Sri Lanka rugby began its year by winning the division two of the Asian 5 nation’s fifteen-a-side rugby held in Singapore beating Chinese Taipei by 37 points to 7 and then the hosts Singapore with a score line of 23 points to 16.
Thereafter the focus was on the sevens circuit with the opening of the Asian sevens season in Shanghai. The team skippered by Pradeep Liyanage lost to Hong Kong and China in the group stages but toppled the weaker Philippines team to get into the quarter-finals of the cup and then lost to Korea in the cup quarter-finals. The team that went to Shanghai was not at all a full strength side but was most definitely a formidable squad.
The next sojourn was the Commonwealth Games Delhi, in October. Sri Lanka were further depleted carrying even less experience and were beaten convincingly by the much stronger opponents. Radhika Hettiarachchi who was the only senior player in the squad led the team of youngsters. The gang subsequently headed to Malaysia for the Borneo7s which is an Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) ranking tournament. The young lions did very well qualifying for the ever popular Hong Kong7s that is known to be the biggest and best sevens tournament in the world. The same sevens squad travelled to Singapore directly from Malaysia where they took part in the Singapore7s and finally won some silverware when they clinched the bowl championships. After just one week break the team took wing to Guangzhou China for the Asian Games where they had an up and down tournament coming out in 6th place. Back home the lions then ended their season by winning the Shield in the Carlton7s tournament.
Fingers have been pointed at the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) for sticking with the younger players leaving out some of the renowned sevens players in the country. But from the start of the ‘in-camp training in Katunayake’, which was a last-minute but desperate attempt of the union to put the players through the needed rigorous fitness schedule before the Commonwealth Games, the senior players backed down. The SLRFU were left with no choice but to mould the available talent and to the credit of the officials and players, in this short period they have come up with a fairly successful showing.
Questions have to be asked why the Sri Lanka team suddenly lost all the first choice sevens’ players. Careers (some players working for the Mercantile sector were not released because of the Mercantile sevens tournament), prior commitments and injury were some of the cited reasons for this. The belief is that players pick and chose the tournaments they want to play and many outside influences and prejudices from parties with personal agendas and vested interest control these players.
It is shocking to think how such brain-washing and influencing is going on against the union and against Sri Lanka rugby succeeding. Unfortunately these must be left simply at insinuations. It is clear that the SLRFU is not the sole governance of Sri Lanka rugby and other sources with power and money are in governance of these players causing ‘national pride’ and ‘hunger for winning’ to play second fiddle. Some of them may be caught up in the terrible paradox of club loyalties, genuine need for livelihood and national duty.
Presently, Sri Lanka has no trouble beating the lower level teams of Asia but as the competition gets tougher the game play and levels of performance drops. This is because of inexperience and inability to cope under pressure. Sri Lanka rugby is not structured in a manner where players are continuously trained and built into a strong and well-oiled unit. Coach Inthisham Marrikar stated that he had only nine days preparation with the squad before leaving to the Shanghai 7s. Once the players were put through a proper training system and were drilled into playing rugby sevens they began responding and the team play of the side improved drastically.
If Sri Lanka can put the best possible players through this system, results will surely come. If they want the players to be professional they must treat them like professionals. This means nutrition, lodging, transport and of course livelihood. If Sri Lanka rugby can provide all this then the players will respond.
Despite protests, senior player cannot be just drafted back into the side. Anyone knowing a bit about sevens would realize that the communication and combination between team mates is a vital aspect of the sevens format. Bringing in new players, however higher-ranking and talented at the last minute would only cause confusion.
The celebrated older players who turned down national duty for whatever reasons would not have realized that youngsters would step up to the plate so quickly and are now disgruntled at not finding a place in the side.
It is totally unfair to the young side that has strived so hard and qualified for the prestigious Hong Kong7s, to have yesteryears just waltz in and take their place in the national squad.
However for the betterment of rugby a truce must be achieved. The SLRFU would have to give the older players another airing to come back and be a part of a larger contingent and structured training. These senior players will find it hard to keep up that the level of fitness displayed by the present sevens squad and will have to fight for a place in the side. This augurs well for Sri Lanka rugby.
