SL ready to host

Asian Five Nation Rugby :

Hafiz MARIKAR

Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union, headed by Asanga Senavirthne and ably supported by hard working secretary Rizly Iliyas, and the rest of the committee and the office staff are making elaborate arrangements to host the Asian Five Nation Rugby tournament in Colombo from March 31 to April 6, at Havelock Park, with host Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan and Thailand taking part.

At the AGM of the SLRFU which was held at Galle Face Hotel last Sunday, soon after being elected President Asanga Senavirthne said that he is going to make this tournament a memorable one and hopes that we (Sri Lanka) would do well. He said that we have got a good chance and it is now up to the players to deliver.

At the AGM, the main office bearers the President, Vice President, Secretary and the Treasurer were re-elected for another term.

Coming to the Asian tournament Sri Lanka side is under the watchful eyes of the new coach who is one of the best on the subject.He has two experienced players in Yositha Rajapaska and Fazil Marija who are the captain and Vice captain. They are all out to get the best from the rest of the players.

Matches are scheduled at 2.00pm and 4.30pm.

March 31:-

Kazakhstan vs. Chinese Taipei (2pm)

Sri Lanka vs. Thailand (4.30pm)

April 3:-

Kazakhstan vs. Chinese Taipei (2pm)

Sri Lanka vs. Thailand (4.30pm)

April 6:-

Chinese Taipei vs. Thailand (2pm)

Sri Lanka vs. Kazakhstan (4.30pm)

In the good old days this tournament was called the “Rugby Asiad" which was founded n 1968 and the first tournament took place in that year with teams like Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon), Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand participating.

The 4th Asiad in 1974 was played in Sri Lanka which was the biggest rugby competition ever to be staged and hosted in Sri Lanka and at the end of the competition became worthy runners-up to the mighty Japanese team.

Sri Lanka was unbeaten and the victories were against Singapore, Laos and Malaysia. This tournament is worth recalling. The countries which participated were – ‘A’ Group - Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Laos and Singapore - Group ‘B’ - Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and South Korea.This tournament was conducted in November 1974 in Sri Lanka,

When you look back to the 1974 finals between Sri Lanka and Japan. Sri Lanka was led by Dr. Indragith Coomaraswmy and was coached by late Col. Bertie Dias the man who moulded the Sri Lankans to play top quality rugby.

This final was played on November 24 in front of a large gathering at Longden Place, where Japan beat Sri Lanka by 44 points to 6. The Sri Lanka squad was made up of players such as Nizar Haji Omar, Alphonso Rodrigo, Jeyer Rodriguez, Lanil Tenakoon, Dr. Maiya Gunasekara, Indragith Coomarasawmy (Capt), Jeffery Yu, Anton Benedict, Hanzil Samad, Hafi Abdeen, Jeffery de Jong, Didacas de Almeida, Omar Sheriff, Mahesh

Sabarathnam, Charles Wijawardene, H, Gunasekara, Reggie Batholamuesz, Nimal Malagamuwa, Brian Baptist, M.F. Fernando, Clifford Elhart, Shafie Jainudeen, G.B. Gunadasa.

Japan squad was from - Ryozo Imazato (capt), T. Takata, Y. Matsup, K Ohigashi, K. Aruga, R. Fukurodate. S. Toyata, M. Yopshidam T, Ishizuka, S.Mori, H. Akama, H. Kano, S. Hara, O. Yamasitha, S. Kurihara, Y. Izawa, M. Iguchi, T. Kurosaka, G. Koyabu.

In this final Sri Lankans fought this losing battle with such defiance and tenacity that even in defeat Sri Lankans emerge with glory. Sri Lanaka’s tackling was so resolute that many a Japanese advance was stalled. Leading this band of daring ruggerites was Indrajith one of Lanka’s finest forwards who led from the front.

Sri Lankan forwards left little to be desired. Their scrummaging was perfect that was not seen for a long time and this enabled Sri Lanka through the hooking of Rodrigo to win the ball repeatedly.

But the champion Japanese being the Asian masters timed their moves so superbly that possession was time and again retrieved.

In the lineout’s, Maiya and Lanil gave Toyota and Ryutaro a torrid time. In the loose team leader Indragith, Benedict, Elhart and Hadji Omar moved with a lot of purpose. The nippy scrum half Hanzil Samad although well marked, slipped his passes with finesse and style.

In the first half on one occasion he ran loose some thirty yards from Sri Lanka’s 25 yard line cutting through the strong Japanese defense. When Sri Lanka did have possession despite the slippery ball fly half Hafi Abdeen received some fine passes from scrum half Samad.

Hafi in turn set the Sri Lankan three-quarters in motion only to be countered by the Japes hard tackling.

It was however a product of Kandy the late Charles Wijewardena the Sri Lanka number fifteen who was given a testing time and came out with flying colours. His positional play was so good that it enabled him with some clean collections and did some fine quick clearances to touch. Sri Lanka’s 6 points came off his boot when he fired two superb penalties from 35 and 40 yards respectively. Sri Lanka’s number one to fifteen did their part well in a rich display of rugby that earned the Sri Lanka side the second spot in Asia.

So a big hand was given to the coach Col. Bertie Dias, who did a wonderful job. The Tournament organizing committee at this 4th Asiad was headed by former Royal College and CR & FC ruggerite Mahesh Rodrigo was well assisted by stalwarts such as Tyrell Muttiah, Comd. E.L. Mattysz, J.D.N. Banks, Arthur Raymond, Bentley Barsenbach, Nimal Maralande, Brig.

Denzil Kobbekkduwa, Dr.D.L. Disanayake, Comd. Malcolm Marshal. Brig. P.D.Ramanayake Maj. Sena de Silva, P. Mahendran, Flt. Lt. P. Wijasuriya, C. de Zylva, A.K.Doray and S.G. de Zoysa to name a few.

The Asian Five Nations marks the latest chapter in the long and distinguished history of rugby in Asia the fastest growing region in world rugby. In the last ten years the membership of the Asian Rugby Football Union has more than doubled from 10 members in 1998 to 26 unions today.

The first Asian Rugby Football Tournament (ARFT) was held in April 1968 in Tokyo. It has been played (initially annually and then later bi-annually) ever since. The Asian Five Nations top 5 competition has taken the place of the historic Asian Rugby Football Tournament.

The present ARFT trophy will now be contested in the Asian Five Nations Division I competition.

Asia has been represented at every Rugby World Cup since 1987 with Japan being the only Asian team to have qualified and played in every Rugby World Cup. Of the 26 member unions of the Asian Rugby Football Union, 15 Asian unions are full members of the International Rugby Board: Arabian Gulf, China, Chinese Taipei, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

There are 6 associate members of the IRB in Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan. The remaining members of ARFU are Brunei, Iran, Jordan, Macau and Qatar.

Golden Moments of our rugby history - 1974 Asian Championship - Runners Up, 1984 Hong Kong Sevens – Bowl Champions, 2007 – Asian Championship – runners up.