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| Tuesday, 4 May 2004 |
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Meet the rugby clubs : Navy - a force to be reckoned with A team which has once again emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the club rugby scene during the last three years is the Sri Lanka Navy. The sailors clinched the SLRFU Plate Championship during the last three years and also produced four national players - Manjula Ruwantilleke, Sumedha Malewana, Ravi Jayasuriya and Rizan Saldin. Last year the sailors won seven matches out of 14 in the 'A' Division League and stormed into the semi-finals of the Premier Champions Trophy with a shock win over the formidable Policemen in the quarter-finals before losing to CR and FC (0-14) in the semi-finals. This year the sailors will miss the services of two of their stalwarts Manjula Ruwantilleke and A. P. Kolonne but are a determined lot who are bound to create some major upsets. The sailors made a sensational entry into 'A' Division rugby in 1975. Led by P. L. B. Nandasiri, a lad from Tangalle who learnt the rudiments of the game only after joining the service the sailors confronted the previous year's Clifford Cup champions Havelocks in the curtain raiser of the tournament at the Army grounds, Galle Face and were leading 10-9 before Havelocks No. 8 Jeffrey YU scored a last minute try from a five metre scrum to give the Park Club a face-saving 13-10 win. In the return match the sailors held Havelocks to a 15-all draw and beat the formidable Policemen 10-nil. They also went down fighting (0-3) to the 1974 league champions CR and FC. In 1976 under the captaincy of Ilex Perera the sailors fared even better. They drew with Havelocks 12-all and lost to the Park Club by a whisker (21-23) in the return match. They also stormed into the Clifford Cup final with a sensational 15-3 win over CH and FC in the semi-finals before losing to Havelocks (3-15) in the final. However Navy's finest season in club rugby was in 1989. Under the leadership of lanky Parakrama Samaraweera the sailors won seven matches out of 14 in the 'A' Division League. In the quarter-finals of the Clifford Cup the sailors scored a stunning 16-4 win over Havelocks and held the mighty Policemen to a six-all draw in the semi-final. Even extra time and a penalty tie-breaker failed to break the deadlock and Navy entered the final on the toss of a coin. The sailors failed to clinch club rugby's richest prize - the Clifford Cup by a whisker losing to CR and FC (3-6) in the final. The man who brought about this remarkable change in their fortunes was Bryan Baptist, the former CH and FC and Sri Lanka number eight who took great pains to mould them into a formidable outfit. Leading the sailors this year is second row forward Mohamed Sheriffdeen. He has been turning out for Navy for more than a decade and he will bind down in the second row with H. N. S. Perera. The other player who could fit into the second row is H. S. I. Ariyaratne. Two battle hardened players P. N. D. Kaluarachchhi and Menaka Suranga will bind down in the front row with D. G. Karunaratne and P. H. D. Niroshana making a determined bid to oust one of them. The hookers berth will be filled by either C. Janarthan or K. S. P. Kumara. The sailors will field a formidable third row. Sri Lanka player Ravi Jayasuriya and veteran Panda Wijeratne will be the two flankers. Panda Wijeratne who donned the Sri Lanka Jersey at the 1990 Asiad has been playing for Navy for more than 15 years. Sumedha Malewana, a fierce tackler and fine attacking, player will be the number eight. Evergreen Anura Ranatunge will operate from the base of the scrum and will pair off with either K. M. C. Sanjeewa or Rohan Gunapala. The other player who could fit into the scrum half position is P. H. D. Niroshana. The four players who are battling it out for the centre berths are Hapuarachchi, M. S. D. Gannoruwa, M. I. Munasinghe and N. G. Ranasinghe. A. L. N. Iroshan is assured of one winger's berth with P. A. P. S. Perera, M. C. R. C. Silva and H. U. B. Fernando staking a claim for the other winger's position. The last line of defence will be manned by either Rohan Gunapala or M. E. R. C. Silva. This year the sailors are being coached by Travis Sinniah with Bryan Baptist as the Technical Adviser. They are receiving maximum support and encouragement from Chairman of Rugby Commodore Tisara Samarasinghe. (R.S.) |
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