The feuding factions made to shake hands
View(s):The rugby loving first Citizen of the country had to take time off his busy schedule to get together the two feuding factions of local rugby, the schools section and the governing body, the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) on Friday. The fiasco that was developing between the SLRFU and the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) has seen a short respite and the Schools Sevens kicked off on Saturday.
The first Citizen sat down with the feuding parties and brought sanity. According to the secretary Susantha Mendis of the schools section, they will go ahead with Seven’s tournaments for Under-20, the Under-18 as well as the Division II which is their priority. They hope the league too will continue in the same way and saner counsel will prevail.
Referees were finally made available for the Schools 7s - File pic
Asked about the issue of sponsorship that turned to be a sore point as reported and discussed, Mendis said that at this point it was not relevant. Though an attempt was made to get the views of the SLSRFA secretary it appeared that there was somebody behind who was dissuading the presentation of the view. Hence the views that could have been presented are limited to the little that was expressed. To some, the battle has been won, to others it has only started. When I asked Lasitha Gunaratne, the Vice President of SLRFU about the meeting with His Excellency the President, he said that it was cordial. The expectation was that the tournament of the weekend should go on as otherwise the schoolboys who have been training will get frustrated.
Gunaratne also said that the advice was that a scheme should be worked out so that the game will not be affected while it should be run with a long term objective of promoting the sport. The SLRFU, as the governing body, has to guide and supervise as the game will not survive at the national level unless the schools game is structured and managed well. The reason the SLRFU wishing to be more involved is because the game has to be looked at from a long term need perspective. This involves the future of Sri Lanka Rugby and the need to support the national team.
He said that there will be two Under-20 Asian Sevens, Under-18 Asian Sevens as well the Commonwealth Youth Games. There is more participation and more opportunities but the boys have to be prepared to face international competition. This requires funds, talent and playing to face international challenges. The sponsorship should cover the international tournaments and not just the local league. It is with this in mind that the SLRFU wanted to be involved help in running the game.
The SLRFU view is that the sponsor of the league should also factor the costs of funding the Youth teams for the international games and not limit itself to the schools league. Lack of funds will otherwise prevent representation in the international circuit. The schools authorities however believe that the sponsorship of the international games is not a problem and if the budget is given they will pursue that too with the sponsor.
Considering the issues that have pervaded the school rugby surrounding the SLRFU believes that there has to be other areas that have to be strengthened. This includes the handling of judicial matters which has led to conflicts that have taken centre stage and or ended in courts. The SLRFU wants to get the assistance of the International Rugby Board to impart knowledge on how best a judicial process relevant to rugby can take place. The introduction of citing is another area they were keen to focus on. The experience during citing during the club season has shown that the game can get cleaner as the players know that there may be another pair of eyes watching. The proper training for match commissioners and identifying the roles and responsibilities can help in managing the game at the ground. The experience during the club season has taught many lessons on these areas and the SLRFU feels that there is a need to share the experience. Schools rugby is a vital part in the development of the game and if the SLRFU can add value, why is that offer being rejected. The parents want a game for their children and not just another game where indiscipline and mayhem will do damage than good.
The reason for all these issues arises from neither party wanting to give or take. In essence the fear that you will lose, what is mine, and the demarcation of boundaries to show this is mine and that is yours. What is mine and what is yours and none willing to relent has led to conflict, greater conflict and then to war.
Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, coach and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB