To improve rugby in Sri Lanka:

Good planning vital

Dilanka MANNAKKARA

The long, exhilarating and enthralling rugby season in Sri Lanka ended on a low profile and has raised a few questions for the authorities, the players and the domestic clubs. Sri Lanka managed to win the Shield at the prestigious Carlton 7s tournament which is the lowest ranked cup of the tournament. Purists fear the day Sri Lanka will be fighting for a fork or spoon is not far off.

In home conditions, in front of your home crowd and having a rugby tradition of over 100 years our rugby standards are just good enough for us to win only against teams like UAE and Malaysia.

Sri Lanka who have played the game for more than a century started off with big guns like New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Fiji and England but we cannot even compare the standards. We have to agree that these rugby giants had ample resources, proper administration, physical advantage and the necessary guidance but if a country like China who started playing rugby in 1990 are beating us in our own backyard quite easily why cannot we do it?

Thrashed in Asian Games and winning Shield in Carlton

The team took wing to Guangzhou China for the Asian Games where they had an up and down tournament coming out in a dismal 6th place. The young and inexperienced squad led by the powerhouse Radhika Hettiarachchi were thrashed by the ever improving Chinese side by 26 to 05 while Korea crushed us by 43 points to nil.

The only consolation win came against minnows India where the Lankans won by 43 points to 21. In the Carlton sevens though we pulled off some good wins against UAE and Malaysia, the overall result would not be satisfactory even for the most ardent Rugby follower. Sri Lanka was thrashed by a heavy Kazhaksthan side who scored most of their tries not by pinching the gaps or by speedy dashes but just powering their way through the Lankan defence which was very vulnerable.

Considering the inexperience of the side and the last minute preparations one could say that time should be given for the side to be competent at international level. But the factor to ponder is that why do not we have a proper training camp for International tournaments and why didn't we field our best players.

Kandy Fly Half and playmaker Fazil Marija who undoubtedly is one of the best sevens player in Sri Lanka was part of the provisional squad for the Carlton 7s.

So was the versatile Saliya Kumara who has been an integral part of the Sevens squad. The Weeraratne brothers who are also from Kandy were also part of the provisional squad. The selectors wouldn't have included them in the provisional squad if they were carrying injuries. So a huge question mark arises over not selecting these first choice players after including them in a provisional squad.

There lies a huge doubt as to why they were included in the provisional squad as a temporary solution to satisfy the passionate rugby fans who were crying for the inclusions of these star players after our dismal showing in International tournaments.

There hasn't been any news on ex-Sevens Captain Pradeep "Laiya" Liyanage who has been one of Sri Lanka's best centers and of speedy winger Sanjeeva Jayasinghe who are automatic choices in the Lankan sevens and 15s line ups. Their experience and superior skill levels and flamboyant style of play is an asset to any team and would have greatly benefited us.

Presently, Sri Lanka has no trouble beating the lower level teams of Asia but as the competition gets tougher the play and levels of performance drops. This is because of inexperience and inability to cope under pressure. The main concern is that there is no proper squad or there isn't much consistency in selecting a squad because the players are not contracted.

Sri Lanka rugby is not structured in a manner where players are continuously trained and built into a strong and well-oiled unit. Coach Inthisham Marrikar stated that he had only nine days preparation with the squad before leaving to the Shanghai 7s. Once the players were put through a proper training system and were drilled into playing rugby sevens they began responding and the team improved drastically.

If Sri Lanka can put the best possible players through this system, results will surely come. If they want the players to be professional they must treat them like professionals.

This means nutrition, lodging, transport and of course livelihood. If Sri Lanka rugby can provide all these then the players will respond.

Contract system should be the way

The governing body has gone through many a controversy and is looking to resolve its biggest problem once and for all. Some players opt not to participate in various tournaments citing different reasons. The players are not bound to play for their country since they aren't contracted and our rugby still isn't in the professional level. The way to solve this predicament is to set up a contract system for the players who represent Sri Lanka. It is a true that rugby players who toil their sweat and blood for the country is being paid peanuts when compared to sports like Cricket.

Most of the promising rugby players quit just after school and only a handful play Club rugby after being bought by different clubs.

Even the handful quit rugby at the prime age of 27, 28 due to being want to spend time with their family and pursue a far more lucrative career. Probably the biggest worry a rugby player has is when they carry injuries and need months to recover and that they don't have a way to finance themselves.

