The 70’s and 80’s were somewhat considered golden years for Sri Lankan rugby, where invitations for international tournaments flew in from far and wide. The bowl trophy at the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens was probably the centrepiece of the trophy cabinet, bagged by the class of 1984, which featured the likes of Chandrishan Perera, Saman Jayasinghe and Hisham Abdeen.
My memory still throws back to what was then the John Player league (Sri Lanka’s premier club competition) with an influx of foreign players adding much flavour to the local game, drawing huge crowds from all walks of life. I distinctly remember one game which involved Havelock Sports Club and Police. There was little me in amongst a throng of home supporters with the echoes of ‘Go Havies go’ ringing in my ears. Lost in the sea of people around me I was only able to get full sight of the ball when an ‘up and under ‘off the boot of classy Police fly half Nizam Jamaldeen was sent up into the heavens. Then there were the enforcers from the Pacific. Apsi Nagata, Manasa Qoro, and Jale SaluSalu from Havelock’s were household names. Watching these man-mountains ram into each other was alike to watching gladiatorial games at the Coliseum. There were bone jarring tackles, piercing runs, and some wonderful skill from our every own Sri Lankans. Priyantha Ekanayake, Graham Roux, Asoka Jayasena, Imthie Marikkar, Viraj Prasanna – these were the torch bearers of the local game in the early 90’s.
Sadly, Sri Lankan rugby took a severe downward spiral, where poor performances at International events saw us bounced off many a ‘guest list’. No more Hong Kong sevens, nor were we part of the International sevens circuit. Confined to competing within the Asian region, the upper tier proved too hot for us to handle, and the Tuskers, one of the oldest rugby boards in the world,were left to languish in the second division of Asian countries.
Where did it all go wrong?
Reasons for this steep decline are many, most of the blame for which lies with the SLRFU. They were far too slow to react, especially when the game went professional in the mid 90’s. No proper plan was put in place to nurture young talent coming through the schools system. It was only handful,that opted to pursue club rugby with many giving up the game in favour of higher studies, or to focus on their secular employment. For example, few would remember today that the Sri Lankayouth side of 2000, qualified for the Junior Rugby World Cup in Chile. This marked the first and, hitherto only occasion that a Sri Lankan rugby team made it to the World Cup final stages. I know this full well, for the simple reason the team was captained by my brother Jivan Goonetilleke. What happened to these players who embarked on this historic tour? What steps did the Union take to make sure these players developed further to transcend their talents to the next level?
Lack of proper financial backing for clubs is another issue that has led to the corrosion of the domestic game. My memory recalls the time I donned the jersey of one of the leading Colombo clubs in 2002. The remuneration policy was very simple. If you were in the ‘starting fifteen’, you were paid little over Rs. 2,500 per game; if you were on the bench it was much less. Of course both paymentsapplied only if you won. To put it simply, unless you were blessed with considerable personal wealth, you had to be intellectually challenged to pursue this avenue.
However, after many years in the doldrums Sri Lankan rugby has finally begun to raise its head again. The recently concluded Asian Division one tournament in Colombo where the host nation emerged victorious capped off what has been of the best couple of years for the sport in the island. For the very first time, one could clearly see elements of professionalism within the squad set-up. They had a qualified, proven coaching set up with Ravin du Plessis at the helm, supported by Ben Gollins. These are big names in the sport. This reflected in the fitness levels and conditioning of the team, who put away all who crossed their path with relative ease. Playing in our back yard, the Tuskers were the best team by a country mile. The backline play was probably the best I have seen by a Sri Lankan team. FazilMarijar was back to his best in orchestrating his ‘threes’ and excellently put players into gaps to break the gain line. It would also have helped to have his fellow Kandy team mates, Gayan Weeraratne and Pradeep Liyanage outside him and they all gelled so well together. Chamara Dabare continues to impress. With his wild hair and attacking flair looks like Sri Lanka have their own flying Fijian on the wing. Shenal Dias is another player who seems to have benefitted from time with the sevens squad, and looks in great shape, scoring a classy individualist try against Kazakhstan. Credit must also be given to skipper Yoshitha Rajapakse who led his troops well and maintained that vital intensity throughout the tournament which was played in very challenging conditions with short turn-arounds between games.
In my opinion, the foundations of this success were laid with the Carlton Sevens, formulated and staged in the island over the last two years. Our local talent were able to play alongside, and against some of the best ‘sevens’ players in the world. Years ago, this was a foolish dream. The knowledge as well as confidence gained by our players has clearly done wonders. Last season’s club season showed clear evidence of this. Foreign players, even in the club tournament are a must to improve our standards, though a certain level of control must be maintained. One of the main reasons cited for the French team’s capitulation in this seasons Six Nations has been the flood of foreign players who occupy key positions in their elite club competition. It’s vital that a balance is maintained here. Where the SLRFU was criticized earlier, they, or rather the few that head the body now under Asanga Seneviratne’s leadership must be applauded for bringing our rugby back on track. There is now a buzz at the ground during school, club, and international games alike. Let’s hope sustainable progress is made, and we continue to rub shoulders with Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong and even get the better of them in the not too distant future.
