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by Dinesh Weerawansa

Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Johnston Fernando has introduced a series of measures as initial steps to professionalise Sri Lanka rugby.

Among them would be having a permanent Sri Lanka national rugby pool, proper appointment of a permanent local national coach, aquiring services of a permanent foreign expert coach, payment of a special monthly allowance to the national poolists, payment of a salary to national coach and organising a highly competitive domestic tournament with a view of finding talented replacements for the national pool.

In an exclusive interview with the 'Daily News' yesterday, Minister Johnston Fernando said the Sports Ministry would take the initiative in uplifting the standard of Sri Lanka rugby. For the first time in the local sports history, rugby football has been included as a discipline at the National Sports Festival from next year.

"We have decided to include rugby as a discipline at the National Sports Festival. The Premier championship trophy tournament introduced by the Ministry this year will be conducted under the National Sports Festival rugby tournament from 2003.

This would give a nation-wide attention to rugby as well and we would be able to find talented players from outstations," Minister Fernando said. Minister Fernando said he would make arrangements through his ministry to pay a monthly allowance to the players in the Sri Lanka national pool, which will have continuous training until the 2006 Rugby Asiad. "Sri Lanka would host the 2006 Asiad in Colombo and I want to see our team doing well before home crowds. Hence, we target the 2006 Asiad and have continuous training under a professional paid coach," he said.

The Minister also noted that the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union has not followed proper procedure in appointing a national coach. "They have not followed standard procedure in appointing the national rugby coach. The posts should be advertised, applications called and interviews held before a knowledgeable panel to pick the most suitable applicant. It has not been done and the union should follow this in future," he noted. He hit back at critics saying it has been a fashion for so called pundits to criticise when a person initiates something. "Some criticised the Premier championship trophy without any reason.

We started it as a pilot project and paid over Rs. 1.5 million as prize money for the teams right from under-13 level to 'A' division inter-club level. Never in our history, has so much of prize money been offered and we did this as a start. From next year, we would have it in the middle of the season and it would be the key tournament in the local rugby calendar," he said.

Minister Fernando said he would always welcome constructive criticism done in good faith and for the best interest of Sri Lanka sports.

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