‘Muthu’ devastating than before after Auckland training

Regarded as the youngest to captain the Sri Lanka Sevens team at 22, Sudarshana Muthuthanthri has been a consistent rugby player ever since he took up the oval shaped ball. Muthu, as he is known in the Sri Lanka rugby circuit, led EZY Wolves to victory in the second leg of Sri Lanka Super Sevens played in Colombo, after an unimpressive first leg held in Kandy a week earlier. He was part of Access Group team that went down to eventual champions MAS, where the final was tied 14-14 and had to decide through extra time at the Mercantile Rugby Sevens played over last weekend. 

Sudarshana Muthuthanthri

​What makes Muthu, stand out of the rest among players, is his commitment and easy going attitude. To add more value to that he underwent a three-month training program in Auckland, New Zealand, where rugby is a top sport. The training was coordinated and arranged by Muthu’s sponsor, Red Bull, who signed him as one of their athletes among hundreds of other global sports stars. 

“It was a repeat tiring after two legs of Sri Lanka Super 7s and the Mercantile 7s, there were at least six games per event. Reaching two finals and winning one was a pretty awesome feeling. I scored at least seven tries during the Sri Lanka Super 7s Colombo Leg. The work rate and the duration I spent in the field, since I was the captain of EZY Wolves was mainly helped by the training I got in New Zealand, for which I have to thank Red Bull,” Muthu stated. 

Better known as a forward player during his school days at S. Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia and then during the first few years at his club, Havelocks, Muthu worked hard to break the trend and seal a permanent slot in the Sri Lanka Sevens team. He then took over the captaincy of the Sri Lanka Sevens side from the versatile Fazil Marija. 

By now, Muthu (25) only gets better day after day and his place in the Sri Lanka Sevens outfit is permanently fixed. With his superb performance and contributions for EZY Wolves and Access Group in the recent weeks Muthu’s approach has taken a new height and for this he credits the training he received at the Eden Park with the Auckland Rugby Academy. 

“Usually Sri Lankan players do not get the opportunity to travel to Auckland and receive a high performance training programme like I underwent. It was a great opportunity and I have to thank Red Bull for that. They really gave me wings and helped me to experience rugby in another country where the sport is highly professional and a culture. I learnt a lot there, how they focus on the game, their off the field activities and their approach. This was a great opportunity for someone like me, who is really committed to the sport,” he explained.

“I was trained at the Auckland Rugby Academy, where Super Rugby is played, at Eden Park, one of the biggest and historical Rugby venues New Zealand and in the world. What I observed was their focus on the basic skills and the unique skills of the game, how they prepare off the field, their diet, nutritional and mental aspects and the preparations as well. I can say that game training was 20 percent and the rest was all off the field preparations they put before a game.”

Muthu feels proud to take the opportunity provided to him by Red Bull and he hopes not to stop there. He already implemented some of what he learned during the recent competitions where, Muthu was named the Player of the Tournament at the Sri Lanka Super Sevens in Colombo. This only shows how the Red Bull training has taken him to the next level, which Muthu explained as ‘nothing else but totally simplifying the sport’.

He explained that the approach to a game in Auckland was far more different and simple to how it is in Sri Lanka. Muthu went on to elaborate that the mental preparation and approach prior to a game helps immensely for on-field antics, where a player gets a split of a second to make a decision on the next best move. 

“What you understand when you are fully pumped up at a game is not the same what you see from outside. A player has a split of a second to react and decide what to do next in a fast moving game. How you play under pressure will mainly affect on how you mentally prepare for the game. That’s what they really focus on before any game, and that is what exactly I would like to teach my colleagues here too,” Muthu, who has hardly changed him pre-game rituals, said.

Muthu finds it very pleasing to spend time in Auckland, where hundreds of thousands from different cultures of the world are living. He also met new friends there on and off the field during the stay, which included training, weekend games and attending a few other games contested at professional level. The third-row-forward in the 15s game, Muthu feels that his little bit of contributions as an individual could help the Sri Lanka Sevens team change their current attitude and improve their playing style, as the Asian Sevens Series 2017 approaches.