Trinity begin their 2011 rugby campaign in style clinching the super 12’s tournament

Trinity College made their presence felt in the 2011 rugby calendar by coming out with a convincing win over their home town rivals Kingswood College in the inaugural Super 12’s rugby tournament beating them 28 points to nil.

The tournament which was initially going to be worked off at the Bogambara Stadium was moved to Pallekela after damp ground conditions at the Bogambara Stadium. Speaking to the main organizer of the event Mr. Kasthuriarachchi stated that the Pallekela grounds served as a perfect arena for the players and a lot of free flowing rugby was witnessed. The tournament which was initially programmed to last two days, was cut short to a one day tournament due to time constrains.

Trinity College who are one of the teams to look out for this season was on song right through the tournament beating their opponents convincingly. Trinity College who were led by senior player and front row forward Murad Ramzeen gave all who was present at the Pallekela Stadium a treat when they dished out some breathtaking rugby. Trinity was the team which stood out in all departments, skills, weight, size etc. Nilufer Ibrahim in his first stint at Trinity gave a preview to the rugby fans in the Central province of the Trinity side, as he marshaled his boys to beat his former team Kingswood who are coached by his former school mate and team mate, Nalaka Weerakkodi.

For the Kingswoodians it was the twin combination of Lavanga Perera and Oshan Perera who performed well. St.Anthoy’s and St.Sylvesters both dished out some brilliant rugby and ended the tournament by been played 3rd and 4th respectively. The Eagles who were minus some of their key players showed a lot of spirit in the middle against some tough opposition.

As per the smaller teams it was Maliyadeva College who stood out during the entire tournament. The lads from Kurunagela showed immense potential and talent to come up in the local schools rugby scene.

Talking to the tournament organizer Mr. Kasthuriarachchi stated that in future they want to bring in the Colombo teams and make it a more competitive affair.

‘A’ division schools rugby-12 teams, 2 groups

The schools season which is most likely to take place in the month of March see’s yet another twist in the tail, and a major one at that. ThePapare speaking to a member of the Sri Lankan schools rugby football association (SLSRFA) learnt that there might be a likelihood of 12 teams participating for the upcoming schools rugby plum this year.

After the close of the 2010 season Thurstan College and Science College saw them tie with equal amount of points thus creating the drama. According to one of the top officials at the SLSRFA, it was known that a whopping 12 teams would take part in the ‘A’ division which will be split in to two groups. Dharmaraja College who finished one before the last in the ‘A’ division will stay back in the same division while the debutants Prince of Wales College drops down to the lower division. It is expected that three schools will come up from the ‘B’ division which will include, 2010 table leaders St.Josephs College, and the two runners up teams, Thurstan College and Science College.

A reliable source speaking to ThePapare stated that there are a lot of issues in this year’s league and that they will be having a council meeting on the 15th (Saturday) to resolve these matters and go forward.

The schools season which is normally scheduled to take place in the month of April was bought forward due to A/L and O/L examinations. With the club rugby season being pushed back due to the Asian five nations, it will be interesting to see what stance the schools body will take ahead of the much awaited schools rugby season.

Gates open for foreign ruggerites

The 2011 year will undoubtedly be a unique one and the start of a new era for rugby in the country. The main talk of the town has been the introduction of foreign players in to the local rugby arena to boost the competitiveness amongst the local lads. According to the Sri Lankan rugby football union the lower clubs which were relegated to the plate championships can field a maximum of two foreign players in the side (a forward and a three quarter). Namely Police SC, Army SC, Havelocks SC and CH&FC. The most significant factor about the club rugby scene in the country at present is that the flair which was evident during yesteryear is nowhere to be seen. Though the rivalry still remains, the attachment from spectators to the clubs are fading away. According to the secretary of the SLRFU Shane Dullewe, one of the main reasons the club scene will be injected with foreign blood is to attract the crowds and to create the excitement which is not seen during recent times. It was not so long ago that the foreign players stole headlines in the local arena and players in the mould of Tongans Joseph Waka and and Alex Taka stole the limelight. The first ever Foreigners to play club rugby in the country were Fijians Jalasi Radrardo and Apisi Nagata who represented the club from Maitland Crescent. Army SC too carried their weight around with some big Kenyans in their side in the form of Lock forward Edwin Shimanga and centre Pascal Watuheha who played in the year 2003. Kandy coach and number eight Tavita Tulaga was also another well-known foreign player and coach. He coached Kandy SC in the year 2003 to end as champs under the captaincy of Nalaka Weerakkody, Sajith Mallikarachchi and Radhika Hettiarachchi. He also played his part in the famous 2001 Royal College team as the senior coach which was captained by Zulki Hameed. The most recent out of the foreign players that have set foot in the Island has been the controversial CH&FC center three quarter Jimmy Bolokoro who played his last match in the year 2007.