The new kid on the rugby block, Hambanthota Sharks are prepared to give their best in order to climb up the ranks in their 2nd club rugby season as their Dialog Club Rugby League 2014/15 campaign kicks start on 31st of October with the curtain-raiser against the defending champions, Navy SC.
A bit of old
Hambanthota Sharks team debuted during the previous season. The new club was formed under the guidance and initiative of former Sri Lanka rugby captain and MP Namal Rajapakse who seeks to bring the southern city, Hambanthota into the Sri Lanka rugby arena. The club is managed by Carlton Sports Club which is the biggest influence of taking the local rugby to the next level. Hambanthota Sharks will be playing their home games in Beliaththa National Stadium which is one of the picturesque rugby grounds in Sri Lanka.
Lately
In their 1st season, fly-half Dev Anand led the boys from the port city of Hambanthota. Sharks won only one game against CH & FC where they beat the Maitland Crescent outfit by 47-20 points while they drew one game against Air Force SC (13-13). They finished 9th in the overall standings with 12 points in 12 games.
Driving Force
Hambantha Sharks are not enriched with star names as they are still in the process of building up a strong squad and they will be unknown quantity for many teams. They will be captained by former Thomian lock and Sri Lanka U 19 Prop Janik Jayasuriya. He led his university (Glion Institute of Higher Education) for three years in Switzerland and his main strength is his leadership abilities and he will be keen to use all his foreign experience to lead by example.
Seasoned campaigner and ex-Lankan half-back, Amjad Buksh will be the livewire of the team as he will call all the shots in their game strategies being the most experienced player of the team. Exciting back-row forwards such as Navinda Pulukuttiarachchi, Andrew Jegan and Pubudu Kodagoda can play a vital role in their team’s success during the season. Former Josephian and Police SC stand-off Priyantha Ekanayake is also another old cog to look out for this season.
New Blood
Sharks have invested a lot on the young generation with the hopes of giving players from the South a chance to shine at national level. Many recent school-leavers such as Ramdas Rumesh, Panduka Angammana, Vishwa Vijaya and Ijaz Ahmed have been signed by Sharks and they are rugby players with immense potential which is essential in their team composition.
Foreign Ammo
Hambanthota Sharks have been bolstered by the inclusion of the 2 Fijian-born players, Emori Waqavulangi and Joseph Dunn who represented Sri Lanka recently. The 24-year old Emori will play as a winger while 22-year Dunn will be the inside center of the Sharks back-line. They are accustomed perfectly to the Lankan conditions and they will be the two pillars of strength for the Sharks as they are capable match-winners. Few other foreign players are also expected to arrive shortly to strengthen their squad.
Coaching Contingent
Triple-crown winning Isipathana coach this year, former Kingswood player and Sri Lanka U 19 and national coach Nilfer Ibrahim has been retained as the head coach of the Hambanthota Sharks after he was assigned with the post last season. Ibrahim believes in team work and commitment and he hold a reputation of producing championship-winning outfits. Newly-appointed Isipathana trainer, Navindra Dayan will look into their physical and conditioning areas while Pradeep Kaluarachchi will be serving as the Manager of the team.
What they had to say
The ecstatic leader Janik Jayasuriya confidently spoke exclusively to www.thepapare.com about his team and their chances ahead in the season, “We started training about 3 months ago. We trimmed down the squad to 36-40 players few weeks back. The beauty about the Sharks is we don’t have any star players in our team. I would say 80 to 90 percent of our players are all young blood who have performed exceptionally well for their schools. We have a few experienced players who would help me with decision-making on and off the field. One of the major challenges we’ll be facing is that we are a new team and we don’t have a proper fan base unlike Kandy, CR or Havies. We are looking to build a solid base of fans that would support us and back us. We might be the underdogs but we might be the team to watch out for and finally we are hoping to end in the top 5.”
The head coach, Nilfer Ibrahim expressed his views to www.thepapare.com as the think-tank of the Hambanthota Sharks squad, “ When we started last year, there were only a handful of players who had represented the club level and this year most of them have been retained and they are now fully prepared. New players have also joined in and pooled into the mix perfectly. We emphasized on weight training during the pre-season workouts as we lost (last year) most matches in the final 10-15 minutes. This season, I believe all teams are equally balanced and we have a good chance of putting up an improved performance.”
Troops
Props – Udaya Kumara, Ravindu Perera, Rukmal Dissanayake, Lakshitha Jayasinghe.
Hookers – Rizwan Nazar, Ijaz Ahmed, Sathsara Basnayake.
Second Rows– Janik Jayasuriya, Pubudu Kodagoda, Geethanjana Madush, Andrew Jegan
Flankers – Lahiru Mudalige, Niraj Gunasinghe, Mohammed Rizwi, Gayan Dilshan.
Number 8 – Navinda Pulukuttiarachchi, Panduka Angammana.
Scrum–Half – Amjad Buksh, Vishwa Vijaya, Mohammed Rizwan, Lahiru Sachintha.
Fly-Half – Priyantha Ekanayake, Chamara Kumara.
Centers – Joseph Dunn, Rajitha Samaranayake, Damith Udayanga
Wingers – Emori Waqavulangi, Ramdas Rumesh, Ashan Jayasekara.
Full Back – Anushka Uthpala, Salinda Ekanayake.
