Let’s hope that SLSRFA considers reverting back to old rugby format

By A Special Sports Correspondent

The schools’ rugby season has faced a storm due to a vibe generated by top rugby playing schools who are frowning upon a decision taken by the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) to hold the Super Round matches of the inter-school league tournament at neutral venues.

The super round is the ‘second round’ of the league rugby tournament and venues are set according to a ‘home and away’ system. This system has been in practice since rugby was introduced to this little island; first to clubs and then to schools. One team that hosts the match this year will travel to the other school as ‘guests’ the next year and no one has complained about this arrangement. But it seems the SLSRFA wishes to change this tradition. The schools section of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) maintains that this change will be implemented with the motive of preserving the quality of the tournament and avoiding any team enjoying undue benefits in terms of playing on familiar ground conditions. The SLSRFA affirms that it has no intention of taking home the gate collection generated from these second round matches. The SLSRFA also intends to conduct the super round of the league tournament in a ‘knockout basis’ which is a total contrast to how this stage of the tournament was conducted last season. Many schools have already voiced their disapproval as to how the format of the schools rugby tournament has been subject to change.

From the surface this decision by the SLSRFA seems logical, but we need to think deep from a rugby tradition point of view. Just imagine if ‘Bradby Shield’ brothers Royal and Trinity are grouped in a manner that they meet in the super round of this tournament! Luckily these two teams are not pooled in the same group this season and they can only meet if they qualify for the super round stage of the league tournament. If that happens at least one leg of the Brady Shield will be played at a neutral venue. Going by the history of these two schools, neither Royal nor Trinity would agree to this. The solution to this issue might come in the form of both schools pulling out of the schools rugby tournament midway during this much looked forward to sporting event. This would be very bad for rugby and the spirit of sport.

The schools rugby tournament has been subject to several changes since more schools playing the sport entered the fray and the SLSRFA became an authority in rugby. The tournament format till last season was fair for all top division rugby playing schools grouped in Division 1 Segment 1. This writer says this because the old format allowed the best teams in the tournament to make a comeback even after a surprise loss and still be in contention of the ‘plum’. This opportunity no longer exists with the schools rugby authorities demanding the introduction of a ‘sudden death’ or knockout flavor to the tournament. This is the other issue causing concerns to school teams this season.

Many rugby critics and veterans who have played the game have already opined that this would be too much of a change for schoolboys. Unlike clubs, most schools need time to settle down and play their best rugby. There have been some schools in the past which came back strongly midway during the season. In the year 1988, Ananda and especially Isipatana made strong comebacks in to the schools’ tournament after mediocre performances at the start. Isipatana lost around four games at the start of the league tournament, but made amends as the season progressed to finish on a high.

The schools section of the SLR back then hardly interfered in the conduct of the league tournament. Schools were free to pick their opponents and each school had to play seven games to be in contention of the league title. But at present there are too many regulations being imposed; which might dampen the spirit of the game.

The SLSRFA has affirmed that it’ll not stake a claim to the entire gate collection that’ll be generated during the super round of the tournament.

Many top rugby playing schools have already sent protest letters to the SLSRFA airing their grievances about the new format of the tournament. Let’s hope that the schools’ tournament doesn’t run into a snag because if a school that’s affected by this format change seeks legal assistance there could be a delay in starting the tournament.