Renovated racecourse brought renovated rugby hype
View(s):What is next in Sri Lankan Rugby is the question fans ask at the end of the Carlton Sevens. The big names of the park in the world were at Galle and the former racecourse ground in Colombo. The newly done paddock and the surroundings looked attractive. Te renovated stands of the racecourse provided a bird’s eye view if you were at the top of the grandstand. The well known legs of sevens rugby fired in intermittent intervals. The Kenyans looked strong both in Galle and Colombo but probably were a disappointment in the final. The Stallions galloped to win and the name was apt in keeping with the first in the rugby history at the former racecourse.
Those who were at the ground saw some great names of the current sevens scene burning the track. The ground and the surrounding area with its ample space has the markings of an international look and can easily be converted to the carnival atmosphere which is part of sevens rugby.
Nattily dressed lasses kept the rugby fans spellbound through the tournament. (Pic Amila Gamage)
The stands are capable of housing a huge crowd will be a useful venue with the 15 a side game as the stands will give you a good view when seated in the grand stand. The layout is such that there is room for fans to move between the grounds and the stands and should give more relaxed movement for a carnival to take place in a full day tournament. That is what happens at the Dubai Sevens and a touch of the desert flexibility can make rugby full day events something to remember. Other than the seven other playing fields around the Dubai “SEVENS” Colombo has all other requirements including the food stalls.
History recalls the virtual fashion parade that lightened the race course in the past taking over the rugby fields when racing was stopped. The crowds moved away as many others competed for a spot as the country changed. The crowds are back for rugby as seen at the new rugby ground. The trend setters were there but mostly stuck glued as they climbed the grand stand to their seats. A little encouragement to walk around at least pretending to go for a drink or an ice cream will bring back the fashion parade too. Next time around it will be lively not only for those on the field but also for the fashion bugs.
On the field the big boys showed what sevens is all about? That it is about a different athlete on the Rugby Park. Sevens is a different game requiring a different skill set and a new fitness level. What was good for rugby at home is that the locals are improving in the skills for sevens and the fitness demand of the game. The tendency I saw in going to contact reduced from Galle to Colombo. This will continue as the teams play fifteens as well as sevens and we cannot still afford the luxury of sevens only players. The sevens go hand in hand with the fifteen though in some the more successful sevens countries they part at a point.
To reach that point there is a need to practice hard as well as take the required nutrition. The busy athlete requires about 1.4g of protein per KG of body weight according to medical sources. The requirement for a 100 kg athlete is 140 g of protein compared to an average person who requires 0.8g per kg of body weight. The problem arises in that an athlete may not get all the 140g in his food and then he needs supplements. The caveat is to know what supplements and in what quantities an athlete has to take. The problem locally according to medical sources involved in sport is that people take more than the amounts needed to supplement the shortfall in nutrients available in food. They try to take the whole amounts in the form of powder and continue when they are not training too. The problem is that of short cuts like the instant noodles which lead to the broilers that you find on the field.
The Wall Street Journal on 5th August reported that a giant in the dairy industry apologized for some of its exported whey protein products that may contain bacteria that can cause botulism, which affects the nervous and respiratory systems. It is not the whey itself but is attributed to a pipe that has not been cleaned. Whey comes naturally from dairy farm and naturally present in milk and is separated in the process of making milk and is pasteurized and dried to powder form. Whey is what has been known as “Moru.”
The important point for the athlete is that whatever he uses must be good for the health .Proteins may not cause problems but increasing usage without the advice of a doctor may be bad. Typically the use of whey or other protein should be dosed according to the need of the individual and overdose is of no use.
Hopefully the experience of the shorter version of the game will continue with the Mercantile Sevens.
-Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, coach and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB
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