Aim of SLRFU is to promote rugby in the provinces, says Asanga

Ranjeeva Seneviratne

RUGBY: The aim of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union is to promote rugby in the provinces. Already 110,000 children from 550 schools are playing rugby which augurs well for the future of the sport”, said the Deputy President of the SLRFU Asanga Seneviratne at a press briefing held at the Rugby Union office on Monday.

He said that the SLRFU has appointed Technical Officers and Rugby Development Officers to every district to promote rugby by conducting coaching clinics and tournaments for school children in those districts. National coach Rob Yule has visited those districts to assess the progress made by the Development Officers in developing rugby in those areas.

He has already conducted coaching clinics focussing on catch and pass, tackling technique, contact rugby, kicking skills and basic running skills.

Seneviratne said that under 10, 12, 14 and 16 inter-provincial tournaments will be conducted between Southern, Sabaragamuwa, North Western, North Central, Uva, Central and Western Provinces and players who excel in the inter-provincial tournaments will be picked to form a pool and some of them will play for the national team in the future. Some of the inter-provincial matches will be shown on television to encourage them to give of their best.

He also revealed that New Zealander Keith Roberts who is among the top three rugby trainers in the world will be contracted by the SLRFU for a period of three years to conduct strength and fitness training programme for the national and under 19 team. Roberts who was in sri Lanka two weeks ago conducted clinics in Kandy and Colombo which were highly successful.

The SLRFU also hopes to form more rugby clubs and conduct a floodlit rugby tournament to attract more spectators. The Rugby Union with the consent of President Mahinda Rajapaksa hopes to use the Race Course grounds for the national team to practice and to build a hostel and a canteen to provide accommodation and meals for the national players.

He also said that a sum of Rs. 70 million has been raked in by the Union as sponsorship money for this year and it would increase with the Rugby Asiad which will be held in November this year in Sri Lanka due to the efforts of SLRFU President DIG Nimal Lewke and CEO Dilroy Fernando who have taken great pains to convince the Asian countries to take part in this prestigious event which would boost the country’s image. The SLRFU also hopes to conduct a World Rugby Sevens Tournament in 2010 in Sri Lanka.

National Coach Rob Yule said that he was happy about the enthusiasm shown by the ruggerites in Sri Lanka which has a player base of over 100,000 - the 13th highest in the world.

He would start coaching the Sri Lanka under 19 team in September so that they will be in peak form when the Youth Asiad is held in Brunei in December and also the national team after a pool is formed in early August so that they could give of their best at the Rugby Asiad in November this year.