Sports

Sports

Rugby future – law is an ass?
By Vimal Perera
The SLRFU it seems is addressing the future, professionally, as they aspire to reach the milestones discussed during the last Rugby Congress. The first of the landmarks is to be within the first five in Asia by 2006.

Preparations for Rugby World Cup qualifying games are underway. Attention is also been focused on the Commonwealth Games as well as the Hong Kong Sevens. George Simpkin has been appointed coach with CPP Abeygunawardena as assistant for the 15 a side game. The team has D. M. U. Jayatilleke as its Strength and Fitness trainer and Yogananda Wijesundera the speed trainer. New faces are Asoka Jaysena as line out coach with Indrajith Bandaranayake as the back division coach. Siddique continues as scrummaging coach. This will give opportunity for the players to improve their position specific skills while Simpkin concentrates on the overall aspects as well as game planning. The involvement of people experienced in different aspects will also see an opportunity for them to develop as future coaching prospects.

For the sevens Simpkin is joined by the knowledgeable Imtisham Marikkar. However the appointment of Marikkar is under a cloud with the outcome of the disciplinary inquiry on the now infamous sevens walk out pending. It appears that there is mention of him in the reports submitted by match officials. It will be a pity if the services of Marikkar are lost. The game needs to be managed and controlled to have a deterrent effort to distract possible threats of disruption. While wishing hopefully that he continues it has to be remembered that wrong doers cannot go unnoticed.

A paragraph from the playing charter of the International Rugby Board states as follows; “It is through discipline, control and mutual respect that the spirit of the game flourishes and in the control of a game as physically challenging as Rugby, these are the qualities which forge fellowship and sense of fair play so essential to the games ongoing success and survival.”

The international governing board in its by laws has a binding agreement with the National Unions. This identifies that membership of the board is an effective binding to abide by the by-laws, regulations and laws of the game, the boards decisions in respect of playing and administration of the game throughout the jurisdiction of the national union. Any breach of the binding agreement or conduct prejudicial to the interest of the board or the game is considered to render such union to be dealt with under regulation 18 of the regulations of the game. The Governing body requires the Union to similarly by agreement bind its affiliated membership with such Union. This is in my opinion automatic through membership.

Regulation 18 deals with disciplinary and judicial matters. A Union is subject to sanction if it is found to have breached the by-laws or regulations or to have brought disrepute to the game, engage in conduct or behaviour or practice which may be prejudicial to the interest of the board or of the game: or breach the code of conduct. A Rugby Body, or club or person that contravenes these regulations is also subject, to sanctions by the union having jurisdiction.

A person referred to here mean; a player, trainer, referee, touch judge, coach, selector, medical officer, physiotherapist, or any individual who is or has been involved in the game or in the organization or administration of the game.
The code of conduct addresses all unions, associations, rugby bodies clubs and persons.

This code of conduct has been circulated by the Rugby Football Union to Provincial Unions, Clubs as well as Schools. It should have the responsibility among officials of these bodies to explain to its membership of the repercussions that may follow. The easiest excuse that the document was not received should not be accepted. Probably these documents when received are passed on to a clerk with the note S and F (smile and file).

Another area of the regulation that has to be seriously thought of is the chapter that addresses player status, contracts and player movements. This also deals with the subject of compensation for development if the players move within the period of its agreement. There is a role for the union in all these.

During the last season the application of the code has been specified in various other documents concerning tournaments. Yet there have been violations as well as abuse, by match officials, which have not received the desired punishment.

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