Aden Ekanayake
.jpg) Ekanayake with Australia U20s at the 2025 U20 Rugby Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 18 March 2005 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 98 kg (216 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Barker College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Aden Ekanayake (Sinhala: ඒඩන් ඒකනායක; born 18 March 2005)[2] is an Australian rugby union player who currently plays for the Force in the Super Rugby. Between 2024 and 2026, Ekanayake played for the Australia national sevens team on the World Rugby Sevens Circuit.
Early life and youth career
Ekanayake was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 2005.[2][3] Ekanayake is of Sri Lankan descent through his father, whom was born in the country before moving to Australia.[3] Ekanayake attended private school Barker College in Sydney's northern suburbs.[1] By 2023, Ekanayake had joined the Waratahs Academy[4][5] after impressing at trials earlier in the year. Ekanayake was also selected in an Australian under-18s squad late in the year.[6]
Career
Sevens
He played for Australia at the Global Youth Sevens (GYS) in 2022 and played club rugby for Gordon, the Sydney Junior team and the Australian Schools and under-18 national team in 2023.[7][8][9] He appeared five times at the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa in 2024 as a flanker.[10]
After travelling as a reserve for the 2023–24 SVNS series, he made his debut for the Australia national sevens team at the Dubai Sevens in 2024, and then also played at the South Africa Sevens in Cape Town, part of the 2024–25 SVNS series.[7] He scored an injury time try to help gain victory for Australia against South Africa in the semi-finals of the 2025 Australia Sevens in Perth.[11] In May 2025, he was nominated for Rookie of the Year for 2024–25.[12] In June 2025, he was named in the Australia U20 squad for the World Rugby U20 Championships in Italy,[13] and later continued with the Australia sevens team for the 2025–26 season.[14]
Force
In June 2026, Ekanayake was announced as the latest signing for the Perth-based Western Force in the Super Rugby. Ekanayake signed a three-year deal with the side, beginning in the 2027 season.[15][16]
References
- 1 2 "Aden Ekanayake | Player Profile | NSW Waratahs". waratahs.rugby. New South Wales Rugby Union.
- 1 2 "Aden Ekanayake | Player Profile | AU7s". au7s.rugby. Rugby Australia.
- 1 2 Ranasinghe, Chathura (11 February 2025). "Aden Ekanayake, pride of two nations". The Morning. Adelaide, South Australia.
- ↑ Lulham, Amanda (19 September 2023). "Waratahs, Reds sons of guns chasing Australian under 18 rugby selection against New Zealand". The Australian. News Corp Australia.
- ↑ Lulham, Amanda (28 September 2023). "Australian schools and U18 squad for NZ tests dominated by stars of Waratahs v Reds rugby battle". The Australian. News Corp Australia.
- ↑ "Paris Olympic hopeful Aden Ekanayake in sevens heaven ahead of junior rugby trials for Waratahs". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. 21 June 2023.
- 1 2 Williamson, Nathan (6 December 2024). "Aden Ekanayake reflects on dream Sevens debut after long buil". Rugby.com.au. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ↑ "Aden Ekanayake's Journey Through Clubland to Sevens And on to Junior Wallabies Berth". Rugbynews.net.au. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ↑ "Ekanayake to Skipper Australian Secondary Schools Rugby Squad". Thuppahis.com. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ↑ Morton, Finn (21 November 2024). "Australia U20 enforcer set to be unleashed with sevens side in Dubai". RugbyPass. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ↑ Williamson, Nathan (26 January 2025). "Extra-time Ekanayake: Young gun delivers Australia into home Final after South Africa thriller". Rugby.com.au. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ↑ Williamson, Nathan (6 May 2025). "Levi, Nasser honoured as part of SVNS Dream Team for 2024-25". Rugby.com.au. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
- ↑ Morton, Finn (13 June 2025). "SVNS stars named in Australia's U20 squad for World Championship". RugbyPass. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ↑ Wasiliev, Nick (3 November 2025). "Australian Sevens squads unveiled for upcoming 2025–26 HSBC SVNS World Series". Rugby.com.au. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ Morton, Finn (17 June 2026). "Another SVNS star heads west as Force land rising star Aden Ekanayake". RugbyPass. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ Kirby, Aaron (17 June 2026). "Western Force sign Rugby 7s young gun Aden Ekanayake to three-year deal". The West Australian. Seven West Media. Retrieved 17 June 2026.