Some of the chiefs of rugby have been able to agree and understand that the national team needs priority. At last there has been an attempt to talk and solve, said a one-time rugby big man. Big Chief - Secretary of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union was happy when I spoke to him. He was happy that Chief Nishantha Wickramage of the Mercantile Rugby Football Association and chiefs from CR Jehan CanagaRetna and Shantha Kurumbalapitya were cooperative and helpful towards the national interest.
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This was a happening to remember, these days, as chiefs tend to be more Cheap than Chief. Mercantile Sevens had to be postponed to get to where they are. And to play it in the second week of November required CR to postpone their Tag Rugby fiesta. All this was done and we hope this is a new leaf or foundation for more support. The Mercantile Sevens are now postponed and will be played on November 12, 13 and 14. Such consensus was reached in this circle after many moons because the rugby chiefs have been unable to sit and smoke the pipe of peace.
When one area is cleared there is always a problem that pops up elsewhere. Rugby appears to be under some sort of spell and may need a sorcerer to exorcise all the ill effects. We heard of an issue with the National Sevens Coach resigning on the eve of the team’s departure to Borneo. This appears to have been brought under control. The question is for how long. Imthi Marikkar, it was reported, was not satisfied with team the selectors provided. It was reported that he felt that Milinda Jayasinghe should have been in the team that was to take wing.
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| Besides the commonwealth debacle Sri Lanka has been doing well in the Asian circuit. |
Knowledgeable people in the rugby loop think that Milinda is over the hill for sevens. The coach does not think so but the selectors do. This is the point of confrontation that has plagued the game. According to Dullewa panic buttons were pressed all around. The team was about to leave and there cannot have been another coach to take over. Moreover the timing was critical. Was it another attempt to pressurize the big names thought? Thus they talked the coach into crawling with the team.
Dullewa mentioned that there is no possibility for the selectors to be told that they will have to take into consideration what the coach wants. Dullewa believes that there cannot be an agreement between the SLRFU, Selectors and the Coach. “Though reported that there was an agreement the ground situation is different. The selectors are appointed by the Minister under the Sports Law and are responsible to the Minister. We can only talk to them and tell to consider the opinion of the coach and or the captain but we cannot direct then to do this or that. Hopefully all things put aside Sri Lanka will come back with something to show for all that they want to achieve.” The importance of the Borneo Sevens is that it is a ranking tournament. Twelve teams from Asia are competing in this sevens series event. Sri Lanka needs to participate and perform so as not to be left behind. Therefore the consensus arrived at, as well as the irritant ironed out is important for the forward march of the game at home.
It was indeed encouraging to note that the selectors have gone with the young lot captained by a veteran as they did with the Commonwealth Games. This is what we should be doing and to develop a sevens squad which needs fresh legs on the park most of the time. Therefore Sri Lanka has to take this aspect of the game seriously and look ahead to book our place in the sevens circuit.
An important event in reaching the aim is to pass milestones of significance. That includes taking part in the Asian Sevens Series and coming out on top amongst the best. This will also involve placing Sri Lanka on the map as a sevens venue capable of hosting an event that can attract and cater to the rugby fans of the world. The Carlton Sevens that will be played in the last week of November will be useful as it will serve two purposes. One will be the opportunity to get the Sri Lankan rugby players to face and play tougher opposition. This will give the young lot of players more and more opportunity. The second but more important factor is to woo IRB/ARFU to consider Sri Lanka as a sevens venue.
The opportunity is not only to host a rugby event but also to market the destination where a difference can be experienced within a distance of less than 100 km. As I was told this year’s tournament will have Asian giants such as Japan, Korea, China, and Kazakhstan playing. Also there will be teams from Fiji, Samoa, Kenya New Zealand and South Africa among the 16 teams that will be participating.
Vimal Perera is a former
Rugby Referee, coach and
Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB |
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