Zumri steps onto a field  of rugby magicians

By A Special Sports Correspondent

Kandy Sports Club is a bit under pressure when it comes to being committed to rugby. This is because rugby seems to be the only worthwhile entertainment in sport for the folks in the central hills. Hence all eyes are on them and the expectations are that they’d win all the time when the players from the Nittawela club take to the field. It’s not easy to make it to the team wearing the blue, white and red jerseys for new entrants to the club. But last season’s schools rugby sensation from Isipatana College Shahid Zumri made the grade at Kandy SC and sees his name in the team list. He made his debut in club rugby when he played for Kandy SC in the match against Army; which was Kandy’s second match this season. Unofficial reports state that Zumri was unavailable for the first match this season due to an education commitment.

Now it’s going to be a new chapter in life for this lad. He’ll be considered an adult from now onwards, but he’ll have to make his own choices when tempted with choices that are either good or bad. Unlike in Colombo, the distractions are minimum up here in the hills and the Kandy rugby authorities are sticklers for discipline. It’s the disciplined way of life and commitment to the sport that have driven this club to resemble a bullet train. When everything is well set ‘the Kandy bullet train’ is a sight to witness. Anything that blocks its way will be crushed under its wheels. But sadly, last season was an exception. Kandy SC lost its title to CR&FC; losing both the home and away fixtures in the league tournament to the red shirts. Kandy SC even pulled out of the Clifford cup knockout tournament, disappointing rugby fans in the process.

Shaheed Zumri

Players like Zumri have joined the Kandy side at a crucial juncture. This period can be witnessed as a team building time. This means the coaching staff will be experimenting with players, to find the best starting line-up. It’s good for players like Zumri to be groomed into being the next set of players who’d take on the mantle at Kandy Sports Club. That grooming will be done by players in the likes of Tharinda Ratwatte, Nigel Ratwatte and skipper Srinath Sooriyabandara who are the stars in the three quarter line. By the fourth match this season, a veteran of many seasons, Dhanushka Ranjan, lost his place to Zumri. That’s how rugby is; an old hand reigns supreme till a young guy comes knocks him out. The new rugby terms don’t allow us to call the non playing seven or eight players on the bench to be termed as reserves. They are known as finishers. Yes, reserves are very important and are needed to reinforce the side, but not being in the starting lineup gives so many messages to the players on the bench. A club starts off the game with the best it has and not being in that initial 15 means you need to work harder. Dhanushka Ranjan is a sensation when at his best and what we’ve seen from him when at his peak of perfection is perhaps what some of the best moments of Sri Lanka rugby is made of, here and overseas. But Ranjan’s position is threatened.

This is also perhaps a nice time to recall how one of Isipatana’s best products, the late Sajith Mallikarachchi, came to Kandy after a few seasons with at least two Colombo based clubs and become a darling with Kandy’s rugby crowds. He single handedly gave Kandy some of its best wins and even went on to captain both the Nittawela side and the Sri Lanka team. Zumri can take a cue from how Mallikarachchi made the transition from school rugby to club rugby and then the national team.

Now let’s look at the Kandy SC back division. It’s a virtual Sri Lanka three quarter line. How would other clubs play against them or negotiate this challenge. As much as doing wonders with the running skills they possess, if the Kandy three quarters work on their defence and become ruthless tacklers as well, then opposite sides will be forced to play only with their forwards when taking on Kandy. Something similar happened at the time when Mallikarachchi played for Kandy SC as fly half and the side comprised players like Fazil Marija and Pradeep Liyanage as centres and Sanjeewa Jayasinghe and Radeeka Hettiarachchi as the wings and Nalaka Weerakkody as full back. Back then, this writer forgets the year, CH&FC took the fight up to Kandy SC by playing with their forwards and used one strip of the ground (like ten metres from the touch line inwards) and kept hitting with their forwards. That was the brainchild of coach Wazeel Hafeel who was the coach of the Gymkhana Club at that time. The late George Simpkins (Sri Lanka national coach at one time) who watched the game had complimented Hafeel for designing that ploy. And we know that George would only praise a feat in rugby only if it’s up to his level of thinking.

Last week Kandy SC pulled off a victory from the jaws of defeat. Nigel Ratwatte, who was struggling to play at his best till last week this season, suddenly came alive in the crucial game against Havecloks Sports Club and set up the match winning try in the dying stages of the game to send Dinal Ekanayake over for a touchdown. One of the inspiring features about Nigel is that he isn’t a selfish player and wants his side to win. The same can be said about Tharinda, his cousin, who is right now easily the best player the county possesses in any form of rugby.

Zumri has come from Colombo and climbed a mountain to reach the summit, Kandy Sports Club. The lad must be warned that being on top has its dangers because there are other hungry ‘wolves’ climbing the mountain and eyeing a piece of the rugby pie. If Zumri wants to remain in Kandy he has to cultivate the ability to be always hungry. Complacency has no place at the Nittawela club. At Kandy Sports Club, players are conditioned not to allow successes to go to their heads. Right now Kandy SC’s flag is fluttering and the lion emblem in it can be depicted as being very happy if an emoji is used redo the animal. But there is unfinished business for Kandy SC this season, hence no one is allowed to smile till the league is won and the cup is brought back home.