The Golden boy of Rugby
The question echoing in the crevices of everyone’s mind is when will Sri Lankan rugby enter the international arena to compete against the giants of rugby. The Kandy Sports Club superstar, Fazil Marija believes that based on the strengths of skill agility and rugby knowledge, Sri Lankans are far more suited to play in the Sevens format rather than the 15s that require extra big players as any international side the pack weights of over 800 kilos, which comes to an average of 100 kilos per person.
Fazil Marija, once rated the best fly half in Asia
“Our chances in the international ladder through the Sevens format is a far more feasible option. A little more input from all sides will take Sri Lanka to the next level,” coming out fresh after making a great contribution to his club, Kandy SC who won a double, the Dialog League and Clifford Cup, stated.
He feels that the planning, the smooth flow from between the two formats of the game and the lack of funds and preparation by the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union is yet the drawback faced. But he stays highly optimistic about the future of Sri Lankan rugby.
Marija’s exceptional abilities helped Kandy SC end a three-year drought to clinch the knock-out and league titles. He was one of the chief architects in this year’s Kandy SC victory and his undiminished passion, discipline and unwavering commitment has kept him at the top of the game in spite of all this he is a very amiable humble pleasant and simple character. For years Marija has been a humble servant of Sri Lanka rugby and he hopes to continue this contribution until heis fit to do so. One of his biggest dreams is to soon see Sri Lanka as a dominant force in Asian rugby and beyond.
According to the bold tusker his most cherished achievement was when he was chosen as the only Sri Lankan to play for the Asian Pacific Barbarians team where his crafty No.10 play was recognised by the international selectors also he got to play alongside Super 15 stars namely Justin Marshall, Rico Gear, George Gregan and Roy Kinikinilau and he brought back a wealth of knowledge, experience and confidence that he wishes to impart to the local rugby playing fraternity. But sadly the administrators seem to have kept the spotlight on Marija only as a player.
Marija is a one of Sri Lanka’s finest rugby union players in the modern era and was one-time considered Asia’s best fly half. Marija comes from a sporting family background, with at least 17 members through two generations having represented various Clubs, Services teams and National Rugby teams during the past four decades.
The 30-year-old, who still is Sri Lanka’s best No.10 and also one of the bests in Asia, hails from the hill capital of Kandy and is a proud product of Kingswood College Kandy. He has represented Sri Lanka in numerous international tournaments, both in Sevens and 15s. This exceeds 50 International XVs matches and more than a century of 7s matches. From inception he has shown leadership quality material and has had the unique distinction of captaining his school, club, the Carlton franchise he represents and his country team to many a victory. He is the most capped Sri Lankan rugby player and by no surprise he is a household name and an absolute crowd favourite.
Since the tender age of 12, Fazil has excelled in his pet position fly half but dabbled into various other positions such as half back and center truly showing that he is a player for the backs. Fazil credits his success to his mother and his strict ‘only breathe rugby policy’ where his typical day would involve conditioning himself for the upcoming matches and pushing himself to the limits as he believes any player can keep improving to achieve better and never complacent with his performance which is an admirable trait of international rugby players.
Once he retires Marija aspires to coach the younger generation of rugby players and personally see to the development of Sri Lanka rugby. He, although being given the title of the best No.10 in Asia, he is still extremely humble and points out that his team mates make his job so much easier.
“Nothing comes without hard work and dedication. One must always believe in yourself, I never thought I would get this far in rugby but here I am, dreams do come true as long as you never lose sight of what you want and work towards your goals. I’m ever so grateful to my fans that have stood by me through thick and thin. They are my strength beside my family,” he stated.