Niwanka’s dream Rugby tale
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Being a player who has not touched the oval shape ball game during his school career or even afterwards, Niwanka Prasad has come a long way. Prasad, a 30-year-old, made his debut with the Sri Lanka XV rugby team, after proving his athleticism on the field, making a great justification for his efforts and will. Prasad may not have the know-how in rugby as any other player to don the Sri Lanka jersey handy, but for the ever-hopeful lad, who makes his first appearance for the Tuskers, has worked his way to the top depicting a newer version of the rags to riches tale.
As a back row forward, his thundering tackles on the opposing teams, and his great defensive play, has caught the eyes of national selectors.
Since making the ‘groundbreaking’ move from the barracks of a Naval Base in the Eastern Coastline of Sri Lanka in 2009, Prasad’s last stop, as any other player would dream of, is the national side. Now he has become an integral part of the Tuskers. He was included into the national rugby squad, for Sri Lanka’s tour of Malaysia in defense of Asian Rugby Championship Division 1, also involving the host nation, Singapore and Philippines. Who would have ever thought Prasad will play for the Tuskers some years back, not even he! Prasad’s voyage in the rugby field began unexpectedly.
Being an ardent athlete Prasad’s family members never had the brimming faces whenever he sought permission to engage in sports, not even at an event at school. Besides roadblocks from his family Prasad had another life, as an athlete at Biyagama Imbulpe Rajasinghe Vidyalaya, where he was a good athlete. His family got to know Prasad’s ‘mischievousness’ later on but never opposed. He excelled in the events of Javelin, Discuss and the Shot Putt. After leaving school he joined Sri Lanka Navy, where his destiny changed. Even after joining Sri Lanka Navy as a regular, he excelled in athletics, competing at Inter-Unit Championships, and caught the eye of many senior officers.
He was stationed in the Poonewa Navy Camp in 2009, when the call of destiny came from one of his superior officers. He was requested to come immediately to play in an Inter-Unit Rugby Championship. By then Prasad has seen a bit of rugby on television but was clueless of how the game was played. His coaches provided him with the basic rules and he took up the challenge. For quite a few seasons Prasad was an automatic choice of his Unit officials and after some time, he was picked to represent Navy Sports Club in the Division ‘C’ Tournament conducted by the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union.
“By that time I knew a bit about rugby like not to pass the ball forward and things like that. The team mates and officials at Navy were keen to see me climb up and in 2013 I managed to fit into the Division ‘A’ pool of Sri Lanka Navy, which was a dream-come-true for me. By then my family knew the entire thing about me playing rugby and now they are my biggest fans. If I had to go any further in the ladder it was to play for Sri Lanka and with that in mind I kept on working hard and finally here I am,” Prasad, still down to earth as he usually is, stated. At 30, any rugby player would begin to contemplate on retiring but Prasad does a total opposite, by debuting for his country.
At this age as Prasad states, he is a fighter. “As long as my body is fit and raring to go, I will play the game. Until such time I will work hard, learn about the game more and contribute in some way to my country,” He gets immense support from the senior players in the national side. They guide him and offer words of inspiration. They all act as a part of team. Prasad’s, voyage to destiny in the rugby field continues. In time to come it will not be a surprise if Prasad gets to lead the Navy Sports Club at Division ‘A’ level, and who knows he might even get a chance to lead the ‘Tuskers’, the national rugby team in the future, some day if he dares to move on. - NK