By A Special Sports Correspondent

The inter-school league rugby tournament found a winner in St. Peter’s last weekend and showed how big the sport is at school level in Sri Lanka. Rugby, simply, is far more popular and a much bigger money spinner compared to cricket in this island in terms of schoolboys being involved in a game. Just see the number of logos of corporate companies- backing this game as sponsors- pinned on the jerseys of the players and you’ll understand. And the games gave back in return top shelf rugby to spectators who were willing to pay as much as rupees thousand a ticket for each game.

The game at school level has grown by such large proportions that the product out there (Division 1 school rugby) is a virtual business that attracts both the good the bad and the ugly. And what followers of the sport cannot understand is why someone in the higher echelons in the government cannot put someone capable to have better control of school rugby. We all know that school rugby is controlled by a bunch of schoolmasters who have hardly any background in terms of being former players of the game. Hence the questionable decisions they take in administrative affairs of rugby. Earlier, before the seasons kicked off, there was much dissatisfaction shown by teams (schools) when the school rugby authorities insisted on neutral venues for matches during the super round stage of the tournament. One absurd outcome of this flawed thinking in administration is Royal and Trinity being forced to play a physically challenging third place play off so close to the upcoming crucial two-leg Bradby Shield, for which the dates were announced long time ago. Such an unexpected and unplanned for game before the Bradby Shield could have exposed the players of Royal and Trinity to unwanted injuries.

The Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) received another blow just a few days ago. The advisory committee backing them resigned due to policy and administrative differences with the SLSRFA. One official of the advisory committee was quoted in the newspaper saying that SLSRFA officials didn’t heed their advice or pay attention to pressing issues. From what we hear about what critics have to say, as for the SLSRFA, rugby is just another sport which schools masters use to gain some social capital or status. All the hard work in school rugby is done by individual rugby committees of respective school, their old boys, the sponsors and the referees’ society. The school authorities just come for matches in their Sunday attire with a file in hand to see whether others are working.

Another complain coming from many in the rugby fraternity, including members of the media, is that SLSRFA officials are not available for comment when their version is needed when reporting on controversial issues. Almost all school rugby officials are unreachable on mobile phone. There was a time when Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) provided an official of the SLSRFA with a mobile phone to keep a communication channel open, but the official armed with the phone chose not to answer any calls even from the highest authority in rugby. This is how bad the situation is in school rugby where administration is concerned.

Given the negative environment that exists with this type of rugby officials being in office it was credible to see the decider of the league rugby tournament being worked off sans crowd violence. Many thought that a heavy presence of police officers and private security officials at Havelock Park was uncalled for. But those with a deep rugby history know that security is so important at a ‘virtually rugby final’ that features two teams which generate much tension whenever they meet at rugby; most of this tension is fuelled by jealousy and personal animosity. Just imagine what would have happened if the heavy security was removed from the equation.

If a word is not said about the deciding game played at Havelock Park last Saturday it would amount to be a terrible miss. St. Peter’s deserved to win the final game, given that they had the major share of possession of the ball. This in itself is a feat. But the green shirts must also be given a pat on the back for defending their goal line so well because the game was decided on penalties. The only complain would have been the rain and soggy ground conditions. There is a school of thought that if the weather was sunny and the grass was not wet we could have seen fireworks by a star studded back division that represented St. Peter’s. But then again there was Shaheed Zumri on the other side who could have singlehandedly won the game for Isipatana if the ground was ideal for running rugby. Mud rugby is a spoiler, no doubt. But the two teams played their hearts out and gave an appreciative Saturday crowd enough memories for posterity. How the league rugby tournament concluded with the decider between these two schools was akin to how India’s celebrated writer Amish Tripathi finishes most of his books; with the promise that the action will continue in the next book of the series. Isipatana not allowing St. Peter’s to cross their goal line when they met this season still keeps the rugby challenge to find the ultimate winner for 2024 wide open. It just means we might have a different winner in the knockout tournament which will begin soon!