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Achcharu is the Sinhalese word for a pickle. It can also be used as a colloquial reference for a mess or mix-up. This seems to be what most Sri Lankan sports are and specifically to rugby. The Rugby pickle has many ingredients and is similar to the Sri Lankan pickle which is brought to boil and the ingredients that are put together normally allowed to pickle over time. The pickle Sri Lanka Rugby is in is not as good as what the achcharu would taste like except for one occasional item that tickles the palette.
Despite the insanity in the administration of rugby in Sri Lanka the team under the captaincy of Pavithra did well to beat Thailand for third place. This ensures that Sri Lanka has secured a place to continue in Asian 5 Nations division 1. It is a creditable achievement for a team who practiced together for less than 5 days. The young makeshift team has proved that there is talent that needs to be nurtured and harvested. Though tribute is made to Pavithra and his team it does not serve to applaud the minister or his followers who form the management of sports and specifically rugby in Sri Lanka. The blame is just not the officials of rugby who form the management at the apex but also those who guide the game and its players at the operational level. The other redeeming factor in going ahead with a makeshift team was to prove that you still can do it without names that brew trouble.
People who talk of the importance of the game should have national interest at heart. If they have as they claim we will not be faced with the same fiasco year after year. At the end of the day what has mattered is the personal objective of all parties involved thinly veiled “Love of the Game”
I have heard people asking “why did they not appoint the captain early”? Refresh your memory to a period around November 2008 when Sri Lanka toured Taipei to play in the postponed Asian 5 Nations Division 1. The question then was why a Captain was appointed before the team was selected? The answer now is elementary my dear Watson. Speak and utter words suitable for the occasion even if they only explain the low depth of thought.
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| Last week the Lankan second stringers sprang a huge surprise by beating Thailand. |
It is not only rugby that if full of paradoxes but all sports are. Where does the finger point when you have to show where the blame is? The one finger is pointed to others result in three pointing towards you. This is why I keep on asking to count the numbers that have jumped over the “cuckoos nest”
If we talk of nurturing the game it is sad that every year some issue or another crops up as the schools season is to begin. Adding more spice to the pickle. It is like taking one vegetable out as the vinegar as it is brought to a boil only to add another. This year too with no exception the eligibility criteria has surfaced. Same schools same issue and probably same men behind the scene ending in the same place: the courts. The question to me is why the channel open of first taking the issue to the committee under the education ministry was not resorted.
It seems the issue was brought at the last moment to exert pressure with a possibility of the tournament not coming on. A reliable source however explained that the issue was first raised and in writing around February 2008. This was only discussed by those who matter in April thus forcing the Kandy school to plead its case in courts. Was the delay due to negligence, lack of understanding or just being too cocky? Whatever reason you may attribute the end result is the game is hindered while young hopeful rugby players keep practicing not knowing what to expect. Is it to be a friendly format or a tournament format?
Rugby at this level is in disarray with some making bold pronouncement of playing a season of what they call friendly matches. Have you ever heard of anything called friendly in this environment? Where taking a trophy is the measurement of success. If while having a body of persons elected to these positions by the participating schools themselves cannot do a proper job what can you expect if a season is to be played without any apex body that are responsible and accountable. What is the position of the Governing body in the current situation? Remember by the year end you may have to select an under twenty team. As I understand some schools want to play under 19 rugby while others opt for an under twenty game. The one year age gap may look small. The application of the laws is very much different as the variations are only for fewer than nineteen.
The problem is much more serious as most seem to think that you revert to friendly games and all is milk and honey. There are however issues of discipline responsibility etc that have to be addressed. The home school may say that we will give all security and also punish our players if there is any indiscipline. It is not as simple as that as there is a possibility of a red carded player appearing in the very next match as there is no governance. Thus the ground is well set for a game of pickled rugby 2009
What is the position of the SLRFU who it seems to be sitting pretty without realizing there is a problem and a big problem. The SLRFU constitution Section 1 (3) states “The game of Rugby Union Football by whom so ever played and in whatever form in Sri Lanka shall be with the approval and under the auspices of the Union and subject to its control.”
Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, coach and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB
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