Under-20 Rugby tournament rejuvenation timely

It is heartening to note that the Under-20 Inter-school rugby tournament is functioning smoothly. Thanks to the keen interest shown by none other than the highest of the land, the once-troubled tournament is now in progress, giving a greater opportunity for tomorrow's national players.

The tournament was in the balance with St. Anthony's College, Katugastota securing a court order to be in the scrum, against the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA)'s decision to keep the hill capital school out of the Under-20 Schools tournament.

Moreover, the SLSRFA was struggling hard to meet the finances and were desperately looking for a sponsor to run the tournament. It was under these circumstances that the attention of the sports-loving President was drawn to the matter.

Apart from his passion for sports, as a past athlete and former Sri Lanka athletic chief, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has a special affiliation to rugby as all his three sons have played the game at Sri Lanka youth level. The President requested the national governing body - the SLRFU, to take over and run the Under-20 Inter-School tournament.

President Rajapaksa was of the view that the administrative blunders should not deprive young schoolboy ruggerites of their playing opportunities at the senior most school level. He truly understood the agony and depression of the Under-20 schools rugby players as a father who had three outstanding players who had turned out for S. Thomas' with distinction.

The timely action by President not only saved the tournament but also found a reliable and dynamic youth oriented sponsor - the Tharunyata Hetak, headed by former S. Thomas' and Sri Lanka Youth rugby captain Namal Rajapaksa. The hurricane task of organizing the tournament on behalf of the SLRFU was entrusted to former Royal, CR & FC and Sri Lanka captain Lasitha Gunaratne, who is also a member of the SLRFU Interim Committee. He just has three others to support in running the Under-20 tournament.

It is not an easy task to handle 71 school teams taking part in various divisions and segments of the Under-20 inter-school tournament. It involves a total of 296 matches to be completed in two and a half month's time, averaging around 35 matches per week. Nevertheless, Gunaratne is performing the task entrusted upon him by the President, just as he propped his school, club and country to many victories during his days as a burly prop forward.

Schools are the breeding shade for outstanding young players and it is important that we always pay good attention to schools rugby. If we could improve the standard of school rugby, it is an easy task to develop the national pool. Unless we invest in today's schoolboy players, we cannot think of a future for Sri Lanka rugby. With his first-hand experience as a player and captain at schools and Sri Lanka Under-19 level, Tharunyata Hetak President Namal Rajapaksa is well and truly aware of this fact. That is why his fast-growing dynamic organization, dedicated for a better tomorrow for the country's youth, came forward lavishly to resurrect the Under-20 Inter-School rugby tournament.

Now, it is up to the rugby authorities to make the maximum use of the sponsorship and ensure a successful completion of the tournament. Not only to conduct the tournament but the 'after care' for the schoolboy ruggerites. The SLRFU must pick the most outstanding players after the current season to form a development pool of around 30 members so that it could well be an investment for the future.

These development pool players, who are the playmakers of the season, should be given every opportunity to sharpen their skills so that they could well fill vacancies of the Sri Lanka national team in future. Such a determined effort would also provide more options for the national selectors in future. Contracting youth players and assuring a future would also prevent them become unfortunate victims of petty club politics. For example, a hill capital club contracts the star schools players every season only to offer a place in the reserve bench. That would not serve any purpose for the outstanding schoolboy ruggerites, who need nothing but playing opportunities to improve their skills. But what the hill capital side has done over the years was to 'block' the outstanding young players turning out for their rival teams.

But if the SLRFU could come out with a concrete program to groom the top schools players by absorbing them to a development pool, it would prevent Sri Lanka losing the services of future national stars. Sri Lanka rugby is not staved of talent. But what we lack is a determined effort to groom next generation players. We must immediately start a development squad at youth and intermediate level.

In fact, the development squad concept for Sri Lanka rugby was the brainchild of the Present SLRFU Interim Committee Chairman Dr. Maiya Gunasekera, when he was the SLRFU Vice President and President in the late '90s. That program paid rich dividends and Sri Lanka went up to the No.3 spot in Asian rugby behind Japan and South Korea in that era. We need a similar effort to elevate the standard of Sri Lanka rugby and the first move towards that is to tap the schools. Unless we improve the standard of school rugby and secure a better future the top players, we cannot think of improving the standard of the national team. Hence, the timely action of the President to keep the Under-20 tournament going should be an eye-opener and that could well be the first step towards a bright future for Sri Lanka rugby.