[3] In March 2011 the IRB stripped the SLRFU of full member status after it failed to conduct board elections in accordance with the By-Laws,[4] the SLRFU's full membership however was subsequently re-instated follows the successful completion of the Union’s Annual General Meeting and Board elections.

In 1891 rugby was introduced to the country's high schools by L. E. Blaze,[5] the first principal of Kingswood College, Kandy.

[6] Kingswood played the first high school rugby match in the country against their hometown rivals Trinity College in 1906.

As a result, in 1908 the Australia national rugby union team passed through the Port of Colombo on their way to England via the Suez Canal, without playing a game in Ceylon.

In 1928 the team tied for the championship and in 1929, under the captaincy of J. D. Farquharson, they won it outright defeating Madras by 11 points to 8.

In 1968 four clubs sides were invited to participate in the All India Rugby Tournament, Havelock SC, Police SC, CH & FC and CR & FC against four Indian teams, Calcutta, Madras, Armenians and Maharashtra Police.

In December 1973 the Ceylon RFU was renamed the Sri Lankan Rugby Football Union (SLRFU).

[3] Sri Lanka is considered one of the rugby's success stories, despite a modest win record on the international stage.

The Carlton Super Sevens series, a domestic club competition comprising two tournaments hosted on consecutive weekends, began in 2011.

Tournament events were hosted at various locations, including Kandy, Galle and Koggola, and the final leg of the series for each season was held in Colombo.

Prominent players from around the world were contracted to join each local franchise to raise the standard of competition.

[16][17][18] There were plans to expand the Serendib International Cup in future years to include 16-24 teams,[19] but the tournament did not survive beyond the inaugural event.

[3] Mahesh Rodrigo was a dual international and represented Sri Lanka in the national cricket team; he was a scrum half, and captained the Ceylon XV.

In 2005 the Sri Lanka women’s team won the Bowl final at the Asian Sevens held in Singapore.

The tournament was originally sponsored as the Singer Sri Lankan Airlines Rugby 7s from 1999 to 2008 and hosted in Kandy.

It was rebranded as the Carlton Sri Lanka Sevens and moved to Colombo for 2009 and 2010 when the Carlton Sports Club – Tharunyata Hetak's sports wing – took over the running of the tournament in partnership with the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union.

[24] From 2011 to 2014 it was transformed into a local club competition, the Carlton Super 7s, comprising two tournaments held on consecutive weekends.

– See: Carlton Super Sevens The major club competition in Sri Lanka is the Nippon Paint Rugby League.

Inter-school rugby boasts a rich history in Sri Lanka, with Kingswood College in Kandy standing as the pioneer.

[26] Following these pioneering efforts, rugby's appeal extended to a growing number of educational institutions throughout Sri Lanka, with many schools subsequently embracing the sport as part of their athletic curriculum.

Alongside the primary tournaments in the inter-school rugby calendar, traditional fixtures between schools have also taken place.

These fixtures are held either as part of the league or as standalone events, sparking significant interest among their respective supporters.