by A Special Sports Correspondent

It’s amazing what school rugby has built for itself. Rugby at school level easily tops the list as the most popular discipline in which school children are involved. It could be safe to say that in a cricket crazy nation like Sri Lanka, even school cricket is no match for rugby where stakes are concerned. Just see the number of corporate logos on a school rugby jersey and you’ll understand that rugby at this level (junior under 19) can at times become something too big to handle even for the school authorities.

We saw this happen at the quarterfinals of the President’s trophy knockout tournament when teams like Royal and Trinity pulled out because they have to honour a traditional commitment; the Bradby Shield two-leg annual encounter between the two schools. You might not see this kind of bold decision being taken to pull out of an inter-school tournament in any other sport. Royal and Trinity have built histories in rugby which afford them to break away from the ‘bunch’ and still be counted in the sport played with the oval shaped ball. And still, despite that pullout, the main knockout tournament didn’t lose any of its glory. The best two teams this season – St. Peter’s and Isipatana -are keeping the knockout tournament going despite the upcoming final leg of the Bradby. Rugby in Sri Lanka is such that you can have different rugby cultures within the main culture. This is why when foreigners visiting this island are puzzled why the enthusiasm shown at school rugby doesn’t pour into to national rugby at senior level.

The other factor which showcases the rich rugby heritage of this country is the traditional fixtures between schools which are taking place alongside the main tournaments. When S.Thomas’ and Trinity met in their division 1 segment 1 group ‘A’ league tournament match this season it was also billed as a traditional fixture between the two schools. When Trinity won the game they also took home the Canon R. De Saram Shield for their efforts. The same happened when Royal scrummed down with Isipatana in the super round of the league tournament. Isipatana walked away with the Maj. Milroy Fernando trophy. But the beauty of rugby traditions in Sri Lanka will be seen soon before the season ends this year. That moment will come when the high-ridding Isipatana team has to grant a fixture to minnows Thurstan some time this season because there is a traditional rugby fixture between these two schools which is played for the Abdul Jabbar Shield. If a team doesn’t qualify for division 1 segment 1 and is demoted to segment 2, still traditional fixtures are there to offer schools struggling at rugby a lifeline.

These traditional fixtures might force the school authorities – the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association – to make compromises with the schools which have deep roots in the sport. This season, Royal and Trinity honored their commitments in the league tournament when they played their super round fixture and decided not to associate it with the two games of the Bradby. (The dates for the two leg Bradby Shield were announced well before the super round games began; hence there was no room for rescheduling the traditional rugby encounter). What was good is that both schools came for this tournament fixture in full strength. Imagine what would have happened to the quality of the league tournament if these two schools rested their key players for the Bradby and fielded second string teams? In the event these two schools played safe and protected their players for the traditional rugby fixture, the school rugby authorities would have had to plead with Royal and Trinity not to kill their tournament.

The other little concerning point in school rugby is the effect of all the overwhelming glory present in school rugby that can be a little too much for a school going child to handle. Basking in the glory of sponsors, rugby related events and all media attention they get can at times make these junior players think like sports professionals and be far removed from the ideology of living the lives of schoolboys who wear white uniforms. Suddenly we have a situation where a schoolboy, serious about his rugby, not being in a position to even have a piece of birthday cake offered to him because that type of junk food is not part of his sports diet anymore.

Also there was a time when some schools couldn’t condition the mind of schoolchildren to accept defeat at matches. This was because the stakes are too high in school rugby and the pressure is severe on the coaches to always be on the winning side. A school rugby coach knows that if his team loses a couple of matches during a season, he would be forced to look for alternative employment; come next season.

School rugby authorities and parents must understand that these are schoolboys who are involved in the sport, though they are ‘trained’ to play like professionals. These players must be taught how to balance their lives and understand the value of completing their education. There is a Sinhalese saying which goes ‘things that must be done and experienced at a specific age shouldn’t be postponed’. Some of the top clubs have already earmarked the cream of these rugby players who are turning out for their respective schools. If these players are not educated they can place their signatures on contracts with rugby playing clubs and end up getting a raw deal. Hence education at school is so important.

S. Thomas’, Isipatana, St. Peter’s and Wesley have found semi-final slots in the schools’ knockout tournament. This rugby columnist has often highlighted the fact that the environment present at some of the inter-school rugby matches is not very healthy due to uncontrollable jealousy and animosity. But we did come to hear of a warming moment in school rugby when some members of the Isipatana College team paid a courtesy call on the injured Peterite rugby player Yumeth Shihara who is in hospital and nursing an injured leg. Such tender moments in a robust game like rugby does help to remind rugby players that the human touch matters over both victory and defeat. If you lose the human touch you lose it all!