Rugby is the ultimate team sport. All 15 players have to be focused on identical team goals -- to play with an intensive, aggressive style, to communicate effectively; and to perform high speed decisions and skills in synchrony. At international level every player must be strong, quick, highly skilled, well versed in the knowledge of the game.

This was the opening paragraph of the foreword: The Mindset of a Champion in the book “Rugby Tough”. Food for thought for those, who are, making a mockery of a game that, had a place in the sporting history of this country.

I thought to myself as I remembered the above paragraph that rugby was moving from rags to riches as news spread of the Carlton Sevens. The participation of 12 teams from the Asian region: it was not such a long time ago that countries kept away from Sri Lanka and we lost the IRB satellite status. Does it matter that Hong Kong and Singapore are not there? Additionally we have Top Rugby Nations taking part in a showpiece event as described by George Simpkin.

Six teams from New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa , Fiji , Samoa , and Papua new Guinea are to play alongside as Asian teams contest for the Carlton Sevens. Opportunities for rugby followers to see teams from top rugby playing countries compete. Yet the buoyancy of interest I believe depends on the attention of the spectator who draws his inspiration which flows from the National team. What of the National team that is expected to give the push to a game that is being taken to the undertakers?
The National team that has an opportunity to redeem some lost prestige of being ranked 10th in the Sevens circuit in Asia seem to be the least worry of the Administrators. With the tournament to be played on the November 27 and hardly 12 days away the team is still to start practice. The coach is yet to see seven players on a ground as a team. News is that team practices are cancelled and will start on November 17. No time to practice?

The sad moment is to see the President of the interim body going on record in a morning daily stating: “I don’t know anything about this and what is happening. The best thing will be to contact the coach”. Where will we ever get if we are not focused on team goals. The irony is that with the best out of the game through suspension the not so best do not see the need to practice. The interim which is more involved in issuing statements which flare and die a natural death with no use to the game should now take the bull by the horns. It is they who theorize that national duty was priority are now humbly conceding to players who prefer a domestic tournament.

There apparently is no mindset of a champion among those tasked with being caretakers of the game. What is present resembles cartoon characters that draw attention but has little to offer in concrete terms. It is not that the game has not had controversies and conflicts in the past. It always has had its moments but issues have been smoothened out and the game has continued. I remember among others: two issues of conflict the referees had with the governing body. One was when the strong willed Mohan Balasuriya who calls a spade a spade was President. When misunderstandings arose the normally stubborn Mohan initiated a dialog with the referees and sorted out the problem. Though unlike of Mohan the game being at heart he did what was best. The referees who are generally a maligned lot whose parents are remembered most of the time disrespectfully will react when they feel they are let down. It was when Harsha Mayadunne was President that another incident when the referees threatened the game. Again Harsha entered into dialog and sorted out matters as the game was more important than personalities. The question is whether the same can be said with the way things are handled where ego takes a prominent perch with no interest for the game.

Towards the end of 2004 I wrote in this Column “How will history remember today's leaders of Sri Lankan rugby, compared to those giants of the past? Going by the discussions of recent times the consensus seems to be "the organization of rugby is led by small thinking people who have failed to deliver what was required of them". The passage of time will either elevate or reduce their reputation depending on what will happen in between. A lot will have to be done to transform the body that administers when the new custodians of Sri Lanka Rugby take office, early, in 2005.”

It seems now those who were thought as small minds would stand taller when compared to the comic characters that adorn office courtesy the political administration.

Is rugby a dying sport in Sri Lanka? We will talk about it another day if space permits.

Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, coach and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB