Anton Benedict - Legend of Rugby Royalty

Sporting Personalities with Ken de Joodt:

SPORTING PERSONALITIES: In an era when Rugby Football was surely but steadily 'creeping' into the Sri Lankan schools, it attracted some Soccer players to take up to a different form of 'ball-game'!

Seeing Rugby as a game that has an odd 'oval-shaped' ball with a bizarre 'bounce' perhaps was intriguing!

As a 'run and pass' game, it offered the joy and liberty to handle the ball extensively with hands, while also 'flinging' the body into exciting 'tackles' and invigorating 'body contact'!

All this and the options and variations of kicking the ball, make the difference between the 'ball-play' in the game of Rugby - as against Soccer, where much of the play is linked to strenuous techniques with the legs!

Even the disciplines and attitudes of a 'rough and tough' game like Rugby seemed more resolute and 'inviting' to a young Soccerite, Anton Benedict!

It was as a sixteen-year school boy, at St. Joseph's College, Colombo that Anton's talents for Rugby was observed by Neville Perera, the SJC Rugby Captain - and given his 'chance' to be 'converted' from a talented Soccer player and be 'baptised' in to the 'thrills and spills' of Rugby!

This vital decision made Anton set out on a new and adventurous 'sporting-expedition' which has made him a legendary Rugby personality - and compares much akin to "King Midas" whose touch turned things into gold - even in Rugby!!

To 'take-off' on Anton's 'high flying' Rugby life, (expect to land on 'cloud nine!') - and go back in the 'passage of time' forty years or more, could require a 'fastening of seat belts' (as the saying goes!) and view a 'Galaxy' of 'sky high' achievements! Beginning at 1963, Anton launched out into his Rugby career at SJC, whilst also playing for the 1st XI Soccer team.

In 1964 he won his rugby 'Colours' and on leaving college in 1965, he joined the Havelocks Sports Club, Captained by a versatile young Trinitian Nimal Maralande. Anton came off with 'flying colours' playing as a 2nd row forward. In the next year too, he played for the 'Havies', who were led by a classy 'hooker' Frankie David.

In a bold bid to make his life more 'forceful' and be a 'strong arm of the law', Anton joined the Sri Lanka Police force in '67 and began a new career in life - as well as in Rugby!

Playing his first season under a dynamic Captain and hooker S. Sivendran, he was an integral part of a history-making team, when the Police won the "B" Division tournament and qualified to play in the "A" Division 'Knock-out' tournament.

Amazingly the police beat Dickoya in the quarter-final and sprang a surprise on a virtually unbeatable CR & FC in the semi-final, by beating them! With it, Anton continued the "Midas touch" and helped the police to enter the 1967 'Cup-Final'.

Havelocks Sports Club led by another illustrious legend Gamini Fernando, 'arrested' the cup from the police, winning by 11 pts. to 3. This was the start of Anton's 'Rugby milestones' to participate in seven more 'Clifford Cup-Finals'!

1970 was a memorable year when the police, captained by a brilliant inside 'three-quarter' M. A. Majeed, (who also played for Sri Lanka), entered the 'Clifford Cup Final' for the first time, to share the 'Cup' with the Havelocks Sports Club, led by a strong and wiry Jeff Rutnam, which ended in a 6-all draw.

An 'insurrection' took place in the country in April 1971 and the rugby season was affected, as some of the services teams were compelled to 'pull-out' from the tournament.

However the police, captained by a super prop-forward 'Tanker' Ibrahim Hamid, included a few Air Force players like, Viper Gunaratne, Lofty Perera and Charles Wijewardena, who were given special permission, to 'combine' with the police and play in the 'Knock-out' - which proved to be a 'Force' to reckon with!

They beat the more reputable club teams to enter the 'Cup Final' but lost to a strong CR & FC team led by Dhushantha Samarasekera, who were victorious by 21 pts. to 7.

Anton Benedict's 'Hour of Glory' came in 1972, when he captained a powerful police team and led them into the 'Clifford Cup Final'.

As Anton mentioned, it was the crafty guidance of a competent coach, Kavan Rambukwella that helped to make the difference.

For the first time ever, police 'snatched' a thrilling win over CH & FC, then captained by a 'Maestro of Rugby', Y.C. Chang, to win the coveted "Clifford Cup". First, a brilliant conversion by Nimal Abeysinghe, (Fly-half and National Soccerite) from 45 yards far left, brought the police back into the game.

Then Nizam Hajireen became 'the man of the moment' when he 'put over' a splendid Penalty kick, just a minute from the end of play - to give the police a great victory and entitlement to be the '1st service team' to win the 'Clifford Cup'.

It is worthy of mention, the 'Historic-team' that played in this fabulous and memorable match: Ibrahim Hamid, T. V. Morseth (hooker), E. K. R. Wijewardena, J. B. Kularatne, K. Banda, Juraghan Savanghan and Daya Jayasundera (flankers). Anton Benedict (Capt. and No. 8), Sunil Perera and Nimal Abeysinghe (halves), M. A. Majeed, Bandula Wijesinghe, Seevali Samarasekera, P. Samaraweera (three quarters) and the 'great' full-back and place kicker Nizam Hajireen (a 'Double International in Soccer and Rugby).

After seven years with the police, Anton played his final year in 1973 under the astute captaincy of Nizam Hajireen, which took him into his fifth 'Cup-Final'. Police shared the cup with the army, as the final result was a 19 all draw.

In addition, Nizam Hajireen led the first-ever police team, which included Anton, to participate in the 'All India tournament' staged in Bombay that year. Police won the 'Seven-A-Side' Championship.

Then came Anton's 'calculated-No. 8 move' from the Government Sector (police) into the 'Mercantile' sector, when he joined Shaw Wallace and Hedges Ltd; in 1974 - and captained the Shaw Wallace team to win the 'Mercantile Sevens' Rugby in 1975.

This included classy players like Malik Samarawickrema, Travis de Jong, Neil Peiris, Athula Unantenne, Shehan Rahim, Cuda Wadugodapitiya, Dinal Jayamanne and Lalith Edirisinghe. This winning team was coached by Gamini Fernando, a 'master' tactician in Rugby.

Since he was out of the police uniform, he decided to don the 'Havies" chocolate brown and salmon pink jersey in '74! Once again, Anton returned to the Havelocks (with his "Midas touch"!) to see Havelocks in the 'Cup-final' (Coached by Gamini Fernando), under the captaincy of Desmond Harridge, beating the CR & FC led by 'speedy winger' Reggie Bartholomeusz, to win the Clifford Cup.

At the end of the season, Anton was appointed captain of the 'Low-country' clubs, to win the 'Capper Cup' match against Up-country, led by Gavin Stevens.

In 1975 Anton played for Havelocks with Shafie Jainudeen as Captain and Gamini Fernando as coach. 1976 had Anton playing in his sixth Clifford Cup final and was led to victory by Thajone Savanghan, the Havelocks Captain and coached by Dickei Jayetilleke, former Sri Lanka and 'Havies' super Scrm-half.

In 1977, a vibrant wing-forward Jeff de Jong captained the Havelocks, coached by Ken de Joodt, which took Anton into his seventh cup-final and were winners of the Clifford Cup.

'Years of glory' were 'tripled' to last a lifetime, when in 1978 Anton Benedict captained the Havelocks team, to take them to their first time ever triumph as 'Triple Champions,' winning the 'Sevens', 'Clifford Cup' and the 'Knock-out' tournaments and 'finally' into his 8th 'Cup final.'

Anton ended his elite 'Star-studded' rugby playing career with an unique achievement of having captained two teams, the police and the Havelocks.

Moreover it was under Anton's captaincy of both teams in separate years that the 'Clifford Cup' was won. Coincidentally, he played seven years for each side, in his fourteen-year span of rugby.

In addition he represented Sri Lanka from 1970 to '77 and played against Singapore in '70, England in '71, Rugby ASIADs in Hong Kong '72 and Colombo '74. With various teams Anton toured Hong Kong, Bombay, Dubai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Chinese Taipei, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Sicily (Italy).

