Will rugby in Sri Lanka progress to a level that is higher than it is now? This has been a question that has bugged rugby not just today. This has been on the minds of fans for a long time. There are more feuding factions at present than before. Some have sorted and aligned themselves with those they once opposed, and have now band themselves together to oppose others. These ‘others’ do not seem willing to give in.
Now there are three positive proposals being discussed by the Union. The first is to allow three foreign players to play in the top rugby league. This will no doubt result in more exciting rugby. If the rugby on the field becomes more exciting there will be more fans making their way to rugby grounds. But what if the back room games continue?
While getting foreigners to take the field we also have to plan for the game at the National Level. The plan should “see into the future” so that some of these players can play in the national team using the eligibility criteria. The criteria should allow persons who have had three consecutive years of residence in a particular country to represent that country. Therefore in the first instance there needs to be a system put in place which will place a cap on the age of persons who can come and play in Sri Lanka. Let us say that you should be below 24 during your first year in the country. This could be expanded to have exceptions to allow an older person to come in as a player coach. Another exception could be for a player who is also a referee. This would mean that such a club player would have to officiate in an agreed number of non-club games. That will also provide a chance for people to compare local referees with whatever else you may have.
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| (Overseas players made a huge impact in the local rugby scene this year too. (Pic by Ranjith Perera) |
It is important to have a plan towards national representation or we may not have people for key positions. We have seen before and we see clubs centre most play around, and depend on, foreign players. This will have an effect on the national team. Foreigners should be allowed to play rugby with the clubs so that the game is lifted. Doing so will require looking at the bigger picture and working to see that this bigger picture is the final result. If one works to ensure that the foreigners are in the country around ten months each for three years they could be used during the off-season for development work by the governing body.
The second decision is to open the doors to two more clubs at the top league this year. As explained by Secretary Lasitha Gunaratne the offer can be accepted by anybody interested. As this will not be part of the process of progression from the lower levels other parameters will be set. T his is to ensure that the clubs who want to play will be able to go through the season without saying that they have no funds. This would require that the club give the union a guarantee or a deposit of Rs 2.5 million. After almost twenty years of a constitution to spread rugby, we now see two more additions and a longer season.The third proposal that is tied to the second is to change the club season to October so that it will not clash with school rugby games.
While the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand is the interest of rugby fans around the world, Asian women made their presence felt at the Asian Championships in Pune. I was in Pune, and watched the Asian women battle for the championship. China was a powerhouse and ran over Japan in the semi-final and virtually heavy rolled Kazakhstan in the final. The semi-final between Kazakhstan and Thailand was a powerful and absorbing game of rugby. This game was full of incidents including a collision which left Sri Lankan Referee D. Nimal injured. The injury cost Nimal the opportunity to referee the final for which he was assigned. The tournament was an encouraging note for hosts India, who entered the quarter-final stage by beating Korea. Almost all the known faces of Asian rugby were there in the tournament and we saw Iran and India as well as Laos making their presence felt. The women’s ranking after this tournament is: 1 China; 2 Kazakhstan; 3 Japan; 4 Thailand; 5 Hong Kong; 6 Chinese Taipei; 7 Singapore; 8 India; 9 Iran; 10 South Korea; 11 Lao; 12 Malaysia.
India powered over Korea in the pool stage. Laos beat Malaysia to take 11th place. Iran who was seen approaching the breakdown very aggressively won the bowl. The problem with Iran was the number of penalties they gave at the break down. Sri Lanka was missed by most countries on the park, and I was frequently asked why Sri Lanka was not there. My reply was that they were there and showed Nimal, who was a referee that handled the tough semi-final and was assigned to the final which he missed due to the injury he sustained.
Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, coach and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB |
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