Two of this season’s three Western Clubs Champions League matches will be hosted by Sri Lankan champions Kandy, with the full backing of Abu Dhabi Harlequins and Bahrain it has been revealed.

The Asia Rugby-organised tournament has acted as a curtain-raiser to the Gulf rugby season the past two years and will do so again, ahead of the 2017/18 campaign kick-off on September 22.

Sri Lankan champions Kandy will participate for a third straight year, with Mike McFarlane’s Quins back to defend the title they lifted 12 months ago. Louie Tonkin’s Bahrain will feature for the first time having finished runners-up to Quins in the West Asia Cup last term.

Quins and Bahrain kick the tournament off this Friday as the two teams clash at Zayed Sports City – with the other two games both being played in Sri Lanka as the tournament goes abroad for the first time.

“Kandy travelled the last two years and expressed a desire to host games this year, so to be fair to them and to share the costs they are not travelling, and both of the other clubs will travel,” said Ghaith Jalajel, Asia Rugby’s development consultant for the Gulf region.

“It’s also what the other clubs asked for last year. They wanted to travel away for team building purposes.”

This year’s tournament will be played over a longer period of three weeks to accommodate the travel being undertaken by Quins and Bahrain – who will play both games away.

Jalajel added: “All fixtures have now been confirmed. Abu Dhabi are hosting Bahrain on September 8, then the following weekend (September 15) Abu Dhabi are away to Kandy in Sri Lanka, then Sri Lanka host Bahrain on the 22nd, which is the opening weekend of the season here, but Bahrain have a bye.

“This will give each team two good warm-up games before the season starts.”