Three Ring Rascals – The Petit Bourgeois of SL Rugby
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Chandrishan Perera
The testimonial match for Chandrishan Perera (Shan) had two things in focus. One, to contribute to his medical welfare and two, to provide an opportunity for players to showcase and vie for National Selection. He was a man who had a place and Rugby loved him. My association was when, together with Ajith Abeyratne and Rohan Abeykone, we teamed as commentators of Rugby over national TV channels. We also teamed to introduce Beach Rugby, where Shan also trumpeted the message of keeping the beach clean, as he called himself a ‘Welle Kolla‘ (Beach Boy). The introduction of Beach Rugby in Negombo saw, Dilroy, Chang, Roshan Dean, Asela de Silva, Sanjeewa Saranapala, Lasantha Jayawardena and the writer take the whistle barefooted, while the sand beneath burned our soles.
Then I wondered why black is black and white is white, and the Rugger ball is oval. I asked myself why I am sitting in this chair thinking about Shane Warne saying, “it is important that the best players outside the Test team, play each other frequently, and there is hunger, passion and desire for places”. Then the children’s story series, Three-Ring Rascals by Kate & Sarah Klise, came to mind, but yet, I was unable to fathom why a rascal is a rascal.
The series of Three Ring Rascals introduces a cast of talking animals in the friendliest and funniest family circus in the world. Sir Sidney, a kindly old circus owner, too tired to travel with his show, places a ‘Help Wanted’ ad in the newspaper. Enter Barnabas Brambles: “with a Degree in lion taming from the University of Piccadilly Circus”. Brambles has big plans: More cities! More shows!. Soon he’s made a big mess of Sir Sidney’s Circus. The rest of the performers agree: The Show Must Go On! Thus the series started with the “Show Must Go On and developed into a few other stories”. The relevance of the series of the Three Rascals… to Rugby is, when you hear the whistle that often blows tunes that are flat. The key for survival is to help Papa Bear look after the Baby Bears, while giving the crumbs to Slimy Bears born to others. The messiah is the Three Rascals in the Ring.
Seen prominently and smart at Shan’s ‘do’ was Tony Amit, Shan’s former coach wheeling his chair around for the bow. Being a man accustomed to being seen at the right place, when playing, coaching or refereeing, I wondered why he could not make headway in getting the referees, who he mentors now, to be at the right place to see what had to be seen. This match also served as a trial. It is most important when you look and ask why Sri Lanka has been defeated and that too, by small margins. In a country where political vulgarisms are at a peak, there can be no shame in serving the goodies in a party of another.
Sri Lanka will shortly play in the Asian Rugby Championship Division 1 Series against Philippines, in the last week of May. Philippines will not be easy meat, as they seemed to have woken up, and will be buoyed by their 7s success, and have reached the second qualifying Round for a place in the Rugby World Series 2020.
The pool for the team that will take wing was selected from among those who showed up at the testimonial/selection match. Most often, I thought the players were denied space and time. It is important for the local players who have been losing in the Asian Circuit by close margins. I observed in most international matches in the past, the players take time to adjust to the referee who penalise the infringing of space, as well as the delays at the breakdown. The 17 matches officiated by foreign referees is testimony of a different flow. But the players adjusted well. Particularly, to the French Referee, the local pundits may say that he was slow. The question is, did this slow down the game. He managed players who listened to him and he could see what was needed to be seen, as he stood where he should be, moving to the next breakdown with ease.
Locally, the coaches and players play a different game in reducing space, by fringing while they go over, and or delay by not rolling over at the breakdown. This is not adequately penalized by the referees, who seem to either go along with the coaches or, are not in a position to see what goes around them. That requires adjusting, when you play outside Sri Lanka. It takes time and meanwhile, it puts you back through conceding penalties.
On the other hand, in various forums I read about the need for restructuring. Boa Athukorale, it seems, is on a crusade to suggest change. Change that will give the hunger, passion and desire, despite not being in the Top 8. A problem I see of the new bible is that, the excuse will be “where do the first funds come from”. Because that is the culture, Rugby in Sri Lanka is subject to.
But the game will go on, like the series of the Three Rascals in a Rring growing, but, unlike in the series of children’s books, Baranabas Brambles goes on.
Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, Coach and an Accredited Referees’ Evaluator IRB