Rugby: SLR and SLSRFA unite for the common good

Amidst negative speculations from the fraternity over a possible snatch of the most popular Schools Rugby League Tournament officials of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) and Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) have formed a 10-member committee with a broad-based vision, it is learned. 

According to information available the committee consisting of five each members from SLR and SLSRFA have had the initial round of discussions, mainly related to Junior Rugby and the development of the sport. 

The joint committee comprises of five members each from SLR and SLSRFA. The SLR is represented by its President, Secretary, Executive Director, Vice President and the new CEO while the School Section is represented by its President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Tournament Director. 

"The School Rugby Section has agreed to work with SLR with a long term vision and a common goal. Up until recent we have had our own goals and so were the Schools Section, we were going on different directions. The result of that has been hugely affecting Junior Rugby at national level. It had so many conflicts as to who should be really responsible on the national teams and so on," Nazim Mohamed, the Secretary of SLC elaborating on the matter said.
 
On September SLR stated that it intends of regulating the level of competitions and adding quality to the game at a Council Meeting and the first victim of the regulation became the SLSRFA, which attempted to stage a two-day Under-18 Sevens Tournament without obtaining proper clearance even from the Ministry of Education. 

This occurred in late October and the latest development of forming a general committee to control the game at junior level comes as surprise to many of the game's followers. 

The under-preparation of the Sri Lanka team for the Asian Youth Championship to be held in Malaysia in December made the High Performance Director of SLR, Inthie Marikkar raised concerns as he blamed the Schools Section for their negligence. 

However all such concerns would be brought to immediate attention, with view to seek long and stable remedies. 

" We have had a sitting and there will be a second sitting in a day or two. The discussion was high profile, it was based on subjects like how to raise money to pump into development and maintaining the junior national teams. In addition there were talks on management of tournaments, pulling in Girls' Schools into Rugby and introducing a minimum qualification level on school coaches. We are also seriously looking at differentiating coaches and referees as by now at school level, most of the coaches referee and referees also coach. Changing this entirely will take some time, but it has to be controlled somehow, because it's a bit of a conflict," Mohamed stated. 

The joint committee also discussed on how to drive the national development programme on junior teams, beginning from Under-14, 16, 18, 19 and 20 and possibly another age category of Under-24s. 

Mohamed explained that though the Under-24s is the responsibility of SLR, the intended plan has direct contribution from the schools, which are feeders to the Sri Lanka main team. 

One of the main concerns will be managing the teams, which will come under the joint committee. 

"Most of the decisions related to Schools Rugby will be taken by this 10-member committee, in terms of dates, sponsorships, tournaments, discipline related matters and development. It's a bit too premature to say anything further, but both parties will have a say in that. But as of now we want to work collectively in the name of the game." 

Brushing aside fears generated by speculations that SLR is eyeing to grab the potentially cash generating Schools Rugby League Tournament, Mohamed explained that the main governing body has less manpower to do the ground work in handling a competition, that features nearly 80 schools in different divisions. 

"The fact many fear that SLR is trying to pluck money out of the Schools League Tournament is totally baseless. It was firmly discussed that the Schools Section would run the tournament and SLR will get involved only into administrative matters. The only fact that we agreed was on the Junior National teams and their maintenance." 

"There were Schools Section was in fact of fear that SLR is eyeing to take over their main competition. But after healthy talks we managed to persuade them that Schools Rugby is much more worth than what it is now. We firmly told them that SLR has no manpower to run such a big tournament and what the Schools Section is doing is a challenging task that needs appreciation. So let them continue with it. But there's lot more work needs to be done. They have not potentially understood their value," Mohamed emphasised. 

Though the two parties are making an attempt to iron out matters that should have been looked into some years ago, there are still doubts if they could reach an even ground after several rounds of meetings. 

As the main governing body the SLR has been kept at bay during certain occasions by the SLSRFA, who even were taken to courts by certain schools and groups in the past. 

On certain issues the SLR had to come out as their saviours, when it came to technical related matters and World Rugby and Asian Rugby mediation. 

But the Rugby fraternity is at certainty that the Schools Section provides the country's best annual competition, attended by thousands of followers. 

On this issue, comparing their Inter-Club League Tournament to the Schools League, the SLR sits second the SLSRFA. 

But the spirit of sportsmanship has become a second value to competitiveness, which Mohamed believes, should make a comeback. 

"There's been a bit of bad taste in the part by both parties in the past. But now both have agreed to come into terms and work together. We believe we have to work together for the betterment of the game. We are also very conscious of the past but we are not with the mindset that we must go on our own paths and remain as friendly foes. We want to make sure this is an everlasting beginning."