YC Chang leaves a massive legacy
Yu Cey (YC) Chang, one of the legends of Sri Lankan rugby, passed away on Wednesday, January 22. A massive and colourful presence on and off the field, YC, as he was better known, had a long successful stint as a player, coach and administrator at Sri Lanka and the international level.
YC said under his leadership at Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU), Sri Lanka became the first country in the world to make rugby a professional sport, which earned the ire of IRB for some time. As a prop forward, he was fearless as they come and a powerful player who could terrorise his opponents. Remarkably, despite not playing for Trinity College first XV, YC became one of Sri Lanka and Asia’s best prop forwards.
YC Chang
He was not afraid to stand up for his convictions, which once saw him famously lead his CH&FC team off their field against Havelocks, because of what he thought was bad refereeing. This led to the SLRFU banning YC for two years, but it never stopped him from becoming a top coach and administration for the game.
In a frank interview with ThePapare.com in 2017, YC said he had been strongly motivated to excel in rugby after not being chosen to represent Trinity College first XV. He had moved from Carey College to Trinity College where he played cricket and rugby at junior level.
Despite having a stellar club and international career, YC never played senior rugby for Trinity, a fact which was a driving force for him. He went on to play and lead Sri Lanka, Kandy and CH&FC to much success. His first club was Havelocks where he played from 1961 to 1963 before joining Kandy when he became a planter. He is probably the first player to skipper both Up Country and Low Country.
“There was determination in me to prove that the school had done wrong to me,” YC told ThePapare.com.
“My fitness levels were the highest at that time and I was never tired. I displaced quite a lot of Sri Lankan players at the Havelocks side and that’s how I was able to play. Then I was selected to play for the Sri Lankan Barbarians which was hard to get into at that time, because there were many expats then,” he told.
YC said that his parents wanted him to be a doctor but he decided to become a planter after being encouraged by an European when he was playing for Havelocks. YC helped Sri Lanka rugby in many ways, including spreading the game around the island, including schools and provinces, with support from the International Rugby Board (IRB). He said it was one of his biggest achievements.
Former Sri Lanka, Police and Havies star Anton Benedict said YC’s contributions to rugby will be always remembered.
“I am saddened by the passing away of YC Chang, the legendary ruggerite who was a friend and mentor to many of us,” said Benedict, who is now based in Melbourne.
“His legacy and contribution to the game of rugby is phenomenal. I have played against him many times when I represented Police from 1967 to 1973 and recall the Clifford Cup final in 1972 when YC and I captained our respective teams.”
“I resigned from the services of Police Department in March 1974 having accepted a job offer of Shaw Wallace and Hedges Ltd., and represented Havelocks yet again after donning the chocolate brown and pink colours after leaving school as a teenager, in 1965 and 1966, as a student,” Benedict recalled.
“I was his teammate when he captained the Sri Lankan team at the 1972 Asiad in Hong Kong. I recall my second coming as a player at Havelocks against CH&FC at Maitland Crescent in 1974 with YC, captaining CH. About midway in the game, YC took his team out as he was not happy with some of the decisions of the referee Mohamed Azain, and he was suspended for two years by the rugby union for his actions.”
He was a truly colourful personality on and off the field who was tough as nails and a dear friend. He leaves behind his wife, Rosemary, his three children and the extended family. No funeral arrangements have been announced at the time of writing. May his soul rest in peace and may the turf lie easy on him.
| YC a colourful and gallant rugby stalwart | |
| I was saddened to hear of the death of Y.C. Chang one of our finest Sri Lanka rugby captains, a former Trinity College, Dimbulla, Kandy SC and Havelock SC captain, who led Sri Lanka at the Rugby Asiad in 1972. He was a classic example of one of the finest leaders that Sri Lanka ever saw on and off the rugby field.I came to know YC when he was the captain of Kandy SC in 1972, when I was just a schoolboy attending Kandy SC practices as my school, St. Sylvester’s College, did not have rugby back then. It was YC and the late General Denzil Kobbekaduwa who carried Kandy SC rugby at that time as players cum motivators. YC used to travel all the way from Ragala where he was based as a planter, on a Bantam motorcycle, clad in a yellow coloured jacket to Nittawela to attend rugby practices. He used to come direct to his dear old buddy, Gavin Steven’s room at the YMCA, take a rest and then get to Nittawela to attend practices. He used to do this at least thrice a week. I as a youngster, looked up to him with a lot of admiration and respect, as he had a excellent way of getting all of us to rally around and give the club our best. YC was a thorough gentleman who commanded respect from the entire rugby fraternity and was well loved by everyone who knew him. We all and the entire rugby community are sure going to miss YC in the days to come. May his blessed soul rest in peace. Nimal Lewke DIG (Trd) |