Thurstan College, Colombo has big plans for its rugby future. Better known in the cricket field, Thurstan, which though is the arch rival of Isipathana College, is in a scrumdown countdown courtesy the Thurstan Rugby Academy.
?We are looking ahead five years from now when Thurstan will have produced a team capable of beating the best in town,? is how Head Coach Ajith Fernando outlines the role of the Rugby Academy which has an estimated 125 players under the ages of 8, 10, 12,13 and 14 practicing three days a week.
The tuning up Thurstan rugby drive to sow fruit five years hence is indeed a remarkably lovable sighting of little brats in blue shorts and t-shirt in a hive of activity running to and fro the Thurstan grounds, the oval shaped rugby football the object under the watchful eye of the coach.
?The academy was started in 2014, and our objective is to build up a potential under-19 team that would champion Thurstan rugby on all fronts by 2020. By the time these kids reach under-19 level, the knowledge they would have picked up I believe would make them fully fledged players to challenge the best teams in the country,? are the expectant words Fernando airs in an interview with SPORTS TODAY.
LAUDABLE INITIATIVE
The school?s academy concept is certainly a laudable initiative of taking a school that has been playing rugby football for donkeys years, but has not been able to come to full measure of rubbing shoulders with dominative school teams like Isipathana, Royal, St. Peter?s, Trinity, S. Thomas?, Dharmaraja, Kingswood, and even teams that sprung up long after Thurstan like Ananda, St. Joseph?s and Wesley.
As coach Ajith Fernando makes out, it has been a concentrated effort by everybody at Thurstan College from the Principal T.A.M.S. Sarathchandra downwards to the Thurstan Rugby Club, Sports Council, OBA, staff and particularly the parents whose diverse contributions have kept the academy afloat. If the slogan is to reach perfection, the sustaining slogan is money to realizing that end.
TENDING TO THE KIDS
?You see, the kids have to be tended from having them in good shape where fitness and protein counts. Their meals have to be up to date. The diet includes manioc, grains, boiled watakka with ?lunumiris? and coconut, bread, toast bread and pol sambol,? he explains adding that players meals have to be given within half an hour of finishing practices.
?It is not easy, maintenance per player costs around Rs.50,000/= to 60,000/= The Thurstan Rugby Club, old boys and parents have to be specially thanked for backing the academy. In fact, the parents are my strength. They are so committed and involved in sustaining it. They must be admired for preparing the meals and bringing to the grounds three days a week to feed the children Monday, Wednesday and Friday,? he goes on.
At the academy players take part in friendly carnival type matches. As Fernando puts it, there is not competition as such. These friendlies are played out with players from other academies such as the Hisham Abdeen Football Academy (HAFA). There are only a few such in town such as at Royal College, Ananda and Wesley. The kids did play a friendly match with Isipathana this year. The first academy was started by Dilroy Fernando five years ago. This year the Thurstan U-12 players had been put through the rigors of playing 28 friendly matches. The coach also has in place a player incentive driving gift awarding for players for attendance and punctuality. It helped further encourage players.
?The idea is to teach them the correct skills like kicking, tackling, running; all individual skills,? imparts the coach who points out that Thurstan rugby had fallen in the past 10 years since producing some top players like Surath Wickramasinghe far back as 1958 who was the first U-19 captain, and in the 1970s the famous Nanayakkara brothers.
The great expectations are that the U-14 players would mature and blossom by 2020/21 when coach Fernando believes Thurstan could put the bad in to the past. Lack of knowledge was the main reason for the present decline. Conditions were so bad that the 2015 U-18 team consisted of only four players who had played rugby. The rest were pickups – A/L students who only made up the numbers.
By the early 202os your boys would be fully tuned up to challenge Isipathana and beat them?
?I believe so. Not only Isipathana, we will be in top shape to target the top four schools? teams.?
HELPS OTHER SCHOOLS TOO
It is also praiseworthy that the school authorities have looked beyond Thurstan rugby in sharing what they have with other schools. Their highly generous act of letting kids from other schools too come and practice at the academy deserves the coach and the rest a pat on the back. According to Fernando the Thurstan goodwill gesture benefits kids from the poorest schools.
?There are kids from C.W.W. Kannangama M.V., Susimewardena Vidyalaya, Veluwana, Lumbini, St. John?s, Kotelawala M.V. and even Royal and St. Peter?s who practice at the academy. We don?t charge a cent from the poor kids but do from the affluent schoolboys.
The academy coaching staff also includes Rohitha Gamage, Manjula Costa and Upul Silva, an ex-Thurstan first fifteen player, Ms. Lakshmi Karunaratne, Lasantha Gunawardena and Rex Anthony.
The Head Coach?s parting words were a big thank you to the Principal Sarathchandra, Master in Charge Govinda Wimalasena, President, Thurstan Rugby Club, Priya Paranavithana and its Secretary, Suranga Kulawickrema.
By Srian Obeyesekere SPORTS TODAY www.sportstoday.lk
