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| Thursday, 21 October 2004 |
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Lanka rugby and HK Sevens The Rugby Asiad is around the corner. The Sri Lanka rugby team is due to leave for Hong Kong early next week to play in the tournament at a time our rugby has reached its lowest level. Unlike in the past, the tournament from the last couple of editions has turned out to be one for the giants and one for the minnows. While the top four teams - Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong play separately for the main Asiad title, the rest of the lesser known teams play in the consolation Bowl category, which in real terms has no connection to the Asiad at all. Up to the mid nineties, Asian rugby heavyweights Japan and South Korea joined the rest of the Asian teams to play from the semi league stage qualifying round. But the new tournament structure introduced by the Asian Rugby Football Union in the nineties saw the top four teams in Asia having exclusive rights to play in the main Asiad. To satisfy the rest, a separate tournament for the Bowl title was introduced. There was a time Sri Lanka were one of the leading rugby playing nations in Asia behind regional super powers Japan and South Korea. Our team had .0even figured in an Asiad final exactly three decades ago. In the late nineties, our rugby team was on par with Taiwan to share the No.3 spot in Asia. That was the time China just stepped in to the Asian rugby scene. But in no time, Chinese lads mastered the game and are now in a position to throw a big challenge not only to Sri Lanka, but even to teams like Hong Kong and Taiwan. The draw Sri Lanka has been given by the Asian Rugby Football Union is a clear indication where our rugby stands. Sri Lanka will be playing in the Bowl category with virtually unknown teams in international rugby - Pakistan, Macau and India. Sri Lanka is down to scrum down with Pakistan in their opening game to be played at the Kings Park, Kowloon next Wednesday. Considering the standard of the game which prevails in these countries, Sri Lanka could well become the kings of minnows. It won't be a surprise if our rugby officials make a hue and a cry, if Sri Lanka wins the Bowl title. But what we should realize is that there is hardly any standard there. Even if we are to win the Bowl title, they have to beat the winners in a play off game between China and Malaysia. When the Asian rugby tournament was separated for the strong and weak teams, Sri Lanka's aim was to remain at least at the No.4 position so that they could get into the main cup title category. But not only did we fall well short of that target but our rugby had a drastic drop to go even four places down the order. We even lost to teams like Thailand, which we hardly considered as an opponent in the late 90s, 0-74 at the last Asiad. Our rugby has gone from bad to worse as a result of a series of administrative blunders. The Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union is fast asleep. The officials do not know which direction our rugby is heading. But they do a lot of talking on the development of the game. The more the SLRFU talks of development, the more the standard of our rugby deteriorates. The SLRFU may give facts and figures right on the number of new schools which took to rugby, coaching camps in the provinces and a breakdown of a huge expenditure on provincial level development. But what matters are the results. We do not expect miracles. But the period during which the SLRFU has done the so-called development work is good enough to find even a strong second-string team. The concept of development is merely a set of words for our rugby officials. The administrative skills of the SLRFU officials were exposed the way they ran the premier league tournament this year and got caught up in a legal battle with CR & FC, which reduced the 'power' of their sponsor Caltex. Despite a rich sponsorship deal worth nearly a half a million from the lubricant giant, the SLRFU has hardly done anything to support the participating teams financially. The truth may be bitter to the officials. Since we do not have any club affiliations, we have to put the facts straight for the sake of the game and in fairness to the rugby loving public. |
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