CR meets Havies

This week will see some exciting rugby in the likes of a CR / Havies encounter. Unlike the previous seasons when the outcome was predicable at the start of the season, this year most of the club sides are determined to give a good account of themselves. I am impressed with the performance of Havies, Navy and Police.

The SLRFU relaxation on the inclusion of two expatriate players for those teams that finished in the bottom half of the tournament last year has obviously had an effect on the resurgent Havies side. In the past the most looked forward to club rugby encounter was a CR / Havies game and all the pundits would be out in force with their predictions a few weeks before the game. My mind goes back to one of the games played at Havelock Park in 1976 where CR played two full backs, in Michael Muller and the Didacus de Almeida by dropping back a loose forward. This was no doubt to curtail or dampen the effectives of the kicking prowess of the Havies three quarters as well as the little overhead chips of Hanzil Samad the diminutive and explosive Havies scrumhalf. This tactic evoked a lot of controversy amongst the club stalwarts and shouts of negativity echoed at the grounds that day. Whilst I am not a fan of negative play, I was intrigued that the CR think tank, I believe it was the brainchild of Mahes Rodrigo and executed by Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy had deemed that tactic as the most effective on that day. CR won handsomely that evening as Havies did not have a plan B. Playing two fullbacks has not been in vogue thereafter as the need to have eight men in the scrum is now mandatory. In the recent years CR have been steam rolling the Havies, but this year it will be a tough assignment.

Junior Asiad

The Junior Asiad kicks off in Hong Kong on 26 June and the young side takes wing on 23 June. One of the stalwarts of the CR game mentioned above, C. P. Abeygunewardena will be accompanying the side and we wish the team all success in the tournament. I am sure that there will be a lot of debate on the exclusion of Jamaldeen of Royal from this tour, given his attacking and goal kicking skills. The person chosen to don the # 10 jersey, Dulaj Perera appears to be a more organised player both in attach and defense, but less flamboyant, which may have swung the scales of selection in his favour.

Doping scandal

We were greeted with the news on Wednesday of the physical trainer of a leading school being tested positive for a banned substance. The school has been quick to disassociate themselves with the trainer in question until such time as he is cleared of any wrongdoing. One sincerely hopes that this doping scandal that seems to be hitting our newspaper headlines with such regularity becomes a thing of the past in the very near future.

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