The Southern Sharks led by Amjad Buksh won the Carlton Sevens first leg beating the Central Kings led by Marija. The overall winner will be decided after the second leg played this week. The first leg produced rugby that was enjoyable and also saw the local talent take the challenge upfront in taking on some of the foreign players who were tackled to a standstill.
The crowds however were disappointing, considering that rugby enjoys big love in the hills. Did they miss much? I would say possibly yes, as there was something different to what one may see in a sevens tournament at home. On the other hand there were some big names as coaches but not many big names on the field. What is more important to the spectator is the player on the field. Like an aperitif that comes before the main meal this is only a start or shall we say a seed that is showing the first signs of life and has the opportunity to grow.
The plus point I saw was the exposure of the local player, who had the talent and the skill to provide some magical moments in the sevens. To be close to the kings of the sevens one needs to work a little more to forget the fifteen games while thinking sevens is different. Winning in sevens is all about retaining possession. I think that is something local players can learn as opposed to going in to contact and making life more difficult than it should be. To settle down and to make use of the width and depth of the field to stretch the defense and make bigger gaps is what can be learnt.
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| Carlton action in Kandy |
What would be needed would be to harness this talent and take it forward if we know where we want rugby in Sri Lanka to be by the years 2015 and 2019. Why should we look at 2019 as a worthy year to serve as a milestone? Japan will host the World Cup that year and this means that there is an opportunity for another Asian nation to get into that elite group. Would you say that it is asking too much to plan that far ahead and to aim that high? Aiming that high is a good target but to get there one has to have a plan that will need to be strategized. We heard of the Intention of the Union to get foreigners to play in the domestic tournament. What would be required is that the process of the Carton Sevens being played as well as foreigners being allowed should be tied to an outcome that may be reached.
If we allow foreigners to play the purpose must be two-fold: to make the game more attractive as well as to build a team at the national level that will include those who come here to play. What will our strategy be and will we embrace tactics as the strategy? Take the case of game development that is done by watching so much rugby that is shown via cable or laying your hands on a DVD. The moves are then practised and put into play virtually as a twin of what was worked. The few who couple these tactics that are seen and work them into a strategy are the winning combinations that are seen. Others work the carbon copy of what they see and are satisfied that they have done well.
That is where the experience of the Carlton Sevens proves useful, by picking up from those that weave these tactics to a winning strategy. That is what you get by working with these coaches who have to give out their strategy because they have to work to win. That is more than you can get than by simply using the world’s best matches as your guideline.
Looking at the antics and pronouncements that one hears it is a question of whether most are ready. Some really are while others as usual have a problem in identifying the woods from the trees. It appears that it is not winning but inability to fathom good governance in wining prize money that is a damper.
Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, coach and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB |
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