walk back with the champions

Kandy Sports Clubs unmatchable, unbreakable winning streak is something that is taken for granted now. However, things were always not that rosy. The club started posing a major threat, on a consistent basis, to the elite Colombo clubs in the early 1990s after a certain phenomenal rugby promoter threw in his lot with the club.

1997 was a seminal year for Kandy SC - That was the first time that the club performed the triple - the league, the knock-out and the President’s Trophy. It is no coincidence that the skipper that season was the former Anthonian and, then, Sri Lanka Centre Lasantha Wijesuriya. A look back at the composition of that champion out fit would be in order.

The forwards comprised Dunstan de Silva, Ranmal Weerasekera, Charaka Hewawasam, Suranga Amarasinghe, Asoka Jayasena, Harris Omar, Priyantha Ekanayake and Apsi Nagata. The rest of the team consisted of Juan Bohoran, Nalin Dissanaike, Juru Opethi, Lasantha himself Imiti Marikar, Suranga Kodituwakku/Sameera de Silva and Nalaka Weerakkody. Getting back to the main character under the microscope, Lasantha had three years in the senior rugby team at his college. He captained in 1991- his third season; and the team that year was coached by the colourful Kalu Perera. Contrary to expectations, Lasantha then sought greener pastures and opted to play for the CH&FC.

It didn’t take long for Lasantha to rediscover his roots. So from 1993 to 1999, it was the hill country club that benefited from his services and rugby expertise. Lasantha singles out the CR&FC as the most difficult to beat Colombo Club. His mind goes back to a CR game during his tenure. This was a return game and with five minutes to go, Kandy was threatened with defeat. The ball was in the Kandy half and, on an impulse, Lasantha decided to take the huge Manasa Qoro out of the pack and replace him with the more versatile Apsi Nagata. The move worked like a charm, for Nagata got hold of the ball and made his move. He ended up in the CR 40. Nalin Dissanaike took over, dummied a pass to Lasantha and sent the ball to the other centre Juru Opethi who touched down under the posts in the very last minute.

Lasantha points out that winger Imiti Marikar scored 12 tries in the season and Priyantha Ekanayake at number eight was Sri Lanka’s number one forward. These two, in particular, dished out tremendous rugby. Asked as to what else made his side kick, Lasantha says coach Nimal Hewage insisted on running rugby, on sending the ball out to the wings at every possible opportunity.

As an inside three quarter himself, Lasantha is well placed to comment on other insides. During his eight year club rugby career, Joel Pera, Paul Bennett and Junior Nixon impressed him on being very good centres.

Lasantha who turned out for Sri Lanka from 1992 to 1998, played most of his international rugby abroad. He played in two Asiads and also in the celebrated Hong Kong sevens, apart from doing duty for the national team in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Korea. Talking of foreign opposition on home soil, he recalls a win against the Australian Northern Territories at Nittawela and a loss to Papua New Guinea in Colombo.

He says a centre must plan to attack he should also learn to defend. Think of the opponent’s weaknesses and turn them to your advantage. A good centre should be a kind of all rounder and be able to kick, dummy, side-step, have the power to go forward and also be adept in defence.

Comparing the Hong Kong sevens with the local Singer Sevens, Lasantha feels that the Sri Lankan event lacks on two fronts. The Hong Kong one is all about colourfulness. We could try to recreate that. The other point is that the Singer Sevens doesn’t always have the best teams taking part.

Referring to Kandy SC’s continued success; Lasantha feels it is due to the fact that the club has a good plan, a good structure. Kandy SC, he says, is a model. The chairman of Kandy SC’s rugby committee, he speaks of the discipline of the players and the fact that the team is always together. In lighter vein he remarks that young, up and coming players earlier endeavoured to play for Sri Lanka. Now, they set their sights on playing for Kandy SC.