Sports - Overseas players get green light

By Harry Jayachandra

The Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union has finally got the go ahead from the Sports Ministry to include foreign players in the Sri Lankan team. However they have to meet the IRB criteria. According to the governing body’s regulations overseas players have to be in the country they represent for a minimum of 36 months or their parents or grand parents have to be from that respective country.

At the moment it appears that only Jimmy Bolakoro meets the criteria. According to Dilroy Fernando the Union is not going to place a limit on the number of players who can play for each club. But they do have to meet the criteria. So far no club has registered any overseas players.

For sometime now the SLRFU has been running an advertisement on their website requesting foreign players who are interested in representing Sri Lanka to send in their details. So far three players have sent in their details. Former Sri Lankan ruggerite Hamish Patternot’s son Andrew has sent in his details. The other two are Jon Perera and Ravindu Daniels. In fact the latter had a try out prior to Sports Ministry approval. At the time Fernando told the Sunday Times that Daniels was more suited to the fifteen a side game.Many have hailed this as a good move for Sri Lankan rugby. “Other countries have been doing this for years including Asian power house Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, India and Arabian Gulf to name a few,” said Fernando. He is not wrong. Arguably the top two sides in World Rugby, Australia and New Zealand have foreign players in their ranks. Australia’s key wing three Clyde Rathborne actually captained the South African under 21 side. The Kiwis’ flyer Joe Rockocoko is from a tiny village in Fiji.

Former Sri Lankan flanker Pavithra Fernando told The Sunday Times “It is a very good move. Sri Lankans by nature are not heavily built, If we want to make a mark on the world stage we need a good forward and maybe two speedy backs.”

Meanwhile as is the case in recent years, musical chairs is the name of the game ahead of the beginning of the season.. Or should I say musical clubs. CH & FC have been the busiest in Sri Lanka’s version of the ‘transfer market’. Radhika Hettiarachchi from Kandy, Zakir Badurdeen, Rajiv Ganapathy and Saliya Kumara (all from Havelocks), are some of the players who have joined the Maitland Crescent club .

As for the now infamous Hong Kong sevens fiasco, Fernando admitted that the Union had received the manager’s report. But he added that the Council would have to have an inquiry first, and then decide on what action if any should be taken.