Our chances in Asian rugby big league
Sri Lanka is now in the top flight of Asian Five Nations rugby, rubbing shoulders with big guns such as Hong Kong and Japan. But just how well can we fare against such quality opposition and what can we do to ensure that we stay competitive?
 Right now we can do well because we have a good coach. Before we were lacking a regular coach, and I think the change has shown in the way we are playing. Our team is a lot more focused now. - Chamith Buthgamuwa (Private sector employee with rugby-playing experience) |
 We have a lot of hard training ahead of us. We need to be more professional in our approach if we are going to realistically challenge other teams. We have potential but we need to build up a young structure for the sport and keep improving by bringing in foreign coaches. - Duminda Nanayakkara (Club player) |
 We need a proper structure in place. We need to plan now for next year’s tournament and start training, we can’t just start work three to four months before the tournament. If you look at a team like Hong Kong they have so many coaches for each part of the game. We should also be playing stronger teams in preparation for the tournament which we are not doing. - Dilroy Fernando (Rugby referee) |
 We are a tough team and we have a new coach so we can do ok. Although our pack is small we have a lot of talented young players. - Dineth Silva (Mercantile rugby player) |
 We can’t match up against those teams; they are in a different league in terms of size and strength. We don’t have that. Those in our team who are big are not athletic. Look at the size of our fullback; if he gets hit he might be killed - Janaka Herath (Private sector employee with rugby-playing experience) |
 We have a good team and a good captain so we can perform well. I think we can stay competitive with the other teams in the tournament. - Jason Samuel (Club rugby player) |
 I think we can compete at that level but our boys should be mentally and physically fit in order to meet the challenges at that level. - Kalinga Indatissa (Sports official) |
 We are improving and that is a good sign. We are a good team with solid young talent and if we can improve our fitness we can do well. - N. Ranagala (Private sector employee) |
 We can compete at the top level with good teams but it is the SLRFU’s responsibility to keep the team going and make sure it keeps improving. - Shamrath Fernando (Former player, coach and referee) |
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