Game Plan for Player Development in Sri Lanka
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The Rugby World Cup Trophy is touring India on the way to Japan before it is taken over by the deserving team - Pic WR
The Rugby World Cup (RWC) Trophy made its Indian leg of the journey. The 2-year RWC 2019 Trophy Tour is visiting 18 countries and India was the last stop before setting foot in Japan. The stop in India is aimed to inspire and engage new and existing Rugby players and fans. The RWC takes place every 4 years and Japan will be the host in 2019. The 1st time it is being held in Asia. India has a Rugby history dating back to 1872. However, it is during the last 2 decades that there has been serious work to expand while Indian Rugby was formed in 1998. The Webb Ellis Cup touring India is expected to kindle interest, as India is considered an emerging market.
Sri Lanka (SL) saw the game of Web Ellis as far back as 1879, almost close to the time India saw the wonky oval ball. SL embraced the ball more than India did. There were times when, if you were not in Rugby, you were not among the crowd. Not among the elite, as they thought, while the game was played among another class. This made many join the bandwagon in Schools or Clubs. So much so, there were ‘B’ and ‘C’ teams in most Clubs. Lofty ideals were pronounced and structures proposed but, we are still pegged to 8 top Clubs. The 2nd string Clubs are as sparse as free flowing roads.
The Schools keep attracting attention and funds injected to the envy of a more popular sport such as Football.
Japan has always dominated Rugby in Asia. Smaller Hong Kong has been playing second fiddle with Korea following close. Hong Kong made a 5th time in a row win of the Asian Region Men’s Under (U)-20 tournament. They maintained regional mastery of the Junior 7s with an unbeaten run, while conceding only one try, to Korea. Japan did not play, as they are in the U-20 World Rugby circuit.
SL participated in the U-20 and came 3rd, and for all accounts, are happy of the achievement. This makes the optimist think a course for the young team can be chartered, so that, it will help SL Rugby (SLR). While the Web Ellis Trophy is walked around India to capture an emerging market, SL has to gauge its performance and look at where it was placed last year, 2nd behind Hong Kong. This year, Korea has jumped 2 places up to 2nd place. The postmortem should focus on why we lost matches we could have won. Did SL youth have a proper fit of players? Did they go into contact as in XVs or, were they bottled and/or holed running the ball wide, with less variation and/or control when required. The Technical Committee should read the tournament reports and also analyze the matches. There is plenty of software that could help in the process. It is time SLR got access to help players and coaches, and the referees got access to help them.
SL has a popular following for the game at U-19 XV-a-side and 7s, But we participated in the U-20 7s. The stars of the field, during the recent Schools matches, seemed at a loss, probably because they were not complete. They lacked a combination of skills required at a higher level of the game. While the raw athletic ability was seen, the nurturing of a player for winning at School Rugby. Elite Rugby needs are different. The players have skills and are athletic, and will have to face Club Rugby requirements, especially when SLR is discussing of, at least, allowing 1 foreigner for each team. Thus the Schools Stars may find themselves on a strange paddock and could easily get frustrated. On the other hand, will some of the school leavers be prepared to bide their time on a bench for at least 2 years? We have to consider the impatient culture of the millennium or, the digital age youth. You got to provide them the opportunity to stay in the game.
SLR has introduced a Technical Committee into the system. They now have to look in many ways. One, to keep school leavers in the game. Two, to identify the gaps required in key positional attributes and help these players through a development process. Three, possibly, to have an U-23 tournament that is played parallel to the ‘A’ Division, and before the main game. This will help those who do not make the team and the bench to keep staying in the game. The Clubs should be given the freedom to decide who will play U-23 and who is needed to supplement the bench and team. That is a culture that needs to be set in place, so that, teams will avoid players in the U-23 game being asked to be part of the main team. Next question will be funds. The SLR can, through a selection process, identify some school leavers and pay them a reasonable amount. Set the benchmarks or else, your reward stops. Others will not get paid and/or the Club can defray some expenses only.