The governing body has gone through many a controversy and is looking to resolve its biggest problem once and for all. A school of thought exists that the way to solve this predicament is to set up a contract system for the players who represent Sri Lanka. Immediate response to this statement is where can the union find enough money to entice players to turn their loyalties from their clubs and companies and play for the country? In other words the SLRFU have to provide careers in rugby. Sri Lanka has been gifted with players that have immense talent and skills but as there is no proper system in place the talent and skills go to waste.
For example Fazil Marija; probably one of the best sevens and fifteens players in the Asia rugby circuit- has not represented Sri Lanka in any of the last five international 7’s tournaments. Many people have said that Sri Lanka produces some of the best steppers in the Asia and they are also the only team that has the ability to compete with the Asian giants Hong Kong and Japan. Sri Lanka has been beating the lower level teams in Asia and that is a good platform to start climbing up the ranks.
Sevens rugby seems like the way to go for Sri Lanka as it is for many other countries. Sevens is an easier version of the game to teach. It has many advantages; the main advantage is the low cost, secondly the reduced risks of injury. Most importantly it suits the playing styles of Sri Lankans. The likes of VIshvamithra Jayasinghe Srinath Sooriyabandara, Saliya Handapangoda, Dharshana Ettipola, Anuruddha Wilwara and Rajitha Sansoni are some of fastest and nippiest players in the region and these youngsters happen to be the future of Sri Lanka rugby so why not fit them into a system that will suit them. The best example for this is Kenya. The Kenyans are natural athletes who are lightning fast and can out do anyone when it comes to stamina. They also hold their own when comparing size and strength. If asked five years ago no one would have even thought of Kenya as a sevens rugby giant, but Kenya have put in place a good plan which they have executed perfectly and have now become one of the best sides on the sevens world tour. Another country that seems to have got their sevens rugby development plan going very well is Spain who performed excellently in the recently concluded Carlton sevens where they beat the Samoa Barbarians, drew with Dijicel Fiji and also beat the Australia Legends.
Unfortunately the domestic rugby organizations of Sri Lanka is not helping the process. Players in countries like Fiji and Samoa play an average of 20 to 30 sevens tournaments before going into the IRB World Series. Sri Lanka only has one interclub domestic tournament and Kandy being the number one team in Sri Lanka did not even participate. Which meant the best sevens players on the island did not play. The authorities have to find a way to fund and sponsor many tournaments around the Island.
The number of teams playing top level rugby in Sri Lanka is also another concern. Sri Lanka has only 8 clubs in their division one and each club plays an average of 10 to 12 games a year including practice and warm up games. How can this island nation compete with the world when the players have only 3 months of rugby at the maximum? The teams spend 9 out of the 12 months of the year training and preparing for the league. What better way to prepare for rugby than to play it? Training and preparation is vital for success but match practice should be part of that training and preparation.
Coaching and guiding is the next worry in the development plans. Training and developing coaches is also a vital aspect in developing sevens. It is a completely different game to fifteens and cannot be approached in the same manner. Coaches must go through the right accreditation programs and be developed into professional sevens coaches before going into the fifteens rugby.
Sevens rugby is a lot easier to understand and with its flamboyant fast-paced attributes will entice the audience which is vital for the growth of rugby. The best way to introduce players to rugby is through sevens. Sri Lanka does not have a huge rugby playing population. The finest way to grow this population will be by introducing the game of sevens rugby around the country. Once a good strong system is in place for the sevens circuit we can then begin to develop into fifteens rugby.
The other side of the coin is the SLRFU which needs to have a clear policy and proper elected members whose sole-interest and focus is putting rugby on the map. Ad-hoc, part-time and inefficient plans completely throw the players off guard and disillusioned in the system.
Achieving all this is no easy task. It requires a lot of planning and dedication on the part of all who are involved in rugby; the SLRFU, players, sponsors, clubs, companies, media etc. But if Sri Lanka could unite and win a war and eradicate terrorism in the country, then this nation can surely bring the rugby fraternity together and develop Sri Lanka rugby.
S.Thomas’ College who were coached by Mothilal Jayathilike during the previous season will go in to the 2011 season with just a few seniors in their ranks. After finishing the 2010 season at 5th place in the league standings, the Thomians under the captaincy of Dinuk Amarasinghe will be determined to make a mark in the upcoming season.
