players bringing experience from top school-level rugby, the team remained calm under pressure and executed their game plan to perfection.
“This win is more than just a scoreline,” said Dabare. “It shows that university sports matter. We trained hard, three times a week for two months and believed in each other.”
Senior player Sadev Gamage said, “ECU is a young university. We’re just getting started in sports, but this victory proves how much potential we have.”
The success of this event has sparked enthusiasm across ECU’s sports community, with more teams expressing interest in organizing inter-university matches. ECU plans to continue the rivalry with APIIT across multiple sports.
With eyes now set on the Blaze 2025 Tournament on June 28–29 at Racecourse Grounds, the ECU rugby team is calling on the community to keep the support going. This win is just the beginning.