As National coach and Manager Anton accompanied the Sri Lanka team in 1988 and '89 to the "Dubai Sevens" as well as to the "Sicily Sevens."

Another year of importance in Anton's "Rugby flight" was in 1980, when he made his 'mark' in coaching and refereeing and made an invaluable contribution to Sri Lanka rugby!

He commenced coaching the police, which produced a 'Clifford Cup' champion team, with a hard-working captain, Nimal Leuke in 1980, then onto Upali Vidanage's year in 1984, followed by Upali Sahabandu in 1985, when the police won the "Triple Crown" in the tournament for the first time.

Anton also took to the 'Whistle' and became an "A" Division Referee, from 1980 to '87. He was honoured by being invited to Referee in 1986 in the Hong Kong 'Ten-A-Side' and again in 1988 at the "Dubai Sevens".

He completed two coaching courses, one in Cardiff (Wales) in 1986 and the other in England in 1991. He was also appointed Vice-President of the SL Referees' Society in 1987.

On this long 'Rugby Flight', while he reached 'great heights', he desired and pursued some heavenly personal assistance - which came in the beautiful form of a Professional 'Air Hostess' - Jasmin (nee Rajee) also 'flying high' with Sri Lankan Airlines (formerly known as AirLanka). After a time of 'joy-rides' they 'touched down' in 1981, to marry in the month of December (25 yrs. to this year!).

They produced two lovely daughters, Dhishni in 1983 and Chrishni in 1985. Anton was then a Senior Shipping Manager at Hebtulabhoy Ltd; a large Middle-East Tea Exporting company.

To carry on with the "Midas touch" - Anton continued coaching, to become the Sri Lanka National Coach from '89 to '92, giving Sri Lanka their first victory over Chinese Taipei in the '90 Rugby ASIAD' - staged in Colombo.

In 1992 he accompanied the Sri Lanka team as the National Coach which participated in the Rugby ASIAD held in South Korea.

In 1994 he took over the coaching of the CH & FC, backed by the good management of Kishin Butani, whose encouragement helped the team to fight on and win the Clifford Cup and the President's Cup, with Lock-forward Nishantha Dias as captain.

To add to his 'lengthy-list' of 'Achievements', he was appointed a National Rugby Selector in 1995 and '96.

Anton reached the 'zenith' of his rugby career in the prime of his life, when he was appointed Manager of the Sri Lanka team to the Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

While also being the manager of the SL Rugby team in '97 and '98, he was simultaneously elected Vice-President of the SLRFU, with Dr. Maiya Gunesekera (a 'Tower of strength' to Sri Lanka Rugby) as the SLRFU President.

In 1999, Anton was installed as the President of the SLRFU for a period of two years. His first 'tough' encounter was to 'tackle' the sponsorship 'pull-out' of 'Carlsberg', due to government regulations against liquor and tobacco advertising.

It was through the dedicated pursuance of Dilshan Hettiarachchi, Treasurer of the SLRFU, that a great sponsorship with 'Caltex' was contracted with Shibley Latiff, the Marketing Manager of 'Caltex', which continues to this day.

Anton continues to be highly involved in rugby circles, as he is presently the General Manager of the CR & FC. Here too, Anton has carried his 'Midas touch' to the 'CR' - (as Dr. Maiya Gunesekera quipped, the CR & FC won the 'Clifford Cup' this year, after 17 long years.. after Anton took over as GM!).

"Nothing succeeds like success" is one of Anton's favourite terms (used mostly on his two daughters!) but he has seen the truth of it in his own life!

Whatever he seems to 'touch' or get involved in, produces good results and others tell him it is the 'Midas Touch'!!

Even in his marriage to a wonderful wife Jasmin - the 'touch' has made her wroth more than all 'King Midas' gold, to him!!

As Anton stated, he was fortunate to have good exemplary leaders to follow.

Whilst on the rugby fields he had superb coaches and captains, whereas in real life it was his parents, teachers, employers and last but by no means least, his personal saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

He also felt that correct attitudes and loyalty are 'priority factors' in life that must be applied with true dedication.