The Union must get a sponsor and offer contracts for the players based on merit and provide careers in rugby. That is the only way which we can retain our best players and move forward. Most of the top rugby nations including NZ, Australia, England, Japan have contracted players and they need not worry about their future and finances as they are well looked after. More tournaments and foreign exposure is essential

Sri Lanka only has one inter-club domestic tournament and Kandy SC is top ranked Club in this particular tourney, but they do not participate in the Sevens tourneys which meant the best sevens players on the island did not play. The authorities have to find a way to fund and sponsor many tournaments around the Island. The top players are bought over by the cash rich clubs and therefore there is very limited competition even among the 8 clubs in Division I.

A stint in a foreign club would do a load of good for the Lankan rugby players as they would gain more exposure, learn to play in different conditions and also enhance their skills. It is disheartening to see that a top player like Fazil Marija who was offered a contract by an Irish Club wasn't given permission by the Rugby Union to participate in a highly competitive tournament. This was one rare opportunity that a rugby player got after playing his heart out and by not granting him permission to play in a tough tournament the Rugby officials have not done Sri Lankan rugby a favor.

Allow Foreign players in Club Rugby

It is also evident that to be successful in the international arena we got to match the size and power with the likes of the huge players of Samoa, Fiji, NZ and Australia. Countries like Japan, New Zealand and even Malaysia have amended their rugby laws in order to accommodate foreign players. As starters Sri Lanka should bring back foreign players to the Club scene and then gradually give these top foreign players who mostly come from Fiji, Samoa and Kenya to be a part of the national squad.

Way to go forward If things go according to plan we could end up being the next Kenya. The Kenyans were the whipping boys five years ago but now they are one of the most dangerous sides in the world when it comes to Sevens. The Kenyans are natural athletes who are lightning fast and can out do anyone when it comes to stamina.

They also hold their own when comparing size and strength. If asked five years ago no one would have even thought of Kenya as a sevens rugby giant, but Kenya have put in place a good plan which they have executed perfectly and have now become one of the best sides on the sevens world tour.

Another country that seems to have got their sevens rugby development plan going well is Spain who performed excellently in the recently concluded Carlton sevens where they beat the Samoa Barbarians, drew with Dijicel Fiji and also beat the Australia Legends.

It is no secret that internal politics ruins sporting activities in many ways. More office-bearers have sat on the Union's chairs than players have made it to the Sri Lanka line-up.

We have had ugly incidents where players being banned, coaches quitting in disgust and the selectors and the office- bearers being changed over night. What rugby in Sri Lanka needs today are honest men. Not men with egos or hidden agendas under the pretext of rugby promotion. Men who are yearning and burning to give back to the game what the game gave them. The Chairman of the Rugby Union Air Chief Marshall Roshan Goonetilleke who is a no nonsense man is the ideal choice to clear up this mess and for Sri Lankan rugby to move forward.
 

		IRB World Rankings 
Position        Member Union        	Rating

1		New Zealand 		93.19 
2		Australia 		87.45 
3		South Africa 		86.44 
4		England 		82.48 
5		Ireland 		81.79 
6		France 			81.66 
7		Scotland 		81.20 
8		Argentina 		78.97 
9		Wales 			77.04 
10		Fiji 			74.05 
11		Samoa 			74.02 
12		Italy 			73.31 
13		Japan 			71.45 
14		Canada 			69.19 
15		Georgia 		68.21 
16		USA 			67.69 
17		Tonga 			67.35 
18		Russia 			65.56 
19		Romania 		65.54 
20		Uruguay 		60.94 
21		Portugal 		60.94 
22		Namibia 		60.66 
23		Spain 			58.64 
24		CHL 			56.68 
25		Belgium 		56.44 
26		Morocco 		56.11 
27		Kazakhstan 		55.20 
28		Brazil 			54.56 
29		Ukraine 		54.35 
30		Germany 		53.34 
31		Czech Republic 		53.30 
32		Korea 			53.03 
33		Kenya 			52.85 
34		Moldova 		52.84 
35		Hong Kong 		52.49 
36		Tunisia 		52.24 
37		Poland 			51.33 
38		Arabian Gulf 		50.41 
39		Paraguay 		50.23 
40		Lithuania 		49.83 
41		Sweden 			49.71 
42		Netherlands 		48.63 
43		Sri Lanka 		48.62