When the root is weak, the tree dies

The rugby season for schools kicked off with the sevens organized by the Western Province Schools Rugby Football Association. Meanwhile the Sri Lankan Sevens Rugby team returned from Hong Kong with nothing very much to crow other than that they were not made to eat grass by Samoa as well as England.

After not getting beaten black and blue by the better known sides Sri Lanka folded up tamely in the last two games. Possibly they were drained out in the process. The fact that they were drained out was reported as a comment made by the national coach. This may be because they have not had many sevens games played prior to the tournament. Just two sevens tournaments before the event in a space of around six weeks and then getting a team together will not be adequate to face games at this level. There will be a need to have more sevens games where our forte lies at the international level. Yet this will not be a reality unless and until the stakeholders that are the clubs meet in the same wave length of the national requirement and the final objective.

If there were clubs that were not prepared for the sevens same might be said of the schools. Many of the well known teams did not enter the competition. The reason being , as I heard, is that they were concentrating on the fifteen a side league due to begin in the third week of April . If we are to place our bets at the national level with better participation the need to get on with the search for better sevens players has to start at the school level.

Just as much as we saw Kandy Sports Club go ahead of the others in the club competition we saw a similar happening in the schools. That is the Western Province Schools under 20 sevens a side tournament played last week. It was Isipatana that turned up best and that too with a performance that outshone all others.

While every opponent that Isipatana were beaten by a superior team. Their only consolation came in the final but in that too they were beaten 21 points to nil.

Isipatana’s opponents in the final were St Josephs College who held the superior Isipatana to a no score in the second half. If there was any body that got close to the Patana side it was in this final. The schools rugby football sevens of the Western Province did not defer very much in character to the club sevens. The Patana side which emerged champs proved to be more versed in the short form of the game than their opponents. Some of the better known schools such as St Peters, Royal and Wesley did not participate. They will I understand not play in the all island sevens that is to be played this weekend while some others too may not play. If Sri Lanka rugby aims to do well in the sevens in the future it must have the raw material coming from the schools. However if most schools do not take part; then the feed to the national requirement will have to start later on. While everything will not be in congruence in all aspects at all times one may expect that the end objective is understood and the contributors do their part to help the outcome.

While most teams failed to come closer to the champion school team others thought that a boot on a player who is on the ground and or other provocative action is the way to go. It is time that the authorities concerned nip this type of action that is not in the spirit of the game early. Another unwanted action seen was the vulgar and crude gesticulation that takes place when proceeding to score and or just after scoring. While some schools used the stick it up thumb and or expressions to ridicule the opposition others would attempt to stomp and or kick the player on the ground. To portray achievement by jubilant gestures may be natural when one scores .

Yet for such action to show a rowdy scene is not what the game expects. Mind you this filters even to the bowl level games. This was not seen in a prominent way in the club sevens but did make it s appearance at the school games.

* Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, coach and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB