Sri Lanka should have trained much earlier says skipper Tarinda
Fast and fearsome in action, frank and forthright in speech. That about sums up the lad who captained the Sri Lankan side at the Junior Rugby World Cup in Colombo last week. Lest it be forgotten, he is also the one who led Trinity to that Bradby Triumph in June.
Tarinda is of pure, Trinity rugby stock. Father Ashan led Trinity in that 1984 Bradby success. He followed it up by playing for the CR&FC and Kandy SC in domestic rugby. Ashan, a quality scrum-half, went on to play for Sri Lanka. Tarinda, a flyhalf, emulated his father by guiding his team to overcome Royal and the Bradby.
Trinity College skipper Tarinda Ratwatte (with ball) led the spirited Sri Lanka Youth Rugby side, that was unfortunate with wins but rich in morale - Pic courtesy SLRFU
The youngster, who started playing the game in 2006, looks on his father as his mentor and guiding force. In any post-match discussion of the game, Tarinda says they were on the same wave-length.
Tarinda started off at senior level by playing as a full back. Later on, turning out as fly half and centre, were right up his street. Of the three positions, he prefers the fly half berth as he can roam freely and dictate the mode of play.
Trinity failed to win any of the tournaments this year. That honour fell to Isipathana who bagged a triple. His Trinity team went through a lot of stress and anxiety in the last fortnight. There was a lot riding on the outcome of the Trinity-Kingswood game. To their credit, the Lions fell to the lads from Randles Hill by three points.
Where talent was concerned and also skills-wise, Trinity was better. What set the Green Shirts (Isipathana) apart was that they had a lot of hunger, and fire in the belly.
Speaking of some of the highlights of his four year career in the senior team, Tarinda points to the second leg of the 2011 Bradby. This was his first Bradby foray and it gave him great pleasure to be part of Murad Ramzeen’s team that won 40-5.
The Vidyartha Match in 2012 also stands out in his memory. Vidyartha was presumed to have a good side and an upset was predicted. The Trinitians were roundly booed when they walked into Nittawela. However, Trinity put the up-starts in their place by thrashing them 62-7.
2014 is significant for other reasons. The pre-season camp included climbing Adam’s Peak and watching the sun rise from that lofty perch. Leading the team out in his year of captaincy and receiving the Bradby Shield from a former Trinity rugger player – S.V. Ranasinghe also brings back fond memories.
When playing in the pivotal position, Tarinda paired off with Sanjaya Somasiri, Naresh Perera Nagitha Ridimaliyadde and Ryan Weerakoon. Pressed to namehis favourite link-man, he goes for Somasiri. He could pass from any distance and, besides, he was very protective of his partner.
He singles out Murad Ramzeen, Kaneel Seneviratne, Shahim Sing Alaxana, Randika de Alwis, Isuru Rangala and Umesh Samarasekera as some of the players who dazzled during his four-year period in the side.In 2014, Tarinda scored seven tries, besides setting up his team-mates for touch downs. As a kicker, he excelled, accumulating 114 points by way of conversions of tries and penalties, and drop-goals.
Speaking of the Junior Rugby Asiad in which he led Sri Lanka, Tarinda says the players, although from diverse backgrounds, played as one family. Happily, school rivalries were forgotten. Off the field, the skipper says, they were like members of a school team.
Speaking of Hong Kong, South Korea and Chinese Taipei, Tarinda says school rugby is not so “big” instead. They focus on the club and National Levels. The difference between the Sri Lankan side and those sides was that they had trained and played together for some time. Consequently they knew each other’s game and showed greater understanding.
He remains confident that if Sri Lanka had trained for a longer period (instead of two weeks), they could have beaten even the eventual winners, Hong Kong. As for the next tournament in 2015, Tarinda feels that Sri Lanka should prepare early and also that the facilities necessary for training should be provided.
An A/L student, Tarinda has just completed the exam offering English Literature, Greek and Roman Civilisation and History. Being the Senior Prefect, he is numero uno at his school. He hopes to play rugger for some time more and then plans to embark on a legal